Teachers union slams Texas Governor over special education aide's tragic death

SAN ANTONIO (WOAI/KABB) — Fingers are being pointed at Texas Governor Greg Abbott after an instructional assistant died from a blunt force head injury during a classroom incident.

Alfred Jimenez, also known as "Mr. Fred," was working at Brandeis High School in San Antonio as a special needs instructional assistant at the time of the incident.

The 73-year-old's death was ruled a homicide, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner. The school district Jimenez worked for said he was trying to "redirect" a student when the incident happened.

The district said three adult staff members were present when the incident happened.

The Northside American Federation of Teachers say Texas politicians are to the blame for this incident.

“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 Melina Espiritu-Azocar, president of Northside AFT, in a statement.

Espiritu-Azocar added, “The fault for this senseless tragedy does not lie with Fred, who did exactly what he was supposed to, or with the student, whose needs have not been met.”

The union wants to see robust training for all staff members in de-escalation techniques, along with what they call “adequate staffing levels in all student support positions, particularly those who support students in our self-contained special education classrooms.” Additionally, the teacher’s union wants “widespread access to mental health support for staff, students, and families” and “comprehensive safety protocols tailored to the unique needs of each classroom setting.”

The Northside AFT said Mr. Fred’s “legacy of compassion and dedication continue to inspire us as we work towards a safer, more secure future for educators everywhere.”

Jimenez had worked at Brandeis since 2014. He passed away on February 17, ten days after falling to the floor and suffering a head injury while dealing with a student in a special needs classroom.

District officials describe the classroom where this incident happened as the campus' applied learning environment classroom - a room designed to "meet the needs of students with the most severe learning disabilities on campus."

They said campus staff was on scene immediately and Jimenez was taken to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.

School district police are investigating the incident.