Just got this in my email. An apology, a strong statement condemning the teacher’s behavior, a report to the state that might impact his license. Also, translated into Spanish and Vietnamese, the two most prominent languages in our district after English (they do it for all announcements, btw. Plus a few other languages for the weekly updates).
I’m proud of my school district
Edited to add: the grades the racist asshole gave will be examined to make sure they were not biased.
Dear Pflugerville ISD families and staff,
Over the last several years, the PfISD Board of Trustees, Superintendent, and Cabinet team have witnessed our staff participate in training and development in cultural awareness, inclusivity, responsive and relevant pedagogy, and social-emotional learning to create a sense of belonging and to support our students. And we have seen evidence of these trainings in our staff’s interactions, habits, and classroom practices. Last Friday, a community member notified us of an incident (video) in a classroom that involved a teacher at Bohls Middle School. When our executive team and Board watched the video, we were appalled at the interaction and statements.
The teacher, brand new to the campus and district this year, acted in a manner that harmed relationships with our kids in what should be a nurturing and supportive environment. Human Resources immediately placed the teacher on leave pending the outcome of an investigation. HR quickly conducted an investigation, and the staff member resigned by Saturday.
We have not stopped our actions concerning this incident. This week, the interim principal, superintendent, and HR reported the offensive behavior of the teacher to the State Board for Educator Certification. We are in the process of submitting an Educator Misconduct complaint through the Texas Education Agency’s Division of Compliance and Investigations. We believe the action of this individual was a violation of the Educator Code of Conduct, the Texas Education Code, fails to meet our standards in Board Policy and is a reprehensible and reportable offense. We will examine grades in this teacher’s classes for statistical bias and address any anomalies.
We know the staff at BMS are shocked and angry that their campus was being represented in this manner based on one individual’s statements which were inappropriate, unacceptable, and frankly inaccurate. The staff member said that he was ethnocentric, believed his race was superior, and that everyone was racist. These types of statements will not be tolerated in any PfISD school because it does not align with our core beliefs:
Diversity is our strength
All individuals have worth
Relationships are foundational to success
A safe and nurturing environment is non-negotiable
All students have the right to diverse educational opportunities
Social-emotional learning is as critical as academic focus
Civic-mindedness must be explicitly cultivated in our students
Community partnerships and high expectations improve student outcomes
Innovation and a strong work ethic ensure excellence
This type of ignorance disgusts us, and we know it disgusts many of you. Our staff members are neither ignorant nor racist. We are upset as people outside our district paint us with the same brush. Although our work is never done, we are proud that our staff regularly demonstrate love, acceptance, and multiculturalism. One individual’s statements does not define our district, and those statements do not represent our district. Our passionate service for our kids does.
This clearly illustrates how important it is to focus on our core mission, not our personal viewpoints… Focus on what our kids need and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Be prepared and knowledgeable in the subjects we are covering. Check any biases at the door or find another door elsewhere. Our kids have missed a lot of learning these past two years, and we need to lift them up. We owe them that.
Thank you to our staff members who have reached out to show support for the kids directly impacted by this and those who may have been indirectly impacted. Again, one individual’s actions do not define us; our passionate and caring service does. We stand by our swift action to investigate and ultimately remove things that do not nurture and support the children in our care.
We are truly sorry that this has negatively impacted our kids, families, staff, and district. We will continue work on building a safe and nurturing environment where all children are supported and free from discrimination.
Passionately Serving,
The PfISD Superintendent and Board of Tr
