By Amira Van Leeuwen
BUDA — On Nov. 7, nearly 40 Doral Academy parents gathered in a small classroom to bring attention to the health and safety concerns they have for their children.
When Brandon Hall, a former Army recruiter, asked why the security guard for the school was not armed that day, Doral Academy Superintendent/Principal Jennifer DeSousa said, “It just happened to be a bad day.”
In a separate interview, Hall said he called Doral’s office after the Uvalde shooting in May. An assistant redirected him to DeSousa, who contacted him about an hour or so later.
“She [DeSousa] called me and told me that they will have an armed security guard there,” Hall said.
Hall also said that DeSousa had told him there would be cameras and a monitor inside the foyer.
“That monitor was on the day that we showed up [on Nov. 7]— that’s the first time I’ve seen that monitor on,” he said.
He noted that the security guards have been changing, and so are the uniforms.
“Sometimes it’d be a white shirt and probably light pants, and now we have light blue and dark pants,” Hall observed.
There is not a crosswalk or a school zone sign, causing several parents to be concerned for their children’s safety.
“It’s pretty late in the year. They [Doral Academy] started in August, and here we are in November about to go on Thanksgiving break, and we still don’t have something essential as street safety,” Victoria Hall, Brandon’s wife, added.
Teachers are not present outside monitoring the kids who walk to and from school. Teachers only monitor children who are getting picked up and dropped off by vehicles, parents said.
And the Halls are not the only parents concerned about the health and safety of their kids.
Rona Walton, another Doral Academy parent, was notified by a fellow parent Sunday evening, Nov. 6, that there was no longer a nurse at the charter as of Friday, Nov. 4 — but not by the school.
During the parent meeting, parents complained about not receiving a notification that there was no nurse until Monday afternoon before the meeting.
DeSousa said that she heard their feedback, but parents need to understand and respect that “something’s not gonna go out every time.”
Walton, who had no idea, said the school should have been on the phone to get a substitute nurse.
“That’s not a position that you just [say], ‘Hey, we’re going to wing it,’” Walton said.
Walton’s child has chronic asthma and is more likely to get an asthma attack sooner than the average person.
“If he runs for 15 minutes, he may go into an asthma attack if he doesn’t have his inhaler,” Walton said. “There’s nothing in place to administer medication. He has to have his Benadryl 30 minutes before recess.”
During the parent meeting on Nov. 7, DeSousa said they received three “excellent” resumes and scheduled interviews.
“We have our registered nurse that we contract for services, so you can have unlicensed [nurses],” DeSousa, who has been in education for 22 years, said. “Like today, Mr. Salazar and myself are the ‘unlicensed,’ [nurses]if you will, managed by our RN,” she added.
DeSousa emphasized that the school was not doing anything wrong and that there is “nothing illegal here.”
Walton said it was “unacceptable.”
“The fact that I got to trust your 22 years to do something when there wasn’t a Plan B or C. Because everybody’s talking about the same thing,” Walton said during the meeting. “We need some accountability. You have years of experience behind you. Why do we have these loopholes?”
Doral Academy’s superintendent/principal said that safety is their number one priority.
“Our network of schools commits itself to providing families with a great education while ensuring our students feel comfortable and secure in their surroundings,” DeSousa said. “Doral Academy leaned forward and decided to have armed security guard[s]posted at our school at all times.”
DeSousa said that the guard holds a commissioned security officer license from the State of Texas and is a contracted employee and their uniforms are “sometimes different colors.”
At this time and according to DeSousa, Doral Academy has a registered nurse contracted to work at the school.
“We are currently interviewing candidates to find a permanent individual,” DeSousa said.
According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), charter schools are not required to hire a school nurse. If a charter school does hire a nurse, that person is not required to be a full-time employee or to be full-time at any single location.
“In Texas, individuals working under the direct supervision of an RN are considered qualified to distribute certain medications. This is what qualifies Mr. Salazar [assistant principal]and myself to distribute medicine,” she said.
DeSousa added that the school’s construction company is working with Hays County to ensure that a crosswalk is painted and school flashers are installed. The school “looks forward” to having that project completed.
Doral Academy did not comment on additional inquiries regarding:
• The lack of notice sent to parents when the nurse resigned or was let go
• Why the security guard was unarmed
• Claims that security personnel keeps changing
• Other inquiries about security guards (who they work for and training)
• Why the school does not have someone to monitor students walking home or across the street.
