As a five-year member of the staff at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, I—along with several colleagues—feel compelled to publicly address serious concerns regarding the treatment of minority staff members under the leadership of Principal Victoria Youngblood-Baldwin (commonly referred to as “YBB”). Our hope is that members of the public will support this effort should Irving ISD officials fail to respond appropriately and in a timely manner.

MacArthur High School serves a student population that is approximately 64% Hispanic and 34% African American. Despite this demographic composition, Principal Youngblood-Baldwin, who is of Asian descent, speaks no Spanish, raising questions about the district’s rationale for appointing her to lead a campus whose cultural and linguistic needs she appears ill-equipped to meet.

Interactions with staff make it evident that Ms. Youngblood-Baldwin frequently expresses discomfort with decisions made by minority staff members in leadership positions. Under her administration, minority employees routinely experience micromanagement, disproportionate scrutiny, and threats of nonrenewal, while the small Anglo student population—only about 2%—receives noticeably favorable attention.

Although 97% of the student body is composed of minority students, approximately 75% of Ms. Youngblood-Baldwin’s administrative team is Anglo. In the spring of 2025, two highly qualified African American administrators—one an assistant principal and the other the leader of the campus college-readiness program—were nonrenewed and subsequently replaced by Anglo staff members. Additionally, Hispanic staff members have experienced consistent criticism, with several being placed on growth plans that appear to be precursors to nonrenewal.

As a result of what many perceive as a hostile work environment, numerous minority staff members across various departments—including Special Education, Counseling, English, and Mathematics—are planning to resign, retire, or seek employment outside Irving ISD.

Further division on campus has occurred due to Ms. Youngblood-Baldwin’s failure to create, develop, and implement a functional campus master schedule for two consecutive years. Because the master schedule directly affects student enrollment, student course placement, federal programs such as Special Education, and overall campus operations, this failure has caused significant disruption. Rather than taking responsibility, the principal has placed blame on lower-level staff such as the campus registrar and data clerk.

MacArthur High School has become an undesirable workplace due to ongoing hostility and alleged racial discrimination. The campus has experienced continual turnover in data-management personnel, with multiple registrars and data clerks resigning after reportedly being mistreated. Additionally, Ms. Youngblood-Baldwin frequently holds lengthy meetings—lasting four to five hours daily—with her administrative team, rendering them unavailable to maintain discipline and order on campus.

Furthermore, the principal appears to lack rapport with the school’s minority student population. She is unfamiliar with the names of Hispanic and African American students and has reportedly referred to them collectively as “humans.” While Anglo students often receive praise, Hispanic and Black students seem to be disciplined more harshly.

Given the pattern of concerning behaviors, we are calling for a thorough and impartial investigation into the conduct of Principal Victoria Youngblood-Baldwin. We believe such an inquiry is necessary to address the hostile work environment, discriminatory practices, and overall leadership failures that have negatively affected staff and students alike.

MacArthur Deserves Better Leadership.