Parents Worry About Homeless Outside ISD School in Dallas

Concern about school safety has grown among parents of elementary school students in the Dallas Independent School District.

The parents said they were concerned that a homeless man was allegedly trying to lure a child in and another homeless man was trying to break into an elementary school.

On a Monday afternoon, hours before the gathering of students, a group of moms stood outside Arcadia Park Elementary School, saying they were watching for anyone approaching campus.

“Squatters are literally everywhere around the school,” said a parent named Jay, whose daughter is in sixth grade at Arcadia Park.

A black fence separates the back of the school from a wooded area where homeless people have allegedly set up tents. According to Jay’s daughter, at times she could spot the tents from the school grounds.

“It worries me because they are so close,” Jay said. “What’s stopping them from jumping over the fence?”

Across the street from the school, piles of trash surround a house that neighbors say is frequented by squatters.

“Since they started clearing the freeway, they’ve been pushing them more to do it. So, trash, trash, lots of trash,” Jay said. “At night, yes, I see them with their grocery carts full of their stuff and they cut through the school parking lot and they go through the back of the library trash cans.”

According to the Dallas Police Department, they have not responded to any calls to loiter in this house. However, the parents said the problems are making their way to campus.

“We reported this when a homeless person came to us and he tried to enter the school,” Daily Ochoa told. Ochoa is the mother of three students at Arcadia Park Elementary School. She claims that her children were recently approached by a local homeless man.

“I think it was Wednesday when (my twins) … told me that the homeless guy who lives in the back, that he was looking at them and that he told them to go to where he was,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa said she reported the incident to the school, but did not feel the school was doing enough.

Ochoa also commented on the security fence installed.

“The gate over there is always open,” Ochoa said.

An NBC 5 crew noticed that the gates remained open during and after Monday’s classes.

“(The gate) is really small, like, low. So (anyone) can easily jump over it. The playground is probably about six feet from the gate,” Ochoa said.

NBC 5 asked ISD Dallas about each parent’s statement, as well as open gate concerns.

In an email, the school district released a response stating, “We are aware of the issues that are being raised. Please know that safety always comes first and we are working with parents and community members to ensure that any potential issues are resolved. We take all claims seriously and continue to review each report. We are committed to working with our community to ensure our campus remains a safe learning environment.”

However, the PTA Moms Volunteer Shifts were canceled on Monday morning for no reason.

In Spanish, Maria Banda, president of Arcadia Park Elementary School, told NBC 5 she found out after another volunteer forwarded an email. Banda said she raised some of these issues at school and informed other parents.

According to Banda, she was not told the reason for canceling her shift. She fears it could be revenge.

The Dallas ISD did not respond as to why PTA volunteer shifts were cancelled.

Parents hope they will receive answers by the end of this week.

“We keep pushing and pushing (on the school) and we don’t really see any results,” Jay said.

Parents are encouraged to attend Thursday’s PTA meeting starting at 6:00 pm at Arcadia Park Elementary School, located at 1300 N Justin Avenue.