SAN ANTONIO – A sprawling plot of land in Helotes is what Margo Jimenez calls heaven on earth. Since February, it’s where she’s been coping with what she calls her personal hell.
“It’s been a nightmare for me,” Margo Jimenez said, describing life without her husband, Alfred Jimenez.
He died in February 2024 after Northside ISD said a student injured him in a classroom.
While this incident turned deadly, Margo Jimenez said her husband had been hurt by students before.
“There was another time where he did come home and his glasses were broken,” she said. “He had a black eye and he had a scratch [on his arm] and it drew blood.”
Alfred Jimenez is not alone. KSAT Investigates found that during the last two school years, districts with schools in Bexar County reported more than 4,000 educator injuries caused by students.
>> Share your story: KSAT Investigates educator injuries in Bexar County schools
‘Something has to be done’
Alfred Jimenez was an instructional aide for special needs kids at Brandeis High School.
Students and staff called him “Mr. Fred.”
“He just had a way with these kids,” Margo Jimenez said. “I never even thought that he could do something like that.”
In February, Northside ISD said Alfred Jimenez was redirecting a student. During the interaction, the district said Jimenez fell and hurt his head.
Alfred Jimenez died in the hospital. He was 74.
“I was there every day for 10 days, and I’d never left his side,” Margo Jimenez said. “We prayed the rosary every day because he loved the rosary.”
The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. San Antonio police told KSAT the student who caused the fatal injuries isn’t facing any charges -- and Margo Jimenez doesn’t want them to.
“This person was my husband’s favorite student in his in his room where he took care of him,” she said. “He loved him to pieces. I would never blame the student. Never.”
Margo Jimenez believes the blame lies with decision-makers.
“He never should have been murdered like he was at school,” she said. “He was shoved, pushed -- whatever you want to call it. He’s dead now because the school districts and the state won’t do anything.”
While what happened to Alfred Jimenez is rare, Margo Jimenez believes more can be done to keep educators safe.
“I don’t care what it takes,” she said. “Something has to be done before it happens again.”
Stabbings, bites, seizures
KSAT Investigates requested data from 19 districts with schools in Bexar County and reviewed thousands of reports made by educators of injuries caused by students during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years.
In the 2022-2023 school year, educators reported more than 2,600 reports of injuries caused by students. The number climbed slightly during the 2023-2024 school year.
Northeast ISD provided records with a column specifically for student-caused injuries. However, some of the narratives include injuries caused by students that were not labeled as such.
Some of the reports note that the injuries were accidental, like a teacher tripping over a student.
Others were intentional:
- One educator reported a student stabbed them in the stomach with a pencil, but the skin did not break.
- An instructional assistant reported having their hair ripped out by a student.
- A student bit a teacher on the arm so hard, the report said it broke skin.
- Another educator had to be taken to the hospital after having a seizure. The educator reported being punched in the face by a student.
Wanda Longoria, a retired teacher who serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said the injuries don’t just happen in the classroom.
“They happen in the cafeteria, they happen in the hallways, they happen on the busses,” she said.
KSAT Investigates showed Longoria the number of injury reports in Bexar County. She believes the number could be larger.
But not every district keeps track of educator injuries caused by students, like Lackland ISD.
When asked why, Chief Financial Officer Demetria Jimenez told KSAT Investigates the district reports all teacher and staff injuries to their workers’ compensation provided.
“What do you think about that?” KSAT reporter Daniela Ibarra asked Longoria.
“I think it’s a travesty,” Longoria responded. “I think that our constituents deserve to know. Parents deserve to know.”
Margo Jimenez agrees. She believes the number of injuries should be a warning.
“I would hate for anybody to go through what I’m going through right now,” she said.
In a statement, Northside ISD spokesman Barry Perez said the district continuously evaluates and updates its safety protocols.
Perez said the district offers de-escalation and general safety training. They have also surveyed special education staff to figure out what protective gear is needed.
“In all cases, we adhere to all policies in our student code of conduct when addressing disciplinary matters, including consideration of a more restrictive environment(s) for special education students when appropriate, and we comply with all special education laws,” Perez wrote in an email to KSAT.
Months after her husband’s death, Margo Jimenez said there are still days she struggles to get out of bed.
“What do you think needs to change?” asked Ibarra.
“Honestly, I think what needs to change is that these teachers and schools have more help,” Margo Jimenez responded. “I feel like it took my poor husband to die so that maybe somebody would start doing something.”
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
