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How a staffing shortage can make special education jobs more dangerous
Margo Jimenez cries as she talks about the moment she realized her husband, Fred Jimenez, would never wake up. According to his death certificate, Fred died of “blunt force head injuries” on Feb. 17, 2024. His injuries were caused by a push from a student 10 days earlier. His death was ruled a homicide.
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Every so often, Margo Jimenez says, her husband would come home from work with injuries.
“One day, he came home with a black eye, his glasses were broken, and he had bites on his arm,” Margo recalled. “I said, ‘Well, did you report it?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ He said, ‘Margo, because it happens all the time.’”
Fred Jimenez worked as a special education instructional assistant for the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio. He helped students with disabilities meet their learning and physical needs, and his job involved everything from diaper changes to helping students with hands-on instruction to managing violent outbursts.
On Feb. 7, one of those violent outbursts sent Fred to the hospital.
Fred was pushed by a high school student who has a cognitive disability. He fell and hit his head, and it led to a brain bleed.
He died 10 days later without ever waking up.
Margo Jimenez points out a memorial to her late husband, Fred Jimenez, in her yard – a stone with his name engraved on it. Next to it stands another stone, in remembrance of her son who died in a car accident.
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A workers compensation form describes Fred Jimenez’ injury. It reads, “Employee was pushed by a student and fell hitting his head.”
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“I literally have no one since Freddy passed away,” Margo said.
“Every day is a challenge for me, every day, every single day, all day. So I just do the best that I can with what God’s given to me.”
Fred’s story is an extreme case, but the situations he faced in the classroom are a common story.
Students receive special education services for a wide variety of disabilities. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most students with developmental disabilities aren’t any more aggressive than other students. But for some, their disability can lead to frustration and, in turn, aggression. Other students may have disabilities that include a tendency toward aggressive behavior.
“It’s not surprising,” said Susan Dvorak McMahon after hearing about the injuries Fred received before his death.
McMahon, a psychology professor at DePaul University, studies violence against educators and has conducted national surveys of educator experiences. Among her findings, published last year: Special educators are more likely to experience violence or aggression from students.
A Northside special education teacher who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity said her leg was injured so badly while a student was in the middle of an aggressive outburst that she required surgery. She provided this photo of the bruising that developed after the injury. She asked not to be named out of fear of retribution.
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“These issues have been going on for a while, and because we asked teachers about their worst, those most upsetting experiences, we read a lot of responses that are really – they’re very difficult to read,” McMahon said.
There isn’t a lot of research into how often special educators are hurt at work, but a Pennsylvania study published in 2014 found special educators were nearly three times as likely as general educators to be physically assaulted by students.
That can make it harder for school districts to hire special education staff, at a time when schools across the country are struggling to fill these positions. A recent federal survey found, nationwide, special education vacancies are the most difficult for schools to fill. District officials told NPR that’s also been true in Northside.
How staffing shortages can lead to unsafe conditions
After Fred’s death, his colleagues filed an internal complaint with the Northside Independent School District alleging that his death was part of a widespread pattern of student-caused injuries in special education classrooms.
Exhibits full of photos and email exchanges paint a picture of how the district’s staffing shortages can lead to unsafe conditions and serious injuries.
Special education teacher Sheree Kreusel signed the complaint.
Special education teacher Sheree Kreusel worked with Fred Jimenez before he moved to his final job at a high school. “I’ve had so many injuries,” she said.
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“I’ve had so many injuries,” Kreusel said. “I’ve had three concussions, two broken noses, stabbed in the stomach, numerous bites, scars from bites. And that’s just kind of a normal thing, unfortunately.”
Kreusel worked with Fred before he moved to his final job at a high school. She teaches middle schoolers with cognitive disabilities, and for the past 15 years she’s worked in a classroom that’s only for students with higher levels of need.
She said she loves her students, and doesn’t blame them for hurting her. Many of them have their own triggers, and Kreusel says she does her best to learn them. But she isn’t always able to avoid an outburst.
“The student may be aggressive, but it doesn’t mean they are targeting you because they hate you,” Kreusel said. “That’s usually not the case. It’s usually something that has happened, and they might be nonverbal. They can’t express it, and they just blow up.”
When that happens, the teachers’ complaint says, there isn’t enough staff to address it.
Kreusel has documented her injuries in photos. “I’ve had three concussions,” she told NPR. She said her last concussion caused permanent nerve damage on her forehead. Kreusel has also documented bite marks and scars after being bitten by students.
