Fort Worth school officials didn’t close a campus after a deadly shooting. Why?
Parents at a Forest Hill elementary school questioned the decision by Fort Worth Independent School District officials to keep the campus open after a deadly shooting Wednesday morning.
Yolanda Gibbs, 56, was shot several times in the back parking lot of David K. Sellars Elementary School early Wednesday, before school began for the day. Gibbs, who worked in the school’s cafeteria, was taken to JPS Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
After the shooting, parents told the Star-Telegram they were upset about a lack of clear communication from the district about what happened. Some also question the decision to have classes that day at all.
“We entrust our kids to you guys and you say to bring our kids to an open crime scene?” said Greg Joseph, a David K. Sellars parent. “That’s not right. That’s unacceptable.”
In a statement released Friday, Fort Worth ISD officials said they made the decision not to cancel school after Forest Hill police determined the campus was safe. The elementary school is a Fort Worth ISD campus, but is located in the Forest Hill city limits.
“For many of our children, school serves as a sanctuary. We kept the school open primarily because, legally, schools can only be closed under specific circumstances,” officials said. “Families were informed promptly, allowing them to decide whether to keep their children at home or send them to school. Closing the school abruptly could have left our students vulnerable, especially considering the number of students who walk to school. Our dedicated school staff ensured that those in need had a safe place to stay, with meals provided.”
According to the Texas Education Agency, school districts have a certain amount of leeway in deciding whether to cancel school in an emergency, as long as they meet the state-mandated threshold of 75,600 minutes of school time. Most districts build extra time into the calendars to account for unexpected closures for emergencies, weather or other unexpected circumstances.
If school districts miss more days than they build into the calendars, they can request missed school day waivers from TEA. Many districts across the state applied for those waivers after missing an unexpected number of school days during the 2021 winter storm that knocked out power to much of the state.
