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Silsbee Elementary School
From an anonymous teacher,
I am a teacher at Silsbee Elementary School. I can confidently say that the majority of our teachers are at a breaking point. We have an administration who is not consistent with discipline, does not truly support the teaching staff and is placing all the blame on us for lackluster STAAR performance.
This all came to a head on Tuesday (Dec. 13). A 5th grade teacher was attacked by a student, who has a history of violence. The student had made threats against this teacher before, and the only repercussions (they) faced were a change in teachers. The student has thrown chairs in previous years, multiple times, hitting a teacher and a student. (The student) has destroyed a classroom in a violent rampage and threatened a pregnant woman.
The teacher was a first year teacher at SES. (The teacher) did not teach this student directly, but the student was in a nearby class. For whatever reason, (the student) fixated on (the teacher), from early on. Eventually graphic threats of a sexual assault were made. At that time, the school simply moved the student away from the teacher. The teacher was told the situation was resolved.
The student remained fixated on the teacher, and threats were made that mentioned their children. Nothing was taken seriously. Nothing of note was done.
The whole school found out Tuesday (Dec. 15) that it had not been.
Tuesday afternoon, (the teacher) was walking in the main corridor during dismissal. The student was running from the bus ramp toward the gym and just happened to see (the teacher). The student grabbed (the teacher) by the hair, and pulled (them) toward the ground. Other staff began trying to intervene, while administrators were slow to arrive on the scene.
(The teacher) suffered a concussion and some hair loss. As of today (Dec. 15), the student is still enrolled, and there is some discussion by the administration whether or not there is enough evidence to remove the student. There is a good chance (the student) will simply receive an extended winter break in the form of a three-day, out-of-school suspension and will return to school on Jan. 4, 2023. The entirety of the fifth-grade teaching team is appalled and infuriated.
The staff at SES are fed up, but most are afraid to say anything because they need the job. Many are simply trying to ride out the school year and apply at other schools.
We are one of the lowest-paid districts in the tri-county area. We received hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls as our Christmas bonus. The joke among staff is that our bonus went into AstroTurf and fancy tech.
We are reaching a breaking point. I have volunteered to speak up and take on this administration and possibly the district. I am following the steps needed to cover all bases to legitimize our complaint, but we teachers feel unheard and alone and are asking for the public's support.
– Just a Silsbee teacher
*The Examiner is in conversations with SES teachers and is investigating this issue. If you have more information on this particular story, or have another investigative issue for The Examiner to tackle, feel free to call Staff Writer B. Scott McLendon at (334) 482-2801 or email scott@theexaminer.com.