Students at James Madison High School walked out of class Thursday morning after a recording surfaced on social media. The recording is said to be of Madison High School employees who allegedly used “sexually explicit language” in front of students, Gerry Monroe, a Houston-area education advocate told KPRC 2.
Monroe posted the recording on social media. KPRC has not independently confirmed who is speaking in the audio which is explicit.
“I was protesting for what’s right,” Bailey Marshall, a freshman student said. “It made me very uncomfortable knowing that those people were among me. I couldn’t do it.”
Marshall says this is not the first time the school has had issues and said temporarily reassigning employees with the recording is not good enough.
“Some action needs to happen. They can’t be here. I don’t feel safe or comfortable here. I need to learn. I don’t need to be out here protesting to get you going. You need to just go,” she said.
Parent Michelle Phillips said she is proud of the students for walking out.
“These children deserve better and should be given better and the school board needs to take notice and hear these children,” she said.
This Thursday morning, students walked out of class around 8 a.m. and protested in front of the school. One of the signs (see the photos below) said, “Protect our young women from predators.”
As of 1 p.m., the school employees in question were “temporarily reassigned,” according to Houston Independent School District. The district did not identify the employees.
The district released the following statement:
The Houston Independent School District has reviewed the recording that is circulating on social media. HISD is investigating this incident and has temporarily reassigned the employees pending the outcome of the investigation. We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and will take appropriate action to ensure all of our students have access to a safe learning environment.
See the photos of the protest below: