She's a black woman... what do ya'll make of this development?
Woodrow Wilson High School Principal Chandra Hooper-Barnett will not return to the school, according to a Tuesday letter from Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde to families.
Hooper-Barnett came under scrutiny in recent days after she held a meeting with only Black students about their academic performance, two parents told The Dallas Morning News.* District officials named Danielle Petters as interim principal Monday. *
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Woodrow Wilson, located in East Dallas, served nearly 2,000 students last school year, per state data. Black students made up 6% of the campus population in the 2023-24 school year. The school received a B in this year’s academic accountability ratings.
Hooper-Barnett led the school for three years. Before that, she was the principal at J.L. Long Middle School. She has been an educator for 22 years and is a multiyear Teacher of the Year recipient for her work teaching reading to special education students, according to the school’s website.
On Monday, Jennifer Bush, a parent of a sophomore at Woodrow Wilson, called for Hooper-Barnett to be removed, describing the trust between families and the school as “broken.”
Bush said her son was pulled out of class to attend an assembly Friday, where all of the students were Black, for a discussion about their academic performance.
“He said that Principal Barnett stated that those students, the Black students, were the reason why the school had a B rating,” she said.
When Bush heard that, she was “livid,” she said. Her son has a 3.5 GPA and is in advanced placement and college classes.
“She’s Black as well. You have a historical position ... and this is what you do. That’s insane,” she said.
