RED HOT CONSERVATIVE

I was contacted by mother, Carrie Huffman today regarding the emotional abuse of her daughter by teacher, Patricia Jacobson at the Forth Worth Academy of Fine Arts. Ms. Huffman has contacted and reached out to the school administration repeatedly with no satisfaction regarding the treatment of her daughter.  Ms. Huffman has also contacted her local police department seeking help in resolving the situation. A detective has now been assigned to the case.

November 4,2015 Carrie Huffman c/o Kailey Huffman

Texas Education Agency

Re: Complaint of abuse to minor child and administrative negligence by Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts

Texas Education Agency My daughter Kailey is an advanced art student at FWAFA. She has an art teacher Patricia Jacobson two class periods everyday. Jacobson is abusive not only to Kailey but to several of the children. She is emotionally,mentally and verbally abusive, then tries to be physically affectionate. She screams,cusses, calls names, humiliates, etc. and has for a while. The administration refuses to acknowledge any wrong doing despite the constant reports. Parents have had to pull their children out of school over this teacher because of their refusal to protect the children. That seems serious yet it’s ignored. Kailey has put up with Jacobson yelling, humiliating, being threatening by standing over her screaming at her repeatedly to stand up right then etc. Kailey has begged me to please let her handle it knowing that reaching out to anyone simply gets her called into a meeting with Jacobson whom then sugar coats her behavior and makes it appear as if my child just misunderstands her intentions. Then when Jacobson is alone with the kids it’s hell to pay. Kailey spent a week in the counselors office about a month ago during Jacobson’s class period crying and unable to attend her class due to fear of her lashing out yet again. Kailey has generalized anxiety disorder and Jacobson is well aware of this. Monday November 2, 2015 after telling Kailey in her first period class that her painting was nasty, Jacobson grabbed a paintbrush mixed the colors on her pallet and painted all across Kailey’s canvas. Then Jacobson yelled “now fix it!” My daughter said yes ma’am, doing all she could to hold it together until she could get out of the class and make it to the restroom. Two class periods later sadly it started again. Kailey is new to what they are working on in this class which is AP fibers. She requested help previously and the teacher told her she would help when the other kids were at that point. She told her to undo and redo hers repeatedly while waiting for help. Which is what she did. The teacher then loudly started to accuse my daughter of not doing anything and asking if she planned to actually work that day at all. Jacobson knew she didn’t know how to proceed to the next step and started patronizing her because another student with 6 years experience had more done. The other student spoke up about her experience and then Jacobson began really yelling and saying you’re gonna have to take this home and actually do something for once. Kailey replied yes ma’am and I can work on it in my 8th period class because it’s my art practice period. Jacobson yelled at her to stop making excuses and trying to manipulate her like she does everyone else in her life. Yelling at Kailey again in front of the class. Kailey finally started to tear up at which time Jacobson informed her she better figure out a better way to deal with her than crying about it. She told her to stop crying. My daughter tried really hard to compose herself but Jacobson demanded Kailey look her in the face which made it impossible for her. She continued to demand Kailey speak to her like an adult but trying to stop crying and trying to talk at the same time doesn’t really work. Jacobson however continued and Kailey started to have a panic attack and struggle to breathe. Jacobson then demanded my child go get a mirror and watch herself. Continually yelling that she couldn’t watch if she was crying and she better stop. My daughter struggling to breathe and trying desperately to do so Jacobson said, you can stop that right now because it won’t work with me. Jacobson then patronizing my child insisted she mimic her breathing saying its like this taking in a deep breath then blowing it out sarcastically. When Kailey couldn’t because she was actually having a panic attack, (not a chosen behavior) it angered Jacobson even more. My daughter began to get light headed because she couldn’t get good breaths. She was afraid to put her head down so she tried to hold her head up with her hand so she didn’t look away from the mirror. This infuriated Jacobson and she told her to get her hands off her face and keep them off. Jacobson then said you are gonna have to find a better way to deal with me and that Kailey should get on some medication so she could deal with life. Totally out of line considering for one she isn’t a mental health professional, her parent and has no Right to talk about Kailey’s private issues in front of the class! After about 15 minutes Kailey was able to somehow get her breathing under control and Jacobson finally backed off. Kailey tried to just keep her head down focusing on her work. Within about ten minutes Jacobson started again. Kailey tried not to cry but she kept on. Jacobson grabbed Kailey by the face with both hands forcing her to look at her while she spoke. Jacobson insisted Kailey come to her when she was feeling anxious and they would work through it together. Still holding her face Jacobson pulled Kailey toward her and kissed her on the forehead then walked away. She walked back over shortly thereafter and said they would figure out a better way for Kailey to handle her anxiety. Then she pulled Kailey close to her forcing her to hug her. Absolutely not! I believe this is another way for her to make Kailey feel vulnerable to her control and aware of her ability to make her behavior appear to others that she cares. Kailey didn’t want to be touched by Jacobson at all and it’s just another controlling move on her part. Kailey asked repeatedly to go to the restroom or the counselor and she was told no that was just another escape. I have told her in the past if she ever gets this way to get up and leave the room it is also in her 504 that she be permitted to do so. At one point Kailey tried to get up and leave but Jacobson immediately bowed up to her and said sit back down now! We went to the principal Craig Shrekengast whom asked Kailey what appeared to trigger Jacobson’s outburst. Kailey said a lot of times she just comes in cranky but one thing is if you are absent she will be really mean when you return. Shrekengast looked at Kailey and said well do you have a lot of absences? This bothered me and I said wait a second, are you saying if she had a lot it would justify her behavior? He immediately looked at me and said I am talking to Kailey right now. I reminded him that Kailey is a minor and I’m her mother and it was important to me that my child understand that behavior wouldn’t be justified for any reason. Kailey then explained she is always saying I don’t do my work. He replied, well do you? Kailey