KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — As Killeen ISD students returned to school today from spring break, and Roy J. Smith Middle School prepares to reopen tomorrow, parents across the district are speaking out about the challenges their children face. Jamaala Davis, a KISD alumna and mother of an eighth-grader at Nolan Middle School, has a unique perspective on the ongoing issues affecting students.
Having attended Palo Alto Middle and graduating from Ellison High, Davis has witnessed recurring problems in the district.
"It’s about the same — the bullying, the fighting, the stories coming home of, ‘This fight happened and that fight happened,’ like, it’s the same,” Davis said.
She also highlighted overcrowding as a persistent issue.
“Even when I was there, Ellison was overcrowded. I feel like we need more teachers, more teachers for the amount of students that go to the school, for safety reasons,” she said.
While Davis advocates for more resources and staffing to ensure safety, she also recognizes the limitations of the district’s influence.
“It starts at home. The teachers can only do so much, so it starts at home — and unfortunately, teachers can’t control what students go through at home,” Davis said
She emphasized the importance of community accountability alongside systemic changes.
For Davis, safety measures like the Yondr phone pouch policy, which locks students’ phones away during the school day, and random use of metal detectors are steps in the right direction. Unlike some parents who view the phone policy as restrictive, Davis supports these initiatives wholeheartedly.
“My biggest concern is safety, and I’m all for phones being locked away all day — lock those phones away and let kids be kids,” she said.
To further limit distractions and protect her son’s well-being, Davis doesn’t allow him to have social media access beyond TikTok—a decision she feels helps him navigate the challenges of middle school life more securely.
For updates on KISD’s policies, community perspectives, and continuing coverage of the fallout from the Smith Middle stabbing death, stay tuned to the coverage provided by 25 News.
