I’m sure many of you have seen or at least heard of the viral video last week of a Dulles Elementary School teacher who jumped on the hood of a car that was cutting through the drop-off line in order to get to Dulles High School next door.
The driver of the car, Rita Trimmer-Ray, was late taking her daughter to Dulles High on the same day they were doing the STAAR testing. She drove around two cone barriers and ignored teachers who tried to wave her off until PE teacher Aaron Young Morgan, known as Coach Young, did a belly-flop onto the hood of Trimmer-Ray’s car while her daughter took video of the incident. Trimmer-Ray continued to drive while Coach Young tried to talk to her.
In the video, Trimmer-Ray can be heard saying, “You don’t know who you’re playing with.”
An outraged Trimmer-Ray posted the video on social media and then went before the TV news cameras in Houston to play the part of incensed victim of this outrageous act by the schoolteacher. Naturally, the TV stations ate it up, feeding the public her perspective of the story.
Anyone with half a brain, however, can clearly draw the conclusion that Trimmer-Ray was in the wrong and that Coach Young is a true hero. Yet Coach Young is the one who is potentially facing disciplinary action by the Fort Bend ISD.
“While it is important for all of our parents and visitors to follow proper traffic flow patterns to ensure the safety of all students, we do not condone employees using any physical means to stop a vehicle. There were several witnesses to the incident, and district administrators are reviewing the circumstances and will take appropriate action,” the district said in a statement.
The appropriate action in this case should be a small reprimand for jumping onto the hood of a moving vehicle, followed by a medal for heroism in the line of danger. Coach Young took immediate and decisive action to try and protect the lives of children who were endangered by Trimmer-Ray’s actions.
Once the school district gathers and assesses all of its evidence, it should share it with the Fort Bend ISD Police Department, the Sugar Land Police Department, and the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Trimmer-Ray at the very least should be brought up on a host of traffic violations, as well as charges of child endangerment, attempted vehicular assault for failing to stop when Coach Young jumped on her hood, and possibly contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Let’s examine the evidence, shall we. First of all, by her own admission, Trimmer-Ray was running late. That’s no crime; we all do that from time to time. That she was running late on a STAAR resting day is somewhat inexcusable. Parents are given ample warning and instruction about STAAR test dates and the importance of having your child rested and ready to go on time. Of all the days to not be late, this one was it.
Secondly, Trimmer-Ray cops an attitude of entitlement and a belief that the rules don’t apply to her and tries to illegally cut through the elementary school drop-off line in order to get her daughter to the high school in time. This is not only a traffic violation, but child endangerment by placing the elementary school children at risk, as well as the parents dropping them off and the teachers on duty to make sure the children are safely escorted from vehicles to the school.
This is where I feel charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor should come in. Her daughter, if not already a licensed driver, is at or near the age of becoming a driver and is being taught dangerous and possibly criminal activity by her mother. This is continued when she continues to drive while Coach Young is on the hood of her vehicle. At this point she is teaching her daughter that it’s OK to endanger the lives of others, even if they are in the wrong. She should have immediately stopped. Not only has she endangered the lives of children, but also endangered Coach Young’s life.
Her continuing to drive shows a blatant disregard for the life and safety of Coach Young. Chewing him out while doing it demonstrates a pre-meditated and deliberate act on her part.
As for Coach Young, he should have known better than to jump on the hood of a moving vehicle. That being said, I think he responded as anyone in his position would have after witnessing the reckless behavior of a driver who openly drove around traffic cones and had already ignored one warning by another teacher to stop. Trimmer-Ray presented a clear and present danger to the children Coach Young was in charge of and he acted the best way he could under the circumstances. There was little time to think, only time to act. Thank God he chose to act.
Here is the kicker in all of this that hasn’t been reported yet. I did a Google search online for Trimmer-Ray and came across her LinkedIn page. She was a teacher in the Houston ISD for 10 years from 1994 to 2004 and has a master’s degree in education from Prairie View A&M University in 2003. If anyone should understand the importance of child safety in an elementary school drop-off line, it should be her.
No, Trimmer-Ray is not the victim here, she is the perpetrator. Coach Young is the hero and is deserving of recognition for risking his own life to potentially save that of others.
Thank you, Coach Young! It’s nice to know there are genuine, caring people like you out there looking out for the welfare and safety of our students.
Thank for this! I’m so proud of this teacher.
That’s the kind of teacher every child needs! That lady should be ashamed.
Trimmer-Ray is completely in the wrong and shame on the news station for this NON INVESTIGATIVE journalism! What the heck? This teacher is a HERO!
Thanks for writing this perspective. It was clear to my wife and I at the time the original story aired that the driver was COMPLETELY wrong. But we weren’t surprised the media took the more “sensational” viewpoint.
Thank you once again for your boldness countering television media.
I have been a elementary teacher for 25 years and this young man is a HERO!! And Rita…you need to learn to FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
Rita needs to sit in a little room with a high window and bars on it for a couple of days to learn her lesson
That teacher deserves an award and an apology by the one sided news reports that glorified that awful untitled woman. What is she teaching her children?
Here’s another fact I think is ironic this woman runs a trucking business with her husband boyfriend whatever and you would think if anyone knew about driving safety at ought to be this person you never drive into a prohibited area where children are congregating never coach young did the right thing he should be given a GoFundMe account they should have a assembly in the auditorium to honor him and that’s for this woman she should have her driving privilege is suspended and they should audit her Fern to see what the hell type of place they’re running if they’re going to do this sort of thing she should be in jail for this especially trying to just bully her way through what an irony “I’m all about my kid but your kids can go to hell!”
Roger Sheddy, I agree with you, but saying “I’m all about my kid but your kids can go to hell!” is totally wrong. Have you ever heard the saying that “it takes a village to raise a child”? Well, it’s true. It’s not her children’s fault for the way their mother acted, they are innocent. Please rethink what you’ve said, because we all have to stand together, embrace every child and teach them right from wrong or the future of this world is doomed.
As soon as I saw this story, I immediately went looking for the #AlternativeFacts because it seems so RIDICULOUS to me that this teacher could be painted as anything but a hero. She was in the wrong on SO many levels, acknowledges that she deserved a ticket (at the least), and yet has to gall to act like jumping on her car was the bigger offense here? And so-called journalists actually agreed?? That is insane. Thank you so much for this perspective, I knew I couldn’t be the only one that was mind-blown by the coverage of this story.
Agree with you 100%! This teacher should NOT be reprimanded, he was protecting the children. With all the incidents of people being mowed down and killed by murderous drivers that drive their vehicles into innocent people that were only walking, minding their own business down a sidewalk, he did the right thing by stopping her. How was he suppose to know that she was only running late…she could have had other intentions and ended up killing a child! Why does Rita think that she is above the law? Those barriers were put there for a REASON! Who in the hell thinks that they can just go ahead and do what they want when it suits them?! Rita made a total fool of herself in my opinion. Although the teacher shouldn’t have jumped up on her car, endangering his own life, his intentions were honourable and I commend him. He acted on the “spur of the moment” and did what he thought was the right thing to do in order to protect the lives of innocent children.
Thank you Aaron Young Morgan for putting your life on the line to keep children safe! The driver should be ashamed of her behavior that caused the teacher to put hisself in such a dangerous situation because she could not follow rules or respect other teachers who asked her to stop!