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Neighbor tells Midland ISD trustees students'"holding fight club" and pellet‑gun incident raise safety concerns near Midland High
Summary
At the board's public forum, Evelyn Burgos told trustees she and neighbors face repeated dangerous student behavior near Midland High — speeding, street fights and a pellet‑gun shooting that hit her daughter — and said school and police responses have been insufficient.
During the public forum portion of Tuesday's board meeting, Evelyn Burgos, who said she lives across from Midland High School, delivered a detailed account of recurring hazardous behavior by groups of students around her neighborhood.
Burgos described speeding cars, students hanging out of truck beds, staged fights she termed "fight club," and multiple instances of property damage. She said students had brought pellet guns and water guns to school; in one incident she said a student from Midland High shot her daughter with a pellet gun three times in the arm while the daughter was walking near Holy Trinity, a block from Burgos's home.
Burgos said the district's response felt inadequate: she told the board she was told the MISD police took 30 minutes to send an official to the incident (the person who arrived was a principal) and that MISD staff were unable or unwilling to help pull camera footage. She said the city police told her they could not act and that responsibility rested with the school.
"These kids are gonna kill somebody," Burgos said, urging the board to address the pattern of violence and prevent future harm. President Gwynne thanked her for speaking; trustees did not immediately announce follow‑up actions during the public forum portion but hazardous‑route and safety discussions were on the agenda later in the meeting.
The account raised two separate operational issues: campus and MISD police response protocols for weapons or violent incidents, and whether off‑campus behavior near schools requires additional district or city mitigation (for example, crossing guards, sidewalks, or transportation adjustments). Trustees and staff later discussed hazardous route designations and transportation responses that would provide bus transportation and mileage reimbursement to students living on designated routes.
