Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety Bullying topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents demand accountability after violent student incident at Kilgore ISD meeting
Summary
Parents and relatives urged Kilgore ISD trustees to act after a recent violent incident, alleging failures in reporting, parental notification and supervision; one speaker cited Texas law and asked the board to form a safety committee and supply records.
At a crowded Kilgore Independent School District board meeting, several parents demanded immediate action and greater transparency after a recent violent incident that sent a student to the hospital.
"We want accountability," Miranda Walton told the board during the public-comment period, urging the district to move beyond statements and implement "transparency, consequences, and preventative measures." Walton said one child involved has hemophilia and that insufficient action could have had fatal consequences.
Crystal Flores and other parents described recurring assaults and gaps in oversight on campuses and buses. "What specific steps will be taken in the next 90 days to address these concerns?" Flores asked, calling for staff training, counseling for victims and aggressors, peer-support or monitoring programs, and clearer parent communication.
David Trussell, who said he has gathered messages and records about repeated altercations, called the pattern "appalling" and asked how a reportedly violent student could have been unsupervised in the cafeteria. Melissa Colbert and other speakers said long-running problems have been minimized and urged consistent enforcement of the district's anti-bullying and anti-violence policies.
Caitlin Joyner cited state law and alleged multiple lapses in the district's response. Joyner said she received no notification after a recent incident that required ambulance transport and claimed detectives interviewed a minor on campus without her knowledge. She asked the board for school transcripts, police reports and records documenting any safety-team or threat-assessment actions. "Not reporting bullying is not just negligence," Joyner said, "it is a direct violation of state law."
The board president thanked speakers and said trustees were listening; during the meeting Joyner suggested, and several speakers agreed, that the board form a safety committee to review procedures and improve communication. The board closed public comment after hearing all registered speakers and said follow‑up would be forthcoming.
The board did not take any formal disciplinary actions or announce specific remedial steps during the public session; trustees moved on to scheduled school-business items and then recessed for an executive session later in the agenda.
