“HISD’s Gang Suppression Unit works in partnership with anti-gang units

from other Houston-area law enforcement agencies to combat gang activity

in schools. There are four specialized officers on this team who use a
three-pronged approach that focuses on suppression, enforcement and
education. The HISD Gang Suppression Unit works with the schools to
gather information and intelligence that they use in an effort to track gang
activity that overflows from neighborhoods into schools. They also give
educational presentations to staff and students at all schools. Right now,
these officers are focused on preventing future incidences of gang
violence on campus,” Chief Jimmy Dotson.

Letter to parents:

Dear Parent or Guardian:

I am writing to inform you of the steps the Houston Independent School District
and our campus are taking to ensure your child’s safety after an incident that
happened after school hours on Wednesday on an athletic field at Worthing High
School. The safety of our students and staff is always our first priority.

There is an ongoing Houston Police Department investigation into the incident,

which means we are unable to disclose many details of what happened. What
we can tell you is that students from Worthing, Madison, Yates and Jones high
schools were among those gathered at the Worthing field for a non-sanctioned
football game when a confrontation occurred Wednesday night. Some of the
individuals on the field are believed to be residents of surrounding
neighborhoods and are not HISD students. Gunshots were fired at some point
and multiple individuals were wounded. One person, a former Worthing student,
died as a result of his wounds.

HISD acted immediately to enhance the police presence at Worthing, Madison,

Yates, and Jones. We also have a team of counselors on those campuses. As
always, our administrators are also actively working to ensure the security of the
campus.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at the school.