In the small town of Comfort, there is an increasing need for change. Heated arguments during a school board meeting on Monday got physical in the parking lot when a board member allegedly tried to run a guy over. The man, who KENS 5 spoke with, is fine, but the event is drawing attention to Comfort ISD.
Parents have been raising issues with the school board and requesting more openness for the past three years, according to Amanda Hallmark, a parent in the Comfort ISD.
Families claim that there are too many problems to focus on just one. Hallmark asserts that she can identify the source as being the district’s leadership.
Hallmark stated, “We can’t get the school board to pay attention to us. “The administration won’t pay attention to us. So, it might be very discouraging.
Parents Blaming The Officials For Lack Of Resources For Students
Parents claim that when Dr. Tanya Monroe took over as superintendent in 2018, issues started to arise. Families claim that since then grades have drastically declined, special education students are falling behind because of a lack of resources, and bullying and racial slurs are not being addressed.
According to Comfort ISD parent Jennifer Rawlinson, “Our kids are obviously not getting the quality services they deserve.” The group claims that numerous teachers have departed because of mistreatment.
Another Comfort ISD parent, Avery King, explained, “It’s fear of retaliation.” “You say anything out of fear that you’ll get into trouble at work when you return. Did I make a mistake? Our instructors, who have long supported our institutions, are simply overwhelmed with dread and fear as a result of it.
We have lost 44 instructors in the four and a half years [Dr. Monroe] has been here, and several of them were tenured,” declared Hallmark.
Some of the instructors retired, but the majority transferred to Medina and the nearby schools, according to Rawlinson. We’re discussing the best teachers of the year. I believe there are five or six teachers this year. Why are all of them leaving?
Parents created a petition demanding the dismissal of Dr. Monroe, Dr. Jerry Adams, the assistant superintendent, and Angie Westerfield, the director of the curriculum. Around 1,000 people have signed it.
Dr. Monroe’s office responded by issuing the following statement:
The Comfort ISD Board of Trustees, Superintendent Dr. Tanya Monroe, and central office staff are committed to giving district kids the finest education possible. But, occasionally matters of interest in the community arise that have nothing to do with teaching kids or the success of their education.
On January 17, racial remarks and sexually explicit songs were heard during a basketball game at home. Dr. Monroe gave the CHS game administrator instructions to step in and stop the offensive music.
After the complaints were made, the person playing the music, a district volunteer, insisted the song did not include any objectionable material and left the game.
After that occurrence, locals demanded the resignation of Dr. Monroe, the board of trustees, and other district executives. District administrators and trustees have received threats as part of this campaign, including the statement “We know where you live.”
District authorities have been targeted and harassed on social media where misinformation has also been propagated.
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