BASTROP, Texas —
A Bastrop Independent School District (ISD) family hoping to put a stop to bullying in schools plans to seek legal help after a mother said her concerns are not being addressed.
On Monday, the school district held a special board meeting for a grievance hearing to address Yumara Gonzalez's worries. After a two-and-a-half-hour discussion, mostly behind closed doors, the board unanimously denied the mother's latest appeal.
Julio Meraz, Gonzalez's husband, called the decision unfair.
“They’re not here to help the citizens of Bastrop, put it that way, or the kids," Julio Meraz said. "The kids are more important. You know, I’m already grown, but my kids, they gotta go to school here and that’s what hurts me.”
Meraz's daughter, Valeria, who just finished her freshman year at Bastrop High School, also reacted to the board's decision.
“I feel like that they don’t believe in me and that they just like, abandon me," Valeria said. "That’s what they do.”
Meraz and Gonzalez have four children enrolled in Bastrop ISD. Gonzalez said her kids are being verbally abused and harassed in the hallways and that there have even been physical altercations.
Gonzalez said the students' complaints have gone unaddressed, and the situation has escalated to the point where she's been served a criminal trespass warning and can no longer complain to administration.
She wants the district to address the bullying students are dealing with and she hopes that by sharing her story, she can bring more awareness to the issue. For this reason, she took part in a news conference ahead of Monday's hearing to share what her family and others in the district say they've experienced.
Gonzalez's translator and advocate, Perla Hopkins, said this and a recent prank gone wrong are signs of a bigger issue within the district.
"You have to ask yourself, when this type of violence and, you know, fights and damages to school property is going on excessively in Bastrop ISD, it is because the students are not being engaged," Hopkins said.
Monday's meeting was a Level 3 grievance hearing Monday. A Level 1 hearing was held with the principal and a Level 2 was held with the superintendent. The Level 3 was with the school board. Gonzalez said beforehand that she hoped it would make a difference before the start of the new school year.
"She hopes that this coming year will not be the same as everything they've gone through this school year. And she hopes that the schools, the district will take the necessary steps and making sure that kids are safe," Hopkins said on Gonzalez's behalf.
KVUE reached out to the district to get more information on this hearing and the events that led up to it. Bastrop ISD sent the following statement:
"Bastrop ISD is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment where all students can thrive. We take concerns of bullying very seriously and have policies and procedures in place to address and prevent bullying. Should parents or guardians have specific issues or concerns, we encourage them to reach out through established channels to ensure their voices are heard and addressed appropriately.
Regarding a potential press conference, the District has not been informed and has not given approval for any such event to take place on district property. The upcoming special called meeting on Monday, June 3 will be essentially a closed meeting for student privacy purposes. You can view the full agenda here.
It is also important to clarify that the recent senior prank incident at Cedar Creek High School did not involve any acts of bullying and is unrelated to this meeting."
A district spokesperson turned down KVUE's interview request Monday, along with questions about what led to Gonzalez's criminal trespass warning, citing the need "to uphold the integrity of the formal grievance process.”