Sheree Kreusel
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Sheree Kreusel
Boston University researcher Elizabeth Bettini studies special education. She says when it comes to students who are prone to aggressive behavior, “You really need three people to be involved. You need two people to be part of keeping the students safe, and then you need a third one to collect data,” or document what’s happening.
But Kreusel said the district’s staffing shortages means educators are sometimes alone in the classroom. The district acknowledges this does happen.
Low pay makes it hard to hire and retain staff
Northside Independent School District officials said they can’t comment on the complaint while it is ongoing. However, Tracy Wernli, who oversees special education services for the district, agreed to answer more general questions.
She said Fred Jimenez was a “very well-loved instructional assistant in our district,” and described his death as a “horrible, horrible event” and “absolutely devastating.”
She also acknowledged the district has been struggling to hire the special education staff it needs, and a big reason for that is money. Wernli said the special education funding they get from the state and federal government isn’t enough to cover their costs.
“That’s a big key part,” Wernli explained. “We spend a lot more than what we’re given.”
Northside’s starting pay is less than $16 an hour for instructional assistants. Wernli said they can’t afford to pay more. But for a lot of people, that’s not enough compensation for a job that can be physically and emotionally demanding.
Margo Jimenez’s home is full of mementos and memorials to her husband, Fred. He was known as “Mr. Fred” to students and colleagues at the school where he worked.
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“There are people that do that and do it with passion and love it, and there are people that it’s just not for them,” Wernli said.
Kreusel, the teacher who worked with Fred, says she knows limited funding and staffing shortages are a challenge for many districts. But it doesn’t change her reality.
“I’m afraid what happened with Fred – people hear about that, and they don’t want to do this job. I mean, they can get paid more working at Chick-fil-A than being an instructional assistant,” Kreusel said.
She thinks she and her colleagues will continue to get hurt until the district hires more instructional assistants and pays them well enough that they’re willing to stay.
Audio story produced by: Janet Woojeong Lee
Audio and digital stories edited by: Nicole Cohen
Former president Bill Clinton is scheduled to give deposition Friday to a congressional committee investigating his links to Jeffrey Epstein, one day after Hillary Clinton testified before the committee and called the proceedings “partisan political theatre” and “an insult to the American people”.
During remarks before the House oversight committee, Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, insisted on Thursday that she had never met Epstein.
The former Democratic president, however, flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s but said he never visited his island.
Clinton, who engaged in an extramarital affair while president and has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women, also appears in a photo from the recently released files, in a hot tub with Epstein and a woman whose identity is redacted.
Clinton has denied the sexual misconduct claims and was not charged with any crimes. He also has not been accused of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein.
Epstein visited the White House at least 17 times during the early years of Clinton’s presidency, according to White House visitor records cited in news reports. Clinton said he cut ties with him around 2005, before the disgraced financier, who died from suicide in 2019, pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor in Florida.
The House committee subpoenaed the Clintons in August. They initially refused to testify but agreed after Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt.
The Clintons asked for their depositions to be held publicly, with the former president stating that to do so behind closed doors would amount to a “kangaroo court”.
“Let’s stop the games + do this the right way: in a public hearing,” Clinton said on X earlier this month.
The committee’s chair, James Comer, did not grant their request, and the proceedings will be conducted behind closed doors with video to be released later.
On Thursday, Hillary Clinton’s proceedings were briefly halted after representative Lauren Boebert leaked an image of Clinton testifying.
During the full day deposition, Clinton said she had no information about Epstein and did not recall ever meeting him.
Before the deposition, Comer said it would be a long interview and that one with Bill Clinton would be “even longer”.
CASE 0:26-cv-00107-PJS-DLM
Doc. 12-1 Filed 02/26/26
Page 5 of 17
and to file a status update by 11:00 am on January 20. ECF No. 5. Respondents never provided a bond hearing and did not release Petitioner until January 21, ECF Nos. 10, 12, after failing to file an update, ECF No. 9. Further, Respondents released Petitioner subject to conditions despite the Court’s release order not providing for conditions. ECF Nos. 5, 12–13.
Abdi W. v. Trump, et al., Case No. 26-CV-00208 (KMM/SGE)
On January 21, 2026, the Court ordered Respondents, within 3 days, to either (a) complete Petitioner’s inspection and examination and file a notice confirming completion, or (b) release Petitioner immediately in Minnesota and confirm the date, time, and location of release. ECF No. 7. No notice was ever filed. The Court emailed counsel on January 27, 2026, at 10:39 am. No response was provided.
