SAN ANTONIO — After a beloved instructional assistant with Northside ISD died after sustaining a head injury while working with a student with cognitive disabilities, a union representing the district's teachers is calling for comprehensive change to better protect their educators.
On Feb. 7, Alfred Jimenez was working in his Applied Learning Environment (ALE) classroom, where he worked with students who have moderate to severe cognitive disabilities, when he sustained a head injury after falling. He was taken to a local hospital, and died this week of his injuries.
After a few days of mourning privately in respect for the Jimenez family, Northside AFT is speaking out about the situation calling for "comprehensive change" to ensure this doesn't happen to another educator.
“I did have the privilege of working with him at a campus that he worked with. Just a very kind gentleman that loved to work with students and loved the job that he had," said Northside AFT President Melina Espiritu-Azocar. “There is no way that teachers can do the work they do without instructional assistants and without all support staff.”
The union is pushing for Gov. Greg Abbott, state lawmakers and Northside ISD to bolster efforts toward increasing workplace safety. Funding for public schools has remained stagnant after multiple attempts by lawmakers in Austin to pass legislation, which included rejection of Abbott's priority to approve private school vouchers.
"My heart aches for Mr. Fred’s family, friends, students, and colleagues, of which I myself was one,” Espiritu-Azocar said. “My heart has broken more with every phone call in recent days, as educator after educator has told me something similar, ‘That could have been me.’ The fault for this senseless tragedy does not lie with Fred, who did exactly what he was supposed to, or with the student, whose needs have not been met. The villains in this story sit in the governor’s mansion and the state Capitol, far away from the consequences of their continual undermining and endangerment of our schools.”
Espiritu-Azocar also stressed the importance of hiring and retaining special education vacancies during a time when she noted school districts nationwide are having difficulties filling those positions.
“Special education vacancies are extremely difficult to fill right now. We have to hold folks accountable to funding and doing what is necessary to prioritize public education, to prioritize safety, to prioritize training.”
Northside AFT is calling upon the district and and the State of Texas to make the following changes:
- Robust training for all staff members in de-escalation techniques
- Adequate staffing levels in all student support positions, particularly those who support
students in our self-contained special education classrooms - Widespread access to mental health support for staff, students, and families
- Comprehensive safety protocols tailored to the unique needs of each classroom setting
As of Thursday, a Northside ISD spokesman said the district is not commenting on the union's statement. Meanwhile, the homicide investigation is ongoing.