HOUSTON — A voicemail is how the Eastwood Academy High School community found out that their principal and other staff members were removed.
"It's a big upheaval for the students in general. This is a big change for them," Teresa Gonzales said.
Gonzales is a senior vice president of the PTO and also has a child who goes to school there.
In a statement, Houston ISD said it takes student safety in schools very seriously. It said the staff transitions were made after an investigation into incidents at the campus, but didn't provide details about the incidents or the investigation.
Eastwood is a top-ranked school made up of about 400 students.
"The AP (assistant principal) knew us all personally, the principal knew us all personally. Our school is really tight-knit, and our entire staff, we're really all close. So losing such a big chunk of the faculty, which is so small, is devastating," senior Lane Harper said.
The main concern for the students is that the only counselor for the entire school was among those who were removed. It's a critical time for students to submit early college applications.
"We feel like we're left out to dry and that's no way any senior should feel at all in their high school career," senior Helodoro Martinez said.
Gonzales said the district should have prepared better.
"If they had known this was going on. If they knew investigations were going on, then they should have pulled someone and said hey I need you to support Eastwood," Gonzales said.
A former teacher said he was in contact with other teachers who don't know what to believe, citing mistrust with the district since the state takeover.
"This administration has consistently just given nobody any reason to believe them," Karthik Soora said.
Students and teachers said they just want transparency and the resources they need to succeed.
Full HISD statement
"HISD takes student safety in our schools very seriously. The staff transitions at Eastwood Academy were made after an investigation into incidents at the campus. While we cannot comment further on the incidents or the investigation, we will notify the school community as soon as we have identified a new principal."
Voicemail
"This is an important message for Eastwood Academy families from HISD Central Division Superintendent Dr. Martinez. To ensure a high-quality education environment, HISD is making changes effectively immediately at Eastwood Academy. Dr. Aguilar will no longer serve as principal and there will be several additional staff transitions. The district is in the process of identifying an exceptional education leader for Eastwood Academy and will be in touch with more information soon."