Students, parents likely to see changes in H-E-B schools after fight went viral

A community task force has recommended a number a changes in the H-E-B school district following a viral fight at Harwood Junior High in March.

Among the possible changes for students and parents at Hurst-Euless-Bedford schools: safety training, crisis response teams, increased hall monitoring and holding parents accountable for their child’s behavior.

Brandon Johnson, deputy superintendent of educational operations, presented the group’s recommendations during the June 14 school board meeting. The committee of 75 met three times.

“One of the most important outcomes of the Student Safety Task Force report was the opportunity to engage our stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue about student safety,” Johnson said. “By sharing district practices and gathering feedback, we strengthened collaboration, and the Student Safety Task Force was able to develop informed, actionable recommendations.”

The suggestions from this task force will be looked into further by an internal task force to see how the measures can be implemented.

The district has already established some measures. All high school students must wear ID badges during the school day and metal detectors have been added to the security measures at Pennington Field.

The fight between two students happened before 8 a.m. and wasn’t broken up until a resource officer took control as a staff member was trying to separate them. The fight went viral on social media and the district encountered backlash for how long the altercation continued before staff stepped in.

Following the fight, Superintendent Joseph Harrington wrote in an email to parents that every aspect would be thoroughly investigated.

“As a father, and as an educator with 39 years of experience, the magnitude of this event is not lost on me,” Harrington said in the email. “We cannot ignore that this incident exists within a broader context – a shift has occurred in the behavior observed in schools across our district, our state, and our nation. We will not stand by idly as this shift continues.”

Who was a part of the task force

About 400 people applied for the task force, and 75 were chosen at random. Some of them joined Johnson during his presentation.

“We truly believe that we have everyone we need in H-E-B ISD, to help us address the issues that arise in our schools,” Johnson said. “And when we know that when we bring them in, they surprise us with their recommendations, they inform us and give us ways in which we can improve, and a lot of the work that we had already started to think about, they validated.”

Bentley Wade, a former Trinity High School student and current UT Arlington sophomore, said she joined the task force to understand the systems that the district operates under.

“Being a part of this group has allowed me to connect what I’ve learned throughout our sessions with what I’ve experience as a student,” Wade said. “It helped me see the way behind many of the actions and decisions that as a student I didn’t always understand.”

Parent Autumn Rio said she believes that it’s important to be able to give back and be a part of your community. It was also very personal because her daughter came home that day and had a lot of questions.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have any answers,” Rio said. “And I thought that being a member of the PTA and having gone through all these ways to make sure I understood, that day I had no answers for her.”

Rio said that she was pleased the committee was formed because it allowed her to not only to give feedback but also to learn how the school district works and what it is doing.

“When we include students in the process, we’re not only protecting them, but we are preparing them.” Wade said.

The task force recommendations

The district:

• Share monthly or quarterly public safety updates from H-E-B ISD highlighting number of incidents and high-level responses (increase transparency without compromising details).

• Enhance security on special event days (e.g., Field Day, Generations Day) with additional personnel.

• Deploy traffic directors to manage road congestion around parking lot exits during peak times.

• Ensure administrators regularly visit classrooms to monitor instruction and student behavior.

Parents:

• Increase parent volunteers’ presence on campuses during the school day.
• Require parent involvement in the discipline process (e.g., participation in Disciplinary Alternative Education programs, parent safety classes).
  
  
• Educate parents on the process to escalate concerns through proper channels.

Students:

• Train students on how to report concerns using anonymous reporting tool (Crime Stoppers).
• Shift the school culture toward positivity, mutual respect, personal responsibility, and safety.
  
  
• Create a “cool-down room” for students to self-regulate and vent emotions (without engaging in harmful behaviors or facing punishment).
• Establish Safety Ambassador programs to empower student leadership in safety.
• Apply stricter discipline tied to extracurricular involvement.
• Expand mental health support, especially for students identified as potential safety risks.
• Ensure every student has a trusted adult connection on campus, someone they know who cares about them.
• Tie consequences to the behavior, not just defaulting to ISS (In-School Suspension).
• Develop Public Service Announcements showing how and what to report.

What is the next step

Harrington said the district will form an internal task force to review the recommendations, and it will look to see how the recommendations that require additional money will be funded.

“The district will strategically allocate resources to prioritize the Student Safety Task Force recommendations in alignment with the Strategic Plan’s Priority of Safety and Well-being,” Johnson said.

In May the district created a website called Budget Wise to explain how schools’ budgets and how they’re funded.

This story was originally published July 21, 2025 at 4:48 PM.