The principal of Dallas ISD's Woodrow Wilson High School has been replaced by an interim leader after three years in the job after a "recent incident" on campus.
Chandra Hooper-Barnett held a meeting last week that was criticized on social media for an alleged racial element. Two parents told the Dallas Morning News Hooper-Barnett called an assembly with only Black students “for a discussion about their academic performance.”
The district did not confirm the reason for her replacement or respond to requests for comment.
In a letter to families sent Monday, Aaron Aguirre-Castillo, executive director of the Woodrow Wilson vertical team, said the incident is under review and did "not reflect the values and expectations of our community," but didn’t provide additional details.
"Please know that we hear your concerns and are taking the necessary steps to address this matter thoughtfully and thoroughly," the letter reads.
Hooper-Barnett in her own letter sent Monday acknowledged holding a meeting but did not say what it was about.
The “subsequent discussion that transpired was not appropriate. ... I want to assure you that it was never my intent to single out or cause harm to any group of students,” she wrote.
Of the school’s roughly 1,800 students, a little more than 130 are Black, according to state data.
The school’s former executive director of the vertical team, Danielle Petters, will serve as interim principal.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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