For the second time in recent days, Cleveland ISD families are struggling with the loss of loved ones. On Saturday, April 20, a 15-year-old Cleveland High School student was found dead in his house in the Colony Ridge community south of Plum Grove.
According to Cleveland ISD Superintendent Stephen McCanless, the deceased student is identified as Jaireth Baca Flores, who was an A & B honor roll student at Cleveland High School. The child’s parents gave permission to the District to share his name. The cause of his death is still unknown and is under investigation, McCanless said.
Flores was an A-B Honor Roll student and was well-liked among his peers, he added.
On Monday morning, around 7:30 a.m., two other Cleveland ISD families, traveling in separate vehicles along FM 1010 (Plum Grove Road), were involved in a head-on collision that resulted in the death of one of the parents, critical injuries for the other parent and serious injuries for one Cleveland High School student.
“We had crisis counselors at the high school this morning to help students and teachers with that situation, when the head-on collision happened, creating an additional need for crisis counselors at the high school,” McCanless said.
Liberty County area superintendents have offered their support to Cleveland ISD.
“Liberty ISD is sending additional crisis counselors to Cleveland High School and Dayton has offered some as well,” McCanless said. Hardin ISD also is sending counselors, he added later.