SAN ANTONIO — It has been more than three months since a Northside ISD employee was killed while doing his job.
School leaders said Alfred Jimenez who was an instructional assistant with Brandeis High School, fell and hit his head while interacting with a student.
His wife, Margo Jimenez, said when she spoke with investigators, they confirmed he had been pushed by a special needs student.
His death was ruled a homicide by the Medical Examiner’s Office. According to San Antonio Police, it is being handled as a manslaughter case.
Margo said she is now working to make sure this tragedy never happens again.
“If they think that this is going to be swept under the rug, it’s not because they took a huge part of my life,” Jimenez said.
Alfred, better known to his students as Mr. Fred was 73-years-old when he died on February 17, 10 days after the incident. Margo said she was forced to make the heartbreaking decision after doctors said there was nothing else they could do to save him.
His birthday was just last week. Margo said every day is a new battle, dealing with grief. She had just lost her son about five years ago.
"The day that this happened to him, he was going in to put his paperwork in to retire, so we didn't quite make it to that,” Margo said.
Mr. Fred was working in public education because he loved it not because he had to. He had retired previously from a long, successful career in sales, according to his wife.
“He loved what he did, he loved those kids a lot and he would come home and tell me every day how much he cared about those kids,” Margo said.
Never did she imagine he would die doing a job he loved.
"I feel like I'm so lost without him,” Margo said.
Since his death, she has been in touch with Melina Espiritu-Azocar. She is the president of Northside AFT, the teacher’s union.
“Nobody should go to work and be concerned that they might not come home the next day,” Espiritu-Azocar said.
She said Northside AFT has been pushing for improved training and safety protocols for special education classes since the incident. In April, the association filed a grievance with the district.
"This isn't an isolated incident,” Espiritu-Azocar said. “These are issues that are happening across the district, across campuses and across grade levels."
A Northside ISD spokesperson said the district has offered to meet to address the grievance. However, Espiritu-Azocar said it has been tough to nail down that meeting.
She said they are doing what they can to make sure their concerns are properly addressed. Meanwhile, Margo is left wondering what the outcome of the investigation into her husband’s death will be.
"What are you guys waiting for, somebody else to die?" Margo said.
A spokesperson for Northside ISD said they have evaluated and assessed special education programs and have reached out to staff across the district for input. They added, one of the areas assessed was training.
Once San Antonio police are done investigating the manslaughter case, they will pass it along to the District Attorney who will then decide if there will be any charges.