Outside of McCowan Middle School Friday afternoon, the pickup line grew long with family members uncertain about how the school day played out after receiving a letter that a large number of the school’s teachers didn’t attend class.
“I’m here early to pick up my little brother from school because apparently there was a strike going on,” said Leslie Torres.
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WATCH HEREAs rumors swirled, DeSoto ISD officials didn’t classify what happened but said that an influx of teachers called out at about 6 a.m. In response, the district called in substitute teachers and reassigned central staff to cover vacancies.
“We’re carrying out school as normal to the best of our ability given the circumstances,” said Chief Communications Officer Tiffanie Blackmon-Jones.
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SIGN UP Without going into detail, Blackmon-Jones said teachers have expressed concern over recent interactions with students.
“The concerns we're experiencing right now are not an anomaly. These are things that are happening at schools across America. These are normal student behavioral concerns that as students are growing and learning, that they are also, they make mistakes along the way. And so as educators, as a school community, we wrap our arms around them and we help guide them toward [the] right decisions and right behaviors. It just happened to come at a time where there were multiple in a small span,” she said.
The district said it’s now working with teachers on long-term solutions to their concerns while remaining responsive to students and families.
