Nearly a year after enduring a brutal student assault that cost her an eye, Assistant Principal Candra Rogers is back on campus.
The Collins Intermediate School administrator was violently attacked on August 15, 2024, when she entered a classroom to de-escalate a behavioral incident.
She was struck in the face by a wooden hanger thrown by a student, an impact so severe that her right eye was knocked out of its socket. Airlifted to Parkland Medical Center in Dallas, Rogers underwent emergency surgery and later learned she had permanently lost vision in that eye.
Now, in July 2025, Rogers has returned to her post, a powerful symbol of courage in the face of unthinkable trauma.
“RESPECT HER STRENGTH,” read a viral Facebook post this week by 1980s Legend. “After surviving a violent student attack that cost her an eye, this Black assistant principal is BACK at school, and stronger than ever. Her courage, resilience, and love for her students speak volumes.”
That love for students is exactly what brought Rogers back. Despite the physical and emotional scars, she says her commitment to education and student support has never wavered.
A Day That Changed Everything
On the day of the incident, Rogers responded to a call from a behavioral teacher requesting backup during a classroom disruption involving two students. One student had allegedly assaulted another and was still agitated inside the room.
“I entered where the student was still irate and found the room ransacked with overturned furniture,” Rogers recalled. “I knew I had to be as calm as possible.”
She attempted to defuse the situation but was met with escalating threats. After successfully deflecting multiple thrown chairs, Rogers was ultimately struck by a wooden hanger that caused catastrophic injury to her eye.
“I grabbed my face while blood was pouring out of my head and stumbled out of the classroom door,” she told reporters at the time.
The incident triggered shock and outrage across the Corsicana community. The student was immediately restricted from campus, and the case was referred to the Navarro County District Attorney’s Office and the Juvenile Probation Department.
Standing Up for Staff Safety
In the aftermath, Rogers made clear that what happened to her wasn’t just personal it’s a wake-up call about school safety and the mental health needs of students.
“We care about students and their safety,” she said in September 2024. “But we must also care about the safety of our educational staff. Our safety is important, too.”
She called for lawmakers and educators to revisit the Texas Education Code to better protect school staff while also addressing the emotional and behavioral needs of students.
Corsicana ISD Superintendent Stephanie Howell echoed that sentiment, stating:
“This incident affects our whole district. We want our teachers and staff to feel safe at work, just as we want our students to feel safe in school.”
Community Rallied Behind Her
Following the attack, the district organized a “Jeans Day” fundraiser, and a GoFundMe campaign raised over \$20,000 to assist Rogers and her family with mounting medical expenses.
Even as she endured multiple surgeries and considered the possibility of losing her eye permanently, Rogers remained a pillar of strength. Her return now sends a clear message to her colleagues, students, and community: adversity may change her, but it will not define her.
A Role Model Reclaimed
As a Black woman in educational leadership, Rogers’s comeback is being celebrated as more than a return to work — it’s an act of resistance and representation.
Advocates across the country have praised her strength, highlighting the intersectional challenges faced by Black female educators in environments where systemic safety and support are too often lacking.
“I’m still standing,” Rogers said during her first day back. “And I’m still here for the students.”
Her story is a rallying cry for safer schools, stronger support systems, and the healing power of resilience.
