Corsican teacher recovers at home after classroom attack

CORSICA – A Navarro County teacher is recovering at home after being injured by a student in a classroom incident last week.

Collins Intermediate School assistant principal Candra Rogers was hospitalized after the incident but has since been released. She is now recovering at home. The school district described the incident as a “classroom disruption” involving fewer than 10 students and did not disclose why Rogers was in the classroom. She was flown by helicopter to a Dallas-area hospital for treatment.

“She just continues to ask for your prayers for her full recovery and continue to pray for our students and staff at Collins and of course the entire district,” a board member said at Monday night’s school board meeting.

However, one parent also had a message for the board.

“We need to protect our teachers,” said Terry Garner, a parent at Collins Intermediate School. “They are rare and hard to come by. We are not protecting our teachers or our students, and we are certainly not notifying parents.”

Rena Honea, president of the Alliance AFT, a Dallas-based teachers union, said there are several factors that could cause a student to “erupt in outrage or throw a tantrum.”

According to Honea, incidents of this kind are more common in smaller districts that have staffing issues.

“Everyone has their own opinion, but unless they have been in the shoes of an educator and have dealt with the situation in the classroom, they can only guess what is going on,” Honea said.

Rogers’ husband is the head football coach at Corsicana High School. District officials say they are withholding further details about the attack because the investigation is ongoing. But they confirmed that the student accused of the violence was arrested and charges will be filed against him.

The district said it will hold a Jeans Day fundraiser on Friday with proceeds to benefit the Rogers family. The district is also collecting gift cards for the family.