Dallas ISD plans to update Code of Conduct after Wilmer-Hutchins shooting
Dallas ISD plans to update Code of Conduct for 2025-26
The proposed change in the code of conduct is set to be discussed this Thursday at a board briefing.
Trustee Maxie Johnson told FOX 4’s Peyton Yager before the event that he believes a new code of conduct will pass for Dallas ISD.
Inside the Winspear Opera House on Tuesday, Dallas ISD hosted its state of the district.
Top of mind for the district is safety and security following the April Wilmer-Hutchins High School shooting, still fresh on the minds of everyone in attendance.
District 5 trustee Maxie Johnson says Wilmer-Hutchins has an increased police presence to close out the school year.
Mental health professionals are also at the ready for students in need.
Previous school shootings
The backstory:
On April 15, Dallas ISD police say a Wilmer-Hutchins High School student let in 17-year-old Tracy Haynes junior through a locked side door, thus avoiding metal detectors.
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Dallas ISD said Tuesday that four students were injured and taken to area hospitals after a shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School – exactly one year to the day after students walked out in protest after a student was shot in a classroom.
Police say Haynes opened fire indiscriminately in the hallway, injuring four students.
A bullet also grazed a teacher.
Wilmer Hutchins High School did experience a shooting last year as well.
Dallas ISD says in the April 2024 shooting, the suspect’s weapon triggered a metal detector, but no staff members stopped him or checked his bag.
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New code of conduct considerations
What we know:
The proposed change in the code of conduct is set to be discussed this Thursday at a board briefing.
Dallas ISD is now considering harsher punishments for students who prop open doors, defying security protocol.
On Tuesday, FOX 4 reviewed a new draft version of Dallas ISD’s 2025-2026 code of conduct.
Opening and propping open locked secured doors would jump up from a level 2 offense to now a level 3 offense. The punishment would be upgraded to mandatory placement in a disciplinary alternative school.
What they're saying:
"When you go do something that is against the code of conduct and against the policy and produce of Dallas ISD there will be consequences ," said Johnson.
"It’s time to let them know we are going to have real consequences because you are bringing violence in our community. In our school. Our superintendent has dealt with that harshly and we are going to make sure that is handled, and the policies are passed."
Criminologist at Tarleton State, Dr. Alex Del Carmen, says it’s expected that the district will respond to calm the parents.
"What is the most logical way to respond? Is to hold the students accountable. Because in this particular case, this one time in history, a student looked the other way and was careless in allowing someone with a gun onto the school grounds," said Del Carmen.
"The reality if someone intends to cause harm in a school that is not protected 24/7 but just during school hours, they will find loopholes to infiltrate a weapon and cause harm into other people when the time is right for the motivated offender."
What we don't know:
The last update from the district was that the student who let the armed classmate in was identified, but that student's punishment criminally or administratively is still unclear.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by Dallas ISD's State of the District meeting.