Adriana M.Y.M. v. David Easterwood, et al., Case No. 26-CV-213 (JWB/JFD)
On January 24, 2026, the Court ordered immediate release in Minnesota and ordered Respondents to confirm the time, date, and location of release, or anticipated release, within 48 hours. ECF No. 12. Respondent was not released until January 30, and Respondents never disclosed the time of release, instead describing it as “early this morning.” ECF No. 16.
Estefany J.S. v. Bondi, Case No. 26-CV-216 (JWB/SGE)
On January 13, 2026, at 10:59 am, the Court ordered Respondents to file a letter by 4:00 pm confirming Petitioner’s current location. ECF No. 8. After receiving no response, the Court ordered Respondents, at 5:11 pm, to immediately confirm Petitioner’s location and, by noon on January 14, file a memorandum explaining their failure to comply with the initial order. ECF No. 9. Respondents did not file the memorandum, requiring the Court to issue another order. ECF No. 12. On January 15, the Court ordered immediate release in Minnesota and required Respondents to confirm the time, date, and location of release within 48 hours. ECF No. 18. On January 20, having received no confirmation, the Court ordered Respondents to comply immediately. ECF No. 21. Respondents informed the Court that Petitioner was released in Minnesota on January 17, but did not specify the time. ECF No. 22.
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James Hickman holds a photo montage of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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CHICAGO — A line of mourners streamed through a Chicago auditorium Thursday to pay final respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. as cross-country memorial services began in the city the late civil rights leader called home.
The protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate will lie in repose for two days at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition before events in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born.
Family members wiped away tears as the casket was brought into the stately brick building. Flowers lined the sidewalks where people waiting to enter watched a large screen playing video excerpts of Jackson’s notable speeches. Some raised their fists in solidarity.
The casket with the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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Inside, Jackson’s children, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Rev. Al Sharpton were among those who stood by the open casket to shake hands and hug those coming to view the body of Jackson, dressed in a suit and blue shirt and tie.
“The challenge for us is that we’ve got to make sure that all he lived for was not in vain,” Sharpton told reporters. “Dr. King’s dream and Jesse Jackson’s mission now falls on our shoulders. We’ve got to stand up and keep it going.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks as Jesse Jackson Jr. listens after the public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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Jackson died last week at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak in his later years.
Remembrances have already poured in from around the globe, and several U.S. states, including Minnesota, Iowa and North Carolina, are flying flags at half-staff in his honor.
But perhaps nowhere has his death been felt as strongly as in the nation’s third-largest city, where Jackson lived for decades and raised his six children, including a son who is a congressman.
Bouquets have been left outside the family’s Tudor-style home on the city’s South Side for days. Public schools have offered condolences, and city trains have used digital screens to display Jackson’s portrait and his well-known mantra, “I am Somebody!”
People wait to enter the security checkpoint for the public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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His causes, both in the United States and abroad, were countless: Advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues including voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.
“We honor him, and his hard-earned legacy as a freedom fighter, philosopher, and faithful shepherd of his family and community here in Chicago,” the mayor said in a statement.
Next week, Jackson will lie in honor at the South Carolina Statehouse, followed by public services. According to Rainbow PUSH’s agenda, Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to deliver remarks; however, the governor’s office said Thursday that his participation wasn’t yet confirmed. Jackson spent his childhood and started his activism in South Carolina.
Details on services in Washington have not yet been made public. However, he will not lie in honor at the United States Capitol rotunda after a request for the commemoration was denied by the House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office.
The two weeks of events will wrap up next week with a large celebration of life gathering at a Chicago megachurch and finally, homegoing services at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Family members said the services will be open to all.
“Our family is overwhelmed and overjoyed by the amazing amount of support being offered by common, ordinary people who our father’s life has come into contact with,” his eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., said before the services began. “This is a unique opportunity to lay down some of the political rhetoric and to lay down some of the division that deeply divides our country and to reflect upon a man who brought people together.”
The family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives as Yusep Jackson wipes his eyes before public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
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Nam Y. Huh/AP
The services included prayers from some of the city’s most well-known religious leaders, including Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich. Mourners of all ages — from toddlers in strollers to elderly people in wheelchairs — came to pay respects.
Video clips of his appearances at news conferences, the campaign trail and even “Sesame Street” also played inside the auditorium.
Claudette Redic, a retiree who lives in Chicago, said her family has respected Jackson, from backing his presidential ambitions to her son getting a scholarship from a program Jackson championed.
“We have generations of support,” she said. “I’m hoping we continue.”
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