Chandra Hooper-Barnett, the former Woodrow Wilson High School principal removed after an advisory meeting last fall that singled out Black students over their grades, has been tapped to lead Lincoln High School in southern Dallas. The reassignment is stirring fresh concern among parents and community members who say the earlier incident fractured trust with Black students. District records now list Hooper-Barnett as Lincoln’s principal, a move some parents say the district has yet to fully explain.
As reported by KERA, Dallas ISD made the assignment public this week and identified Lincoln as a magnet campus in southern Dallas. The district’s online listings reflect the change, but the appointment did not come with a standalone district news release. KERA also reported that it requested comment from Hooper-Barnett and did not receive a response.
What happened at Woodrow Wilson?
Dallas ISD removed Hooper-Barnett from Woodrow Wilson in October 2025 after parents told The Dallas Morning News that she had pulled only Black students into an advisory period and blamed them for the campus receiving a “B” accountability rating. In a letter acknowledging the meeting, Hooper-Barnett wrote, “The decision to hold that meeting … was not appropriate,” according to The Dallas Morning News. The district subsequently appointed an interim principal while it reviewed the incident.
Why the assignment is drawing scrutiny…