The Dallas County School Board brought forth some interesting information Tuesday at their regular meeting. While much school business is winding down with the end of the school year, some issues are just starting to heat up for this school board regarding a December fight between a teacher and several students at Southside High School.

The Dallas County School Board turned down the recommendation made by superintendent Fannie Major-McKenzie to suspend a teacher at Southside High School, who reportedly invited a female student to fight her in the lunchroom. The board held an open meeting to make a ruling on her suspension.

After an investigation by both McKenzie and police, several witnesses from the lunchroom incident told authorities the teacher, Wanda Tyler, actually looked to the student and said, “Do you want some of this?” Then the student jumped Tyler and several other female students joined in.

Sadly, the school board turned down McKenzie’s recommendation and did not take action in suspending Tyler. A sad day for Dallas County Schools that a teacher who acts as a student and does not assume her proper responsibilities would be allowed to continue on in education in Dallas County.

There will be some who defend the teacher’s actions and say she was acting in her best interest. We are not in that party.

There are others who would defend the students, saying they acted out violently because they were antagonized first by their teacher. We are certainly not part of that party either.

This is a situation where there are no winners but only losers. The losers are those giving and receiving an education at Southside High School. This situation is a literal black eye for those teachers in the school who do not tolerate violence from students and do not invite them to fight them. This is a black eye for those students who attend Southside, not immaturely thinking about what they are going to do each weekend, but instead the ones who think about their future and strive to make it great.
These students who come to school to work, participate and move their lives ahead do not deserve teachers or classmates that disrupt a learning environment such as this. These teachers who care and work hard and students who are in continual planning mode for their lives ahead, are at Southside and all area schools. They deserve more, much more than a fight fit for the “Bad Girls Club.”

This is Selma and Dallas County — not a reality TV show.