05-02-2023 Patron Presentation, Damon Barone
Greetings, Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer, and alumnus.
A year or so ago an adult committed suicide or was killed on the front yard of Olle Middle School.
This school year, prior to spring break, there was an incident where a car load of juveniles brandished and pointed guns at several students and staff on the backside of Olle.
This year, during the same school year, the teaching Pods at the back of Olle, between the track and Boone Elementary were broken into and vandalized.
Despite the fact that students and staff could have been shot and killed on school grounds all they asked for from the district was that some cameras be placed on the back of Olle Middle School and on the front of Boone Elementary. The districts response was that you all did not want to spend the money on the cameras, or did not have the money for cameras.
At the end of last school year staff and parents came to the December board meeting and expressed their frustration that a person or persons had attempted, multiple times, to abduct students from the playground during the students’ recesses at Best Elementary.
For ten months the district took little to no action, and all those parents and staff were asking for was for the district to erect a fence on the front of the school to protect students and staff during recess.
After news media coverage, speaking at city council meetings, and additional community outrage by parents such as myself, the district still took an additional 8 months to place any type of barrier between the sidewalk and playground area at Best Elementary.
Each month when I come to Alief school board meetings there is never anything less than 2-3 Alief police officers at each meeting to protect the adults in the administration building. When I came in today there were four police officers parked near the buildings entrance.
I have even watched the Alief Police Chief and other Alief officers, in full uniform, and in Alief ISD police vehicles dropping of School Board Trustee Lily Truong to school board meetings, and pick her up after the school board meetings to take her home. They were even kind enough to open and close the door for her.
How do our students and staff obtain this same level of protection afforded to the board, and administrators here at 4250 Cook Road, and what is it that this board is so fearful of that it warrants this level of use of our tax money to keep you all safer than our students?
Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer, and alumnus