OUR EMPLOYEES WILL NOT STAND ALONE.
There comes a point when silence is no longer leadership.
That point has arrived.
For too long, Raymondville ISD employees have been subjected to personal attacks on social media by former RISD disgruntled employee Josaphat Lozano. They have been mocked, insulted, ridiculed for their appearance, questioned about their education, called incompetent, and corrupt. He has unfairly attacked our board members and their families. Even more troubling, these attacks have extended to our students, who have been subjected to false, disgusting, and damaging accusations. Attacking women, mothers, and children is the work of a coward and Josephat Lozano is a coward.
Enough.
I stand firmly and unapologetically with the employees of Raymondville ISD against the disgusting, vile, and infantile social media posts that seek to demean, ridicule, and humiliate people who have devoted their careers to serving our students and community.
I stand with our custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, maintenance staff, teachers, counselors, coaches, principals, administrators, district staff, and deputy superintendent.
These are the people who helped make Raymondville ISD a three-time A-rated school district. These are the people behind a Bearkat Band that has earned recognition as a UIL State Marching Band silver medalist and state champion. These are the people who help our students graduate from high school each year already holding associate degrees, college hours, industry certifications, and opportunities that can change the trajectory of their lives.
Those accomplishments do not happen by accident.
They happen because employees show up early, stay late, teach, coach, counsel, clean, drive, prepare meals, solve problems, encourage students, and give more of themselves than the public will ever see.
This is the Raymondville ISD our community should know.
I welcome accountability. I welcome hard questions. I welcome legitimate criticism.
But harassment is not accountability.
Ridicule is not advocacy.
Repeated accusations do not become facts simply because they are posted loudly or often.
There is nothing courageous about attacking someone from behind a screen. Cowards hide behind screens, throw insults, and attack people they would often never have the courage to confront face-to-face. It takes no leadership to mock someone's appearance, education, or character, especially if every attempt at a career has failed.
Anyone can create outrage.
Building something is harder.
Serving children is harder.
Producing excellence year after year is harder.
And our employees are doing exactly that.
Public information laws exist for transparency, and Raymondville ISD will always comply with them. But fishing for information simply to distort it, sensationalize it, or fuel another social media attack is not public service.
Real advocates seek facts. Real advocates offer solutions. Real advocates work to make their community better.
Our employees do that every single day.
To every Raymondville ISD employee who has been attacked or demeaned, hear this clearly:
I see you. I value you. I know your work. And I will defend you.
I will not confuse bullying with accountability.
I will not confuse insults with truth.
I will not confuse attention-seeking with advocacy.
The record of this district speaks for itself. Our ratings, our championships, our college graduates, our student accomplishments, and countless successes across our campuses are the result of people working together with one purpose: our children.
Raymondville ISD has some of the finest employees any school district could ask for.
They have earned my respect.
They have earned my support.
And they will not stand alone.
We are Raymondville ISD. We stand together. We support one another. And we will continue doing what matters most: serving our students and our community.
GO BEARKATS!
