The student demographics of Harlandale High School are 0.1% African American, 96.6% Hispanic and 3.3% White. The majority of the student population, 89.5%, is categorized as Economically Disadvantaged.

Within the past five years as Principal of Harlandale High School you've seen some amazing growth in the TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) scores achieved by the students, most impressive, are the scores in Reading and Writing.

	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
TAAS READING
ALL STUDENTS	63.2%	58.6%	69.2%	79.1%	82.9%
AFRICAN AMERICAN	-	100.0%	-	0.0%	-
HISPANIC	62.5%	58.5%	68.5%	78.9	82.6%
WHITE	75.0%	57.1%	100.0%	100.0%	90.9%
ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED	57.7%	61.5%	67.7%	78.4%	82.4%
TAAS WRITING
ALL STUDENTS	81.5%	79.9%	84.7%	87.5%	92.4%
AFRICAN AMERICAN	-	100.0%	-	100.0%	-
HISPANIC	81.8%	80.0%	84.6%	87.2%	92.1%
WHITE	75.0%	75.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%
ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED	80.6%	78.3%	84.1%	87.5%	92.7%

This growth is in part due to the dedication of your Reading Department, and more specifically to one teacher whose techniques of igniting a desire to read, have been used by the entire department. Ms. Ozburn has been a part of Harlandale High School for 10 years. She began her teaching career at the age of 55 after having retired from the Army. Ms. Ozburn is Anglo, a retired Army colonel and Vietnam veteran with four master's degrees.  Her presence is very domineering and intimidating. Ozburn is a strict disciplinarian, highly respected by her students.

This ninth-grade reading teacher has been credited with single-handedly changing the lives of 100's of students.  Her colleagues grudgingly admit that her innovative teaching style is effective.  This teacher has been instrumental in developing a curriculum that engages students in reading, by using material that her students relate to - Seventeen, People for teens and Reader's Digest.  She has helped many students, who have been dismissed as nonreaders, enter the world of words.  Her unique assignments and reading material has also caused concern to be expressed by some parents. Some controversial topics have been - drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and date rape.

Most recently, you have been approached by the School Board President with a concern that is being voiced in the community about a recent writing assignment that your head reading teacher assigned to her ninth grade students.  The students were asked to design and write Christmas Cards. These Christmas Cards were sent to inmates in the State Correctional Facility.  This assignment was highlighted in the San Antonio Express News for its innovation. The assignment also captured statewide headlines when it was revealed that these cards landed in the hands of prison gang members.  The School Board President wants you, as principal to, "Do something to deal with the potential uprising from the community that Ms. Ozburn has incited. But preserve those TAAS score gains that she's made with her unorthodox teaching style."

TAAS: The accountability system for public education in Texas is designed to improve student academic performance.  The foundation of this accountability system is the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) testing program administered to students annually in the third through eighth grades and the tenth grade exit text. A student must pass all three sections (reading, math and writing) of the exit text in order to receive a high school diploma.

This assignment has provided great interaction between the students and the inmates. The students are engaged in writing and are thoroughly enjoying the communication that has developed with the inmates. The students are developing their questioning techniques and gathering information to develop a mini biography on their Pen Pals. The design and intent of the assignment isn't a concern, the concern comes with the fact that these cards were sent to inmates in the State Correctional Facility.

The parents of this community are quite concerned that their 14 and 15 year old children are communicating with inmates.  More importantly, that their daughters are communicating with inmates.

The parents of these 1st generation Mexican American children are very concerned and have been in contact with the local minister.  They have voiced their concern to him and asked him to be their voice in the community.

The minister highlighted the issues brought out by this assignment in his sermon last Sunday. He stressed how destructive this type of communication can be to the youth of the community. Communicating with inmates might place the students in a dangerous position. It is not known what ideas are being expressed through these letters. What motivated this teacher to send these cards to inmates?  Why hadn't she sent these cards to soldiers or to international pen pals?

The parents have not approached Ms. Ozburn with their concerns.  Several have indicated that they are apprehensive and afraid of contact with her.