Any unexpected death of a child is particularly saddening; one resulting from murder is horrific. The extent to which any community gets impacted by tragic events depends on the trust of its leadership. The Holloman Leadership Team has spoken; they will ensure the protection of their children.
Col. Alfred Rosales School Board Holloman Ex Officio presented a staggering proclamation that will affect Alamogordo community education for generations. Speaking on behalf of the entire Holloman Air Force Base Leadership Team, he announced at the regular School Board meeting, beginning at the 42:30 minute mark, that they will initiate a new high school education approach for “active duty families, DoD civilians, and international guard reservists that are connected to our base.”
He stated further that “in light of that tragedy, the shooting that happened right outside of the high school,” the Holloman Leadership Team got an outpouring from military-connected families concerned about children’s safety in schools, particularly in high school. From a leadership perspective, he stated, “Sometimes we see tragedies like this as a potential outlier. One terrible event and not reflective of the ongoing culture of safety or security.” Col. Rosales Noted, “Our leadership team has shifted from that perspective; we now fully understand that this is not just an outlier situation. Our families on base are concerned about the safety of their school-based children.
The Holloman Leadership Team’s proclamation seems clear. They do not trust APS with the safety of their students, and they “would like, as Team Holloman, to engage APS on a level to start a dialog of different options to address this for our military people.” They want to explore the potential “for an Alamogordo High School satellite as a campus on base.” In closing, he noted that the Leadership Team is excited to “figure out how we provide our solutions.” Not a warning but a promise. The base intends to take care of their children. As typical, Board President Judy Rabon thanked him for his presentation, but in her mind, she had to be thinking: I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve. And resolved the Holloman Leadership Team may be.
Numerous Alamogordo Sentinel articles report how the APS Board had done nothing to protect the teachers and employees. They questioned whether the lapse was driven by its own incompetence, arrogance, or mistaken alliances. The recent murder of an eighth-grade Chaparral Middle School student raises the question of whether the Board and Administration failed to protect the children adequately.
One deceased, two wounded, another arrested. There is a critical need to examine what the district knew, what it reported, and to whom it gave notice. Anonymous sources noted that these students had been suspended for violence just days before the shooting. Were their previous acts violent, and were they timely reported according to school policy and state law?
Other Alamogordo Sentinel articles detail how the Alamogordo School District is “plagued on many levels” and the morass of cases besieging the Alamogordo School Board and Administration for an abundance of alleged administrative lapses. Resolved leadership is needed.
And the Holloman Leadership Team appears resolved.
