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Abilene ISD issues statement after student injury on campus

Abilene ISD released a statement Sunday morning regarding delayed communication following the injury of a Taylor Elementary School student during the first week of school.

The statement, taken from the district’s Facebook page, reads as follows:

“At Abilene ISD, our daily standard is to ensure the safety of our students and communicate effectively with our parents. Last week, we fell short of our goal when a Taylor Elementary School family did not receive timely or appropriate communication from us after their student was cared for in the medical room for an accidental injury on the playground.

“'My sincere condolences to the family responsible for the injury to their student, and I am grateful we had the opportunity to hear from them,' said Dr. John Kuhn, AISD's superintendent of schools. 'Parents and families, we know you rely on us to make it right for your children. If we get it wrong, I guarantee you we will take full responsibility for making it right.'”

“We are taking immediate steps to ensure this does not happen again, including reviewing our student health care procedures, training nurses on how to contact families after student assessments, and providing additional certified nursing assistants to our largest campuses. Abilene ISD parents and families can always expect to receive a call from their campus if their student is injured at school.

“Student safety and keeping families informed is Taylor's top priority,” said Leslye Roberts, principal of Taylor Elementary. “Nothing is more important to us than our children. We will continue to work directly with affected families to provide their students with everything they need to remain successful.”

“We take extremely seriously the trust you place in us by sending your children to our schools. They deserve our best efforts to communicate openly and honestly with you about their well-being. Thank you for your partnership and support as we continue to build the best version of Abilene ISD for everyone in our community.”

In the 2024-2025 AISD Parent and Student Handbook, each parent will be asked to complete a Medical Care Authorization Form each year providing parental consent for emergency treatment for their student.

If a parent or authorized person cannot be contacted, the Emergency Care Authorization Form will be used to provide the district with consent for medical treatment.

“Regardless of parental authorization from the district to consent to medical treatment, district staff will contact emergency services to provide emergency care when required by law or when deemed necessary, such as to avoid a life-threatening situation,” the manual states.

The incident sparked mixed opinions among the population.

Positive comments praised AISD's accountability and openness in implementing change. Others called for the district to fire the affected district employees.

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