said yes sir. She told him about the painting and her painting across it angrily and telling her it was nasty. He tried to say it was no different than when you turn in a paper you have written and the teacher makes corrections on the page. I strongly disagree. He asked if she was always negative about her work and Kailey said no the last thing I turned in she said I had outdone myself. He replied we’ll see so she compliments you. As if it excused the abusive outbursts. I tried to explain it would be as if I insulted him only to try and sugar coat it with a compliment. He then demanded My daughter and myself leave his office. I then went to the superintendent Clint Riley whom had a very similar demeanor as the principal. He informed me that there are parents that love Jacobson. That may be true but I know that she has had so many complaints about being mentally and emotionally abusive, cussing and calling kids names, belittling and ridiculing them even stating she wanted to hit kids but they refuse to acknowledge this or protect our kids. Jacobson accuses Kailey of using her anxiety as an excuse to manipulate people. Kailey is not a manipulative child. She is quiet and very reserved. She says she goes to school to learn not to socialize. She is very respectful and follows rules. She is an honor student and has NEVER had a disciplinary issue ever. She has been at FWAFA since third grade and is now in eleventh. I after trying to reach out to counselors many times over the last year, the nurse, the principal, the executive director and even going to the school board where they refused to allow me to address them, have realized they are not going to protect Kailey from this woman and he actions are escalating. After the two class periods of torment and humiliation followed by her forcing Kailey to allow her to hold her face, kiss and hug her I chose to contact the the police because it’s very apparent the Administration isn’t going to protect my child or any other child from this woman’s abuse. The police said that what my daughter was describing would definitely be considered assault by contact. So we chose to move forward with filing a police report. When the detective contacted Riley about Jacobson, he lied to her and said he wasn’t aware that she had grabbed my daughters face, kissed her or forced her to hug her. Which is completely false. I sat in his office the day it happened and told him after talking to Shrekengast about it with Kailey only minutes before. He also told the detective there had never been issues with this teacher. Another false statement. I know a mom pulled her child out a year and a half ago when Riley refused to protect her 5th grader by moving him to an alternate class. Jacobson cussed at her son on more than one occasion, got in his face, called him a names and would take him in the hall alone and intimidate him making him fearful to go to school. She basically tormented him for a year and nine days before his mom finally realized she had no other choice because Riley was going to punish her child for her insisting they protect him from Jacobson. I tried to bring up to Riley that I was well aware that many other students have and continue to have problems with her being a bully. One of their most talented and promising art students dropped art just so he could get away from her mistreatment. Riley was told by me and Shrekengast by Kailey with me in his office also that Jacobson grabbed her face, kissed her and made her hug her in a controlling don’t forget I’m the boss kind of attempt to make a point. Yet, Mr Riley refuses to move my child to another class. He insisted he would “look into it at his earliest convenience” but that if she wasn’t back in that class twice a day in the meantime it would be considered Unexcused. I tried to take Kailey to school the next morning and by the time we got there she was shaking and sick to her stomach. I asked Riley to tell me how he would ensure that my daughter would not be subjected to this type of abuse at the hands of Jacobson again and he said she can feel safe at school. She clearly can’t and doesn’t. Then following his so called investigation where he met with the teacher, counselors and special programs staff but not ONE student that was in that class and witnessed this terrifying episode, he informed me he found absolutely no wrong doing on the part of Jacobson and that my claim of disability harassment by her insisting my child find a better way to deal with her anxiety possibly medicating herself in front of the entire class was completely unfounded as well. I spoke to the mother of one of the other students in this class on Monday that witnessed this terrifying display by Jacobson at the request of the detective and she informed me that her daughter came home from school that afternoon visibly shaken and told her all about what had happened and how sad it was to see her treat Kailey so cruel and she just wouldn’t stop. The kids are all afraid of her. I truly don’t know what it’s gonna take for the administration to actually be held accountable for knowingly protecting a teacher that has a history of abusive and unethical behavior and continues to get away with it. By law I was under the impression that if they knew of even one incident of abuse having that kind of affect on a child that they were legally obligated to report it and if they didn’t they could be found guilty of abuse by omission. How can this be allowed to continue and me be expected to force my terrified child with severe anxiety to have to attend two class periods a day with this woman that has so blatantly harassed and abused her in front of a host of other students? The woman that calls kids names cusses at them and gets aggressive? How is it I’m supposed to expect that my daughter should believe she is safe there and that the administration will keep her safe? She attempted to leave the room as I instructed her to do and Jacobson immediately piped up and made her very aware she better not even try it. What is wrong with that? They have failed to protect Kailey and so many other children time and time again. They refuse to address this behavior and won’t even allow me to meet with her. How can my daughter have access to her instruction without being terrified? She is a child with a disability and even if she didn’t have a disability no child should have to fear this kind of attack from a teacher. This is disability harassment, abuse of power and blatant negligence by this administration. Complaint after complaint, kids going to the counselors trying to cope with Jacobson and it goes unreported and unaddressed. Instead they ignore it and continue to subject our children to this teachers abuse covering it up for her. It’s sick. There are so many parents that have begged for help yet nothing. This is not an isolated incident and my daughter has done her best to try and deal with Jacobson being nervous and anxious daily waiting for the next episode. What is gonna have to happen before someone will protect our children? Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide me in making school attendance safe for my daughter.

Sincerely, Mrs. Carrie Huffman

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