Fort Worth students return to school as district addresses security, lingering COVID gaps
Principal Andrea Harper greeted students with a smile, a hug and a “good morning!” as they walked under a rainbow balloon arch and into T.A. Sims Elementary School on Monday morning.
The hallways of the brick building on Crenshaw Avenue in Fort Worth were crowded with excitement while parents escorted their prekindergarten to fifth-grade students to class for the first day of the 2023-2024 school year.
“Today is just going to be a day full of that energy, that hope for a great year,” Harper said. “There’s always a sense of joy and excitement here at T.A. Sims Elementary.”
Parent Crystal Torres said she was both nervous and excited for her daughter’s first day of school ever, but she was looking forward to seeing her learn how to write her name and learn colors and numbers.
“She’s ready. I’m not,” Torres said with a laugh.
As Torres and other family members walked into the hallways of T.A. Sims, Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” boomed through the intercom. Meanwhile, Harper, Superintendent Angélica Ramsey and Mayor Mattie Parker traversed through multiple classrooms to mingle with parents, students and teachers.
In classroom no. 103, Eva Cantu kicked off pre-K with a breakfast of Lucky Charms, fruit punch and chocolate milk. When asked what she was excited about for the school year, she said her uniform, specifically her navy polo shirt.
Beyond the nutrition, outfits and rowdiness, district and city leadership reiterated the seriousness behind fixing academic and mental health obstacles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that students are still overcoming.
A multi-tiered support system is in place so that “we can attack both academic and behavioral issues that we’re seeing,” Ramsey said. This includes a partnership with TCU that provides a counseling clinic “where our families in addition to our students can receive counseling” at no cost.
School safety also was highlighted as Ramsey and Parker addressed a new state law going into effect next month which requires all school campuses to have at least one armed officer on site, among other new safety and mental-health-related protocols. Ramsey said it’s a work in progress that will take time to implement.
The city of Fort Worth is committing to pay half of the costs, but the additional $15,000 increase each campus will receive through the legislation is not enough to yield qualified security personnel, Parker said. Coordinating with other cities and school districts is necessary to communicate that to state legislators, she said.
“It’s about the right type of talent and individuals that you want in a school to keep our students safe,” Parker said.
Additionally, Ramsey noted the district is still aiming to fill about 95 teacher vacancies.
“In the past, we had up to 300-400 vacancies… That’s a huge, huge difference,” Ramsey said. “If you’re bilingual out there (or) you want to help us with students with special needs, please reach out to us.”
This year will be Luis Lobos’ fifth year as a teacher. He’s looking forward to building relationships with his fourth-grade students and embracing a literacy curriculum that aligns “reading and writing together.”
“It’s no longer two separate tests. It’s just one test. So every day we’re both reading and we’re writing,” he said. “There’s deficits (caused by COVID-19) but we have interventions within that curriculum.”
School board president embraces return-to-school
At 11 a.m., Camille Rodriguez, the district’s school board president, was leaving North Side High School. It was the fifth campus she visited that morning. She had four more visits to make before the end of the day, she said. At every stop she made, teachers, principals and staff looked excited to welcome kids back to school, she said. And students walked into school buildings with smiles on their faces.
“It was a very positive atmosphere and I think everybody’s ready to come back and learn,” Rodriguez said.
At some campuses, lines of supporters greeted students as they arrived. At Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes gave students fist bumps as they came in. About a half dozen other officers lined up in the hallway at the entrance along with other community members, cheering and handing out high fives and flowers as students walked in the door.
When community leaders like Parker and Noakes come out to campuses in the district for the first day of school, it sends a message that the city supports public education, Rodriguez said. When law enforcement officers come along, the message is even clearer, she said — “do not mess with our schools.”
As it is every year, the district’s first priority this year needs to be student achievement, Rodriguez said. She said she was encouraged by a presentation by district officials at last week’s board meeting outlining a plan to offer differentiated support to each campus in the district, based on its specific needs. That plan will put the district in a better position to meet each student where they are and give them the support they need to grow, she said.
“Every individual student is important to us, and we want to make sure they get everything they need to succeed,” she said.
