Parents say kids are being mistreated at one of Dallas' biggest charter schools
Families at one of Dallas’ oldest and biggest charter schools say children have been mistreated, school leaders don’t listen, and the board is tainted by nepotism.
Parents at A.W. Brown-Fellowship Leadership Academy have launched largely symbolic online petitions calling for the board’s removal. They’ve posted videos and pictures on Facebook from heated board meetings where parents question the school’s direction.
“It’s horrible this year. Something’s changed,” parent LaTrondra King said. School leaders don’t seem to take parents’ concerns seriously, she said.
School leaders say they do listen to families and respond swiftly to allegations of abuse. The school is so popular that enrollment hit a record high this fall. As for family members serving together on the board? It’s perfectly legal, leaders say.
Much of the discontent among families was sparked by the recent departure of the school's founders, the Rev. Armond W. Brown and his ex-wife, Paula Brown.
The A.W. Brown charter school opened in Dallas' Red Bird area in 1999 with fewer than 200 students. Enrollment has grown to 2,400 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade across two campuses, as more families choose it over Dallas ISD and other school districts.
"A.W. Brown has a beautiful and rich legacy in our community," Superintendent Laura Mimms said. It's the largest charter school in Texas founded by African-Americans, she said, where students build character and leadership skills.
But some parents and guardians worry the school’s proud heritage is being tarnished. This spring the board fired Paula Brown as deputy superintendent. The board voted to hire a new superintendent to replace Armond Brown. The school let a dozen teachers and other employees go.
LaChanda Dupard, a former Brown parent whose niece and nephew go there now, helped start an online petition to remove the school board. Several families said they filed complaints with the Texas Education Agency, which oversees charter schools.
“The integrity of our school is lost because the children don’t have that nurturing spirit there. It’s gone,” Dupard said.
The seven-member board includes lawyers and judges.
School board president Lorenzo Brown — no relation to Armond or Paula Brown — said the staffing changes were necessary because the school had declined academically. It met state standards the past two years, but without any distinctions.
Paula Brown said the school had top-notch teachers whom she wanted to pay more. Asked why the board fired her, she said, “We had different opinions about how to move forward and best serve the children.”
Meanwhile, two parents have alleged that teachers physically harmed their children this fall.
LaTrondra King said in September, a teacher purposely hit her 7-year-old son in the face with a ball. Two other teachers made him hold a stack of dictionaries for 15 to 20 minutes because he’d been playing with the Velcro on his shoe, King said.
Mimms said for the first allegation, the school alerted Child Protective Services, which investigated and found there was insufficient evidence to classify the case as abuse. As for the book incident, Mimms said it’s not an approved practice, and the school took “appropriate employee disciplinary action.”
Parent April Wren said a teacher slammed her 12-year-old son’s head against a classroom door in early October, leaving him with a bruised and swollen jaw. She said the school didn’t alert her or the police immediately. Now, Wren said, the school is trying to expel her son for aggravated assault.
“I was so shocked,” she said. “You’re going to flip it on my child? C’mon.”
The teacher in that case is on paid administrative leave, Mimms said. Police declined to file charges, and Child Protective Services is still investigating.
Mimms said she could not discuss specific personnel matters. Any allegations of injury to a child get referred to the proper authorities for investigation, she said. The school also disciplines employees when appropriate.
Parents also complain of nepotism — namely, that board president Lorenzo Brown and his son serve together. But that’s legal for charter schools in Texas. After all, A.W. Brown school was started by a husband and wife. At one point, both Armond and Paula Brown served on the board and worked as employees, records show. Other family members also worked for the school.
Lorenzo Brown said neither he nor his son gets a penny from the school.
If the school were part of a traditional district, parents could elect their board members. But as a public charter school, A.W. Brown’s board appoints its members.
So some parents say they’re voting with their feet. LaTrondra King said her son is on the waiting list at another charter school. “I just want the best for him,” she said.
Mimms said she hopes people can stay focused on the school’s mission of providing a great education.
“It is my hope and desire that we can heal from the hurt of this transition,” she said.Parents say kids are being mistreated at one of Dallas' biggest charter schools | Education | Dallas News:
