Local school calls meeting with parents after increase in violence

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Indian Spring school officials are meeting with parents Tuesday to address increased violence at the school.

The school welcomed students from G.W. Carver this year after Carver burned down shortly before the beginning of the school year.

A parent who wished to remain anonymous told News 10 she had kids in Indian Spring Middle School for the last few years and hasn’t seen violence like what her kids are telling her about this year before.

“Indian Spring has been great for my kids,” the parent said. “But now, it’s every day. Every day they tell me about fights. We’ve had a lockout twice already.”

The school was placed on lockout Friday after a fight at the school. The parent said her child sent photos of fire trucks outside and said they saw police and ambulances at the scene too.

She shared photos of her conversation with her child where the student said a teacher told them not to tell their parents about what was going on because it was going to “make everything worse.”

The parent said she got a message from the district Friday but says its not the same as what she was told by her kids.

“What we heard from the kids and what we heard from the administration is way different.”

The school sent two messages to parents.

“Hello Parents and Guardians, this is Isaac Carrier, Principal of Indian Spring and Carver Middle Schools, just wanted to give you some information about an incident that took place today. Out of an abundance of caution, the Waco ISD police department recommended our campus be placed on a secure (lockout). While outside doors have been locked to visitors, we are allowing students to be called out one by one if you’d like to come and pick up your child. We are doing business as usual, and students are being served lunches as I speak. The situation is completely contained, and the individuals that were involved in the incident have been identified and are being dealt with from a disciplinary standpoint. We appreciate your support and will give you more information as soon as possible.”

A second was sent a few hours later, before dismissal:

“Hello, this is Indian Spring and Carver Middle Principal Dr. Isaac Carrier. I wanted to follow up with our families since my message to you earlier today. There was a fight between a small group of students shortly before 11 a.m. this morning, and out of an abundance of caution, the Waco ISD police department recommended we initiate a secure and hold. In a secure hold, which is also called a lockout, no one is allowed to enter the building and students remain in their classrooms. All students were served lunch before the secure hold was lifted at the start of sixth period. We will follow our normal dismissal procedures, and buses will run their regular routes today. Lastly, while we are experiencing an uptick in fights like the one today, we are addressing these behaviors and taking appropriate disciplinary action. I’ll be holding a series of parent meetings in the coming weeks, and we’ll update you on that soon. I look forward to engaging with you.”

The parent sharing her experiences with KWTX says the situation is so bad her family is considering changing schools or moving.

A text from one of her children Friday read, “Mama [not going to lie] I love being around my friends and I enjoy the opportunity for high school credits [at Indian Spring] but if you decide to move us in the middle of the year I don’t know that I would even be upset.”

The parent said they don’t want to have to move, but her kids safety is her top priority.

“If it gets them out of that school or transfer them to Tennison or another Middle School or something,” she said.

The district has called for a meeting with parents to discuss the alleged issues at 6 p.m. at the school Tuesday.

“I want my kids to be safe I want the teachers to be able to teach,” the parent said.

Copyright 2021 KWTX. All rights reserved.