Teachers union blames Gov. Greg Abbott over teaching assistant’s death

San Antonio’s local union of teachers mourned the passing of a local educator that died February 19 after an incident with a student, and they’re putting the blame on Texas government. The Northside American Federation of Teachers in San Antonio said in a statement that lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott have undermined teacher protections in schools by not pushing for proper training and adequate staffing. 

The deceased was known by students as “Mr. Fred” and had worked at Northside ISD since 2014. 

“My heart has broken more with every phone call in recent days, as educator after educator has told me something similar, ‘That could have been me.'” Melina Espiritu-Azocar, president of Northside AFT, said in the statement.

Alfred Jimenez, 73, was an instructional assistant at Brandeis High School who worked in the Applied Learning Environment classrooms. Jimenez worked with students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities, according to the AFT’s statement.

Details from Northside ISD on the incident that occurred on February 7 were minimal. Jimenez was reportedly “attempting to redirect a student” when he fell to the floor and sustained a head injury that sent him to the hospital. 

The medical examiner’s office told MySA Thursday that Jimenez’s death was caused by blunt force head injuries and was ruled a homicide. Northside ISD said that campus police were conducting an investigation into the incident but no charges have been announced. 

Espiritu-Azocar said in the statement that members and the community have called for justice, which requires “difficult conversations” to “assign blame where it is due.” Espiritu-Azocar does say in the statement that the blame does not lie with Jimenez or the student, whose needs have not been met due to public schools being underfunded. 

“The villains in this story sit in the governor’s mansion and the state Capitol, far away from the consequences of their continual undermining and endangerment of our schools,” said Espiritu-Azocar.

The AFT calls on Northside ISD and Texas lawmakers for the following: 

• Robust training for all staff members in de-escalation techniques. 
• Adequate staffing levels in all student support positions, particularly in self-contained special education classrooms.
• Widespread access to mental health support for staff, students, and families. 
• Comprehensive safety protocols tailored to the unique needs of each classroom setting.

MySA reached out to Northside ISD for comment. Gov. Abbott, so far, has not responded to the claims.