LORENA, Texas (KXXV) — “The principal handled my son with indifference and negligent to the fact that I was raising concerns,” Lorena ISD parent Wendy Harding said.
Harding’s son attends Lorena Primary School, where she worked as a substitute teacher. She claims the school district retaliated against her for asking the principal to move her son to a different classroom.
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After her request was denied, she turned to a member from the Texas State Board of Education.
“I had enlisted her help to try to mediate a conversation, to hopefully have the principal reconsider her decision not to move my son to a different classroom for his well-being,” Harding said. “And then that night is when I discovered I had been terminated for bringing the advocate to the meeting.”
In October she began collecting material for her grievance hearing against the primary school's principal April Jewell.
“From October till now, it has been literally non-stop all day, every day, my life has been consumed,” Harding said. “But there's no accountability. And that's what I was just seeking, is some type of accountability,”
25 News reached out to the district for comment. They did not agree to an on-camera interview, instead issuing a statement which says it has a policy to address concerns. But due to the subject matter of the grievance, the district can't comment further.
Lorena ISD issued the below statement:
The district has a grievance policy that affords parents, employees, and community members the opportunity to address concerns through various levels ending with the Board of Trustees. Last night, the grievant had the opportunity to present her grievance to the Board of Trustees, which included presentations from administration and the grievant. Because of the subject matter of the grievance, the district cannot comment further.
“What kept you going throughout this entire process,” 25 News’ Kadence MaKenna asked.
“My son, absolutely,” Harding said.
The school board voted unanimously in favor of the district, so Harding told 25 News the decision is forcing her hand.
“For the welfare of my child. We're probably going to do a homeschool next year, and I’ve actually even looked at relocating completely out of Lorena,” Harding said.
