Texas Teachers ‘Disappearance’ Raises Questions & Ire Of Students

A Texas teacher "disappeared" from the classroom after April 24th and has yet to return, upsetting students and parents who admire Dorman Vick. Mr. Vick is (or was?) an 18th-year Welding and Ag Mechanics Technology instructor at Boerne ISD, according to the Boerne ISD website.

Oddly, there is no explanation as to why Mr. Vick left or was removed from teaching his popular vocational class right at the end of the year, with the district citing privacy concerns, "Out of respect for Mr. Vick’s privacy, we do not have a comment on his absence."

Of course, parents and students found that answer less than satisfying.

In addition to missing a beloved teacher, the students are left in limbo on their end-of-year projects, including the restoration of former Texas Governor Rick Perry's 1992 pickup truck, a point of pride for the school:

Mr. Vick was sighted at the unveiling of one of the class projects- a beautiful grave marker created for the namesake of, Champion High School, where Mr. Vick taught.

All of this raises the question: are students and parents entitled to know why their teacher was either removed or took an extended absence of their own accord? At the very least, are they entitled to be informed if it was one or the other?

Of course, the privacy of educators does matter, but I do feel for the students who love this teacher and would like to learn how to weld from their welding class. And that is the real failure of the situation- they have not received the instruction they were promised when they signed up for the class since Mr. Vick's absence.

It is wonderful that Boerne took the initiative to offer a course for an in-demand trade. However, this feels like, at best, a tremendous oversight and at worst- rather fishy. Time will tell if next year's students can take welding at all.