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Eastside Memorial Students Petition TEA To Stop Changes


Students from Eastside Memorial High School are petitioning the Texas Education Agency directly, hoping they can end the series of changes that have hit their school in recent years.  

Senior Julian Medrano says, "If we never get stability we're never going to truly succeed. That's why we feel like we need to give this letter so we can get help for people to start helping us."

The changes came as the school formerly known as Johnston High School struggled academically. Classmate Elijah Cofield chimes in, "They tried to close it down but the Johnston High School kids and alumni fought to keep it open."

Now the students are worried that a failed attempt to convert Eastside into a charter school may prompt the Austin Independent School District to finally shut them down. 

But the Texas Education Agency stresses that one decision is not the last step in the process.  According to TEA Public Information Director Gene Acuña, "What we're attempting to do is allow the local process to play itself out, allowing at the local level to let the school board members to look at the various options and decide what they want to do next."

The students at Eastside say they want stability.  Instead they find themselves waiting for the next change to hit their school.  A decision on what that could be could come later this month.  AISD is reviewing its options to improve the school's academic performance.  But parents and students have made it clear that closing the school is not an option.

By Fred Cantu