DESOTO, Texas — When you ask DeSoto High School’s Nyla Jennings her goals, she outlines them simply. “I just want to go to college and graduate,” said Jennings.
She is a junior athlete playing for her school’s Lady Eagles Basketball team. “I just want to have fun and enjoy life because you never know when it can be taken from you,” said Jennings.
It is a reality that students across North Texas realize as many have mourned the loss of some peers. Another student in Dallas ISD was shot and killed over the weekend on Burger Ave. in South Dallas.
Last week, multiple districts including DeSoto ISD responded to school threats circulating online. Jennings said her school went on lockdown for a short time and saw increased security. “I was blessed to be in a classroom where my teacher, she made us feel safe,” said Jennings.
That is the feeling DeSoto ISD wants others to feel. Monday, they joined the DeSoto Pastors Coalition to call for peace.
“We want our scholars to have spaces that are socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically safe,” said Dr. Usamah Rodgers, DeSoto ISD Superintendent.
The coalition said one concern is what students see when they are off school grounds. “Children are living in homes where conflict management is being managed poorly. In turn, are bringing those management skills to school in alarming numbers,” said Pastor Marcus King, DeSoto Pastors Coalition Chair.
The coalition is drafting a proposal to the Texas Educational Agency to call on legislators to pass a bill mandating conflict management education in public schools. They also want to create a conflict management intervention program.
“If we can determine how many prisons that can be built based off of third-grade test scores, certainly we can determine how many lives can be enhanced by having conflict management mandated at every level,” said King.
He said pastors will adopt schools in DeSoto ISD and partner with school athletics to pray for and create safety commercials for games. Their goal is to encourage and create a space for students to learn, lead and live. “What good does it do to learn and lead if you’re not alive to continue that? We want that not only in our schools but also our community,” said King.
With DeSoto ISD’s homecoming this week, there are additional safety protocols. Students on the home and visitor sides must show their student ID badges. Only DeSoto ISD students are allowed on the home side of the stadium. Those students who do not attend the opposing school must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. “See something, say something is very, very real,” said James Thomas, DeSoto ISD Chief of Maintenance and Operations.
“We want to make sure that we’re not just, once again, putting out fires, but we’re doing things that consistently that build community,” said King.
These are steps to help students such as Jennings to continue to achieve their goals.