Pop star Demi Lovato denounces parents who oppose Carroll ISD’s school diversity plans
Popular entertainer Demi Lovato posted a video on her Instagram page showing comments critical of diversity efforts in the Carroll school district that has generated more than 2 million views.
“It is horrifying to see how some of the parents at Carroll ISD in Southlake, TX are literally FIGHTING to uphold white supremacy and are resisting the anti-racism work that is so needed. @southlakearc keep pushing for change, this work is more important than ever,” Lovato wrote.
The video is a compilation of comments from parents who attended Carroll school board meetings and who were critical of the school district’s Cultural Competence Action Plan and its diversity efforts.
The video is from the Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition, a group of current and former students upset about the ongoing racial tension in the district.
Maddy Heymann, a member of the coalition, said she and other group members were discussing how Lovato chose to post the video.
“We certainly didn’t send it to her,” Heymann said. “But we think it’s cooler in a way that she, on her own volition, saw it to be impactful enough to take it and post it to her social media.”
Heymann, who graduated from Carroll High School in 2017, is a senior at Northeastern University in Boston studying business management. She said she is involved with the anti-racism coalition to press the school district to address racial issues.
Heymann, who is white and Jewish, said she saw racism and experienced anti-Semitism as a student.
“When I went to Boston, I realized how detrimental it can be to a student’s growth. I wasn’t exposed to different ideas and different cultures,” she said.
Since August, school board meetings included many hours of comments from parents opposed to the proposed diversity plan or the use of terms such as “decentering whiteness” and “microaggressions”.
Microaggressions, whether intentional or unintentional, often communicate hostile or derogatory messages.
Other comments called out the district for failing to move forward with its diversity plan.
Last year, the school board put plans on hold to discuss going forward with the cultural competence plan until the new superintendent is on board.
Superintendent Lane Ledbetter started work Jan. 4.
Ledbetter, who spoke during Monday’s school board meeting, said the controversy over the cultural competence plan was not going to be resolved on social media.
“I am aware of what has been going on. I know there has been a little division in our community as we start this meeting,” Ledbetter said.
He said the problem is not going to be solved overnight.
“I feel very strongly that this is not going to be solved on social media, through public comment or the courtroom. The longer we have division in this community, the longer it is going to be to get past this. I don’t want this to be representative of CISD. I don’t want this division to continue,” Ledbetter said.
He said several people asked to meet with him concerning the issues surrounding the diversity plan, and he reminded the audience that Carroll is under a temporary restraining order.
A state district judge issued the order to stop work on the plan, stating that documents indicate that the district intends to implement the plan in the future. Carroll is appealing the order.
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 4:50 PM.