Superintendent Mike Miles said the district would be collaborating with county and municipal officials on potential safety enhancements during a vigil held across town in honor of the Houston ISD student who was killed by a train earlier this week.
Miles said at a press conference that he would be collaborating with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor John Whitmire to find safer ways to give students a means to cross train lines close to Houston ISD campuses.
“I will join forces with Mayor Whitmire, Judge Lena Hidalgo and the Houston Police Cheif to attempt to secure the needed resources at the nine most dangerous crossings in HISD,” Miles stated. “We’ll work to secure the resources to provide safer pedestrian crossing options for our students.”
A Union Pacific Railroad train killed a Milby High School student who was stopped while walking to school on Monday, December 9. The victim’s relatives revealed the student’s identify as 15-year-old Sergio Rodriguez after the tragedy.
Houston ISD declared on Tuesday that it will help with the family’s burial expenses. Alexandra Elizondo, Houston ISD’s chief of public affairs and communication, announced on Thursday that the district was in discussions with a funeral home and other non-profits.
“The [Milby] principal is working with nonprofits in the area and there is a local funeral home that’s covering the costs,” she explained. “The district is working with other organizations to provide the family with more assistance.”
According to Miles, there are currently 118 campuses where a child’s home and school are connected by railroad tracks. According to him, the district will concentrate on nine sites that have been determined to provide the most risk to kids.
Miles listed the nine schools listed below:
- Milby High School
- Waltrip High School
- McReynolds Middle School
- Forest Brook Middle School
- Cashmere High School
- Cook Elementary School
- Burnett Elementary School
- Tijeruna Elementary School
- Roosevelt Elementary School
For kids who are not otherwise served by bus routes, the district already provides safe transportation.
“Families can work with their campus administrators to make a transportation request in these cases,” he stated. “Students in primary school will automatically have their petitions granted. That’s what we already do. This is nothing new.
Miles also reaffirmed during the press conference that students had not been penalized for delays brought on by trains close to campuses.
“Students should never crawl beneath a train or attempt to beat a train,” he stated. “Their safety is paramount and no risk is worth it.”
Rodriguez’s family has sued Union Pacific for wrongful death since his passing. The business stated that it is looking into the issue.
In a statement, Union Pacific said, “Union Pacific shares Houston’s grief following Monday’s heartbreaking event when a teenager made the tragic decision to try and outrun a moving train.” “We would want to urge students and anyone to never disregard train horns, lights, or safety gates, and to only cross railroad lines at authorized crossings. The train crew, students, and family who witnessed this horrible event have our deepest sympathies.
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