The town hall meeting, hosted by the Killeen Community Action Alliance and Impac Outreach, brought together a diverse group of voices.
KILLEEN, Texas — Tensions rose Saturday as community members, educators and local leaders gathered for a town hall meeting at the Dows Community Center.
The event was held at Roy J. Smith Middle School in response to the tragic stab wound death of 14-year-old Serenity Baker. The loss of young students has caused the community to shake up and look for answers.
As parents, students and educators shared their sadness and frustration, their hands were raised, embraced exchanged, and emotions were raw. For Ray Garner, the pain was particularly personal.
His daughter, a student at Smith Middle School, witnessed the attack.
“What my daughter went through was something I experienced in combat,” Garner said. “It’s hard to see someone die.”
He added that he deeply hurt him knowing that his daughter had to live through such traumatic events. “It’s tough. It’s sad,” Garner said.
The town hall meeting, hosted by the Killeen Community Action Alliance and Impac Outreach, brought together a diverse group of voices.
The goal was clear. This is to discuss ways to address the aftermath of Serenity Baker’s death, improve safety and prevent further violence at local schools.
When parents and community members spoke, the conversation quickly turned to concerns about school safety. Some families expressed feelings of fear and uncertainty about sending their children to school.
Discussions about metal detectors, communication between schools and parents, and the impact of bullying and social media dominated the floor.
“This should never have come,” said Andre Cox, a parent and educator. “Everyone says it starts at home, but as a parent, you can do everything in your powers in your powers, right or wrong with your child, and they are still wrong.”
Many pointed to a wider disconnect between the state, local school districts and communities.
“There are disconnections from the state, disconnections from Texas educational institutions, disconnections from ISD,” said Rodney Duckett of Impac Outreach. “You have parents, students, teachers. Everything falls apart and whenever you’re falling apart, you’re dysfunctional.”
Duckett stressed that meetings are not about pointing fingers, but about giving parents an outlet to express their concern and promote solutions.
“Our job as a citizen is to bring functionality back to our community,” he said.
Killeen Police Chief Pedro Lopez was present to address concerns about safety and the role of law enforcement in keeping students safe. He spoke about his continued efforts to work with schools and communities to combat violence and ensure a safer environment for students.
Students were part of the conversation too.
High school student Wesley Davis emphasized the importance of including youth in discussions about school safety.
“We have to deal with everything that’s been recorded and put it on Instagram. There are a lot of accounts just to fight in every school,” Davis said. “There’s always a fight that’s happening everywhere.”
He emphasized that students who are directly affected need to be part of the solution.
The path ahead remains uncertain, but City Hall has taken a step towards healing and action.
The group will meet again for another meeting on March 22 or 23 to present concerns and ideas to the Killeen Independent School District board of trustees in a roundtable discussion.
As the community continues to handle the tragedy, many hope that this dialogue will lead to concrete changes and increased safety for all students.
