(Texas Scorecard) – Concerned parents are continuing to protest against Rockwall Independent School District, highlighting problems and demanding policy changes that will protect student safety.
Families rallied in front of Rockwall High School Tuesday morning, waving signs at passing cars and broadcasting their demands before encouraging students to join them in marching to the nearby Rockwall County Courthouse.
This was the second protest featuring Rockwall mom Corey Booth. Her son is at the center of sexual abuse allegations involving a pre-K teacher in the district who continues to work at Springer Elementary.
Booth’s story went viral last month when she revealed the details on social media and at another protest rally in front of the courthouse, as well as during an August school board meeting.
“These schools have a lot of problems, and our case is just one of many,” Booth said in a Facebook video urging families to participate in the protest.
Codi Chinn, a Fate City Councilwoman whose children attend Rockwall ISD schools, helped organize Tuesday’s protest.
Chinn and Booth also encouraged parents to keep their kids out of class on Tuesday, although it’s not known how many did so.
Booth said the only effective way to get district officials’ attention is to “hurt their bottom line, and the only way we can do that is through attendance.”
School administrators sent a message to families on Monday stating that students leaving class without permission would receive an unexcused absence.
Rockwall High School Assistant Principal Colt Clemens—who stood outside all morning watching the protesters—told Texas Scorecard there would be no disciplinary action for students joining the protest, dispelling a rumor that they would receive three-day suspensions.
Monday’s message also stated that the district had “collaborated with the Rockwall Police Department” and arranged for an “additional police presence on campus” to “ensure the safety of our students and staff.”
Ensuring the safety of students is the driving force behind the protests and parents’ demands for change.
According to the protesters, Rockwall ISD officials are the ones showing “complete disregard for student safety.”
“They are protecting the pedophiles. They are not protecting the students,” said Booth.
Parents’ Demands
“People are sending their children to these schools expecting them to be safe, but they’re not,” Booth told Texas Scorecard during Tuesday’s protest. “Rockwall ISD can do better. We need to protect our children, not the establishment.”
Parents are asking the district for commonsense policy changes:
- Notify parents when their students are held back from lunch or recess, as the Booths’ child was;
- Communicate with all families in a classroom when teachers are investigated or placed on leave;
- Refer students involved in alleged abuse incidents for evaluations;
- Save videos of any incidents and share them with law enforcement; and
- Place cameras in every classroom to protect students and teachers.
“Parents need transparency,” said Booth. “We could make changes if people would demand it.”
Protesters added that unless their student safety demands are met, they will vote against the district’s proposed tax increase and $848 million bond package.
Last month, trustees unanimously approved placing the bonds on the November 5 ballot, along with a tax increase large enough to require voter approval.
Booth said one thing her family has achieved by going public is making everyone with a child in Jamie Palmer’s pre-K class aware of the allegations so they can make informed decisions.
But Booth emphasized that her family’s shocking story is far from the only misconduct within the district.
Other Stories
Booth explained that during the past several weeks, she’s been flooded with accounts of misconduct—sexual abuse, physical abuse, bullying—within Rockwall ISD and other districts in the area.
While many families are afraid to speak, others are publicly sharing their stories.
“Something has to change or this will keep happening,” former Rockwall High School student Lacy Stovall told Texas Scorecard at Tuesday’s protest.
Stovall said she was sexually assaulted by a football player as a freshman in 2018, but a Title IX investigation was dismissed. She unenrolled mid-year.
“They didn’t listen to me at the time,” she said. “I’m not silent anymore. What they’re doing to the Booth family is wrong. There needs to be change.”
Stovall added, “It’s not just here; it’s in other districts too. This is a systemic issue.”
“They need to take all reports seriously,” Rockwall ISD mom Christina Dawson said during Tuesday’s protest.
Dawson’s 15-year-old daughter was injured on campus last week while handcuffed in police custody following an altercation at school. Dawson said the girl—whom she’s since removed from Rockwall High School—was a victim of bullying, but administrators refused to help her.
According to Dawson, the district has not yet released statements from school administrators who witnessed how her daughter sustained her injuries, and Rockwall PD has not released body cam video of the incident.
“This is not an isolated incident,” she added. “All our kids deserve to feel safe. That’s not what’s happening here.”
Dawson noted that the district could easily resolve her complaint by being transparent.
“I have a job. I don’t have time to be an activist,” she said. “Show me the video, and I’ll be out of your way.”
School Board Responds
At a school board meeting Monday night, Rockwall ISD trustees met one demand of parents: extending the amount of time that the district retains school surveillance video.
Trustees approved spending up to $750,000 on adding video storage capacity so the district can keep video for 120 days, compared to the current 30 to 40 days.
Booth thanked trustees for listening to families but said it’s not enough, as the cameras currently only record activities in hallways and common areas.
Her husband, Tim Booth, also spoke at Monday’s school board meeting. He called for more transparency and accountability from school officials and an end to “passing the trash”—the practice of covering up educators’ misconduct, which allows them to get jobs working with kids in other districts.
“No more sweeping problems under the rug, no more sacrificing the safety of the children for the sake of convenience or avoiding embarrassment,” he said. “We are better than this. Our schools are better than this. Our children deserve better than this.”
We need you, our school board members, to stand with us, to stand with our children. This is your responsibility, and it’s time to act. You hold the power to make the change. You hold the power to send a clear message that no one, no matter the role or position, is above the safety and dignity of our children.
While the Booths recognize the range of problems occurring within the school system, how the district deals with sexual abuse of children is a top concern.
They are hoping to raise awareness in the Rockwall community with a presentation by Shepherd’s Watch, a non-profit that works to combat sex trafficking. The event will be held at Encounter Church in Fate on September 27 at 7:00 p.m.
For Corey Booth, it comes down to one question: “If we don’t fight for our children, who is going to?”
