‘Targeted, unwelcomed and afraid.' Fuerza teachers, parents voice leadership concerns
Elida Alvarez poured her heart into her job teaching at Fuerza Elementary School , and even helped build the school’s 4th grade dual language program. The school was “never just a workplace,” she told the Kennewick School Board during a Nov. 4 public meeting . “It was a community. I believed in the program, and I was proud of it,” she said. But things changed after Alvarez experienced “one of the most difficult experiences” of her teaching career last school year. “I experienced what I believe was a pattern of intimidation, unfair treatment, excessive micromanagement and unprofessional conduct by the head administrator,” she alleged. The emotional toll became “impossible to hide,” and she began to feel “targeted, unwelcomed and afraid.” “Every day, I tried to walk into my classroom with a positive attitude and give my students the teacher they deserved,” Alvarez said, fighting through tears. “But behind that smile, I was struggling.” “My students saw me crying, noticed my anxiety and would even warn me when the administrator was approaching. Think about that for a moment — children came to school to learn, yet they were worried about protecting their own teacher. No child should ever feel the responsibility
