Teachers and parents urge teacher input on new school design and tougher response to guns at schools

Several public participants used the board’s open-call period to urge the Tolleson Union High School District to involve educators in school-design decisions and to take a firm stance on weapons in schools.

Sydney Wright, a teacher at University High School, told the board she and her colleagues are “grateful for the exciting news” about a new building but have concerns that teacher input has not been solicited. “No one understands the needs of a classroom better than the educators who teach in them every day,” Wright said, asking the district to prioritize teacher feedback on room sizes, lab spaces, security and other classroom needs.

Parent Diane Almora urged a strict approach to students who bring guns to campus and objected to the departure of an identified principal, saying the community sees that principal as a role model. “A gun on school property is a threat not only to the students but the community as a whole,” Almora said, and argued that students who bring weapons should face exclusion. She also repeated concerns raised elsewhere in the meeting about large payments to architect firms and lack of community involvement in building plans.

Melissa Gershwein, president of the Tolleson Union Education Association, said the union was observing the National Education Association’s day of action and encouraged the board to “continue to extol the virtues of public schooling” and to advocate for fully funded public schools, calling for policies that support students with disabilities and other needs.

Board members listening to the public comments later discussed the district’s restorative-education presentation and mental‑health services. No public‑comment speaker asked the board to take immediate, specific board action during the meeting; speakers asked staff to include educators and community members in planning and to provide clarity on discipline policies.