Kennedale superintendent says he made a mistake during meeting, apologizes to student
Kennedale Superintendent Chad Gee said he made a mistake when he asked a high school student to put her phone away as she was livestreaming a public board meeting last week.
“I made a mistake plain and simple,” Gee said in an interview, and said he apologized to Madison Fail and her parents on Monday afternoon.
Fail attended the school board meeting last Thursday night where she spoke to trustees about a petition she and other students wrote in August. The petition calls for the district to require everyone to wear masks, even when social distancing is observed.
After she finished speaking, Fail began livestreaming to her Instagram account when Gee told her to put her phone away.
On Friday, Fail sent an email to Gee demanding an apology by Tuesday or she would file a formal complaint with the school district.
“I’m happy he apologized, but I’m going to continue to fight for my cause and show up at the next school board meeting with more people,” Fail wrote in a text message to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Gee said he was out of town on Friday, which is why he met with Fail on Monday.
According to the Texas Open Meetings Act, “A person in attendance may record all or any part of an open meeting of a governmental body by means of a recorder, video camera, or other means of aural or visual reproduction.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 5:30 AM.