Student who was ill, not abusing drugs, feels ‘criminalized’
A Pasadena high school freshman has returned to her home campus after her lawyer and family said school officials attempted to “criminalize” her after she exhibited symptoms of a medical issue they failed to recognize.
“The Pasadena ISD’s behavior throughout this process has been outrageous,” state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston said at a news conference Wednesday.
Lawyers for Jazmin Garcia, 15, said the Pasadena Memorial High School freshman was allowed to return to campus Wednesday, about four weeks after she fell ill in class. District documents provided by Garcia’s lawyer show she was reassigned to Pasadena ISD’s Guidance Center after she was alleged to be “under the influence of an unidentified substance.”
“If there were not so many people in the community who surrounded Jazmin and her family … if they were not around, then she would still right now have been expelled, punished, for nonexistent drug use — punished for her medical condition,” Wu said.
In a statement, the district said: “There have been a number of inaccuracies reported by the local media with respect to this situation. As always, the district’s primary concern is ensuring the safety of every student on our campuses.
“All PISD campuses follow the Pasadena ISD Student Code of Conduct and make disciplinary decisions in the interest of student safety after considering the information that is available at the time of their decisions in every student discipline matter. The Student Code of Conduct also provides an appeal process where circumstances and additional information can be considered and acted upon. The District is unable to comment further regarding a specific student discipline matter in accordance with state and federal privacy laws.”
Garcia’s lawyer, Randall Kallinen, disclosed the teen suffered from a medical condition known as dysautonomia.
Kallinen said there are a host of diseases that present the same symptoms as Garcia’s. He said a part of the problem in Pasadena ISD personnel failing to identify Garcia’s symptoms is the school district’s policy.
The attorney previously said the teen was suffering from a medical condition that causes dizziness and poor balance, as evidenced by a later screening test that showed she had not taken drugs. He has criticized Pasadena ISD officials for their response, alleging school officials and police officers partially removed her clothing and searched her, then questioned her about drug use rather than seeking medical help.
Along with a change in policy, Wu, and Mirna Garcia, Jazmin’s mother are seeking an official apology from Pasadena ISD. jose.gonzalez@chron.com twitter.com/jrgzztx