Irving school officials confirm an investigation is underway into bullying and violence at an Irving Independent School District campus.
In this case a substitute teacher claims she was the victim of bullying by a principal and that teachers have been the victims of violence between disruptive students.
Substitute teacher Wednesday Jackson was assigned to the Wheeler campus on Shady Grove Road last week.
"It's not good," Jackson said. "And they said that they've had difficulties getting subs to come back, and now I understand why."
The building is a combination alternative school for kids removed from other schools for behavior problems and also a special education school for children with serious disabilities who have also been sent there from other schools, according to the Irving school website and district officials. The two separate programs are both housed under the same roof but share a common gym space.
Jackson said she was booked as a gym teacher but was not provided details in advance about the background of the students she would supervise.
In two separate periods in the gym she said she broke up fights between students, one of them a girl attacking a boy.
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"She was beating him with everything," Jackson said. "You could hear the thunder against him."
Jackson said she was bullied by a principal afterward for the way she handled it. She said another teacher showed her bruises that the teachers said she received dealing with abusive Wheeler students.
Jackson said it was a sharp contrast to her prior two years of praise as an Irving substitute teacher, including a prior assignment at the Wheeler campus.
"I've had nothing but positive experiences there," Jackson said.
Jackson refused to return to Wheeler the next day but is booked Friday at another Irving campus.
She contacted Irving Civic Leader Anthony Bond to help her file a complaint over the Wheeler experience with the Irving ISD. Bond is also a leader of the Irving Education Coalition, a group of concerned citizens and teachers.
"Alternative school big kids and little bitty special education kids under one roof? It makes no sense," Bond said.
He said he is scheduled to meet with the Irving schools superintendent Friday over the issues.
"Is this campus safe, not only for the students, but is it safe for the teachers and administrators, too? That should not be a question in a public school campus anywhere in America," Bond said.
Irving ISD spokesperson Lesley Weaver said the special education and alternative school students have separate entrances and they are never together at the same time, although they do use the same gym space. She said 23 special education students and 95 alternative students are currently assigned to the building.
Weaver said the dual program use of the Wheeler campus started under the previous superintendent and has been in place for several years. She said a common cafeteria serves all students at the school but the alternative students eat in their classrooms.
Weaver said both schools deal with the most challenging students and discipline issues are not surprising. However, Weaver said Irving ISD takes Jackson's complaints seriously and an investigation is underway.
Two teacher union leaders said they have never heard of a similar shared campus arrangement for behavior and disability instruction but they were not familiar with any specific problems at the Wheeler campus. Rena Honea is president of Alliance AFT, representing Dallas Independent School District teachers. Steven Cole is a leader with United Educators Association, representing Irving and other North Texas district teachers.
