State senator says legal action possible if Carroll schools don’t adopt diversity plan
State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, called on the Carroll school board Friday to adopt the proposed Cultural Competence Action Plan and said his law firm would take legal action if necessary.
West’s law firm, West and Associates, and the Bledsoe law firm are representing a parent’s group, Cultural and Racial Equity for Every Dragon or CREED, which says it is committed to inclusion and diversity for all Carroll students.
West spoke during a press conference at Frank Cornish Park in Southlake Town Square.
“This is not a black and white issue. This is an inclusion issue; this is a diversity issue,” he said.
West said CREED is not a political organization, and is not backing republicans or democrats, but it is backing what is right for students.
“What we’re doing here today is putting in place a blueprint that we’re asking everyone to follow to make sure that the CISD is constitutionally and legislatively obligated to provide a safe environment for all students,” West said.
The Cultural Competence Action Plan (CCAP) calls for hiring a diversity and inclusion director and compiling data on bullying and harassment. The action plan is currently tied up in a lawsuit filed by a Southlake parent, Kristin Garcia, who said the plan does not promote Christian values and goes against what she and other parents are teaching their children.
The lawsuit is under mediation, and West said his clients want a seat at the table to discuss the diversity plan.
The law firms sent a letter to school board president Michelle Moore and superintendent Lane Ledbetter which said in part, “The Board’s delay in adopting and implementing the CCAP is inexcusable and represents a breach of the Board’s ethical and fiduciary obligations to the families within Carroll ISD, violations of the Texas Education Code and the constitutional right to an education free from bigotry and discrimination.”
The letter also stated that the parents are seeking mediation through the Department of Justice and if the issue can’t be resolved through negotiation, other legal options will be pursued such as filing a lawsuit against the school board and any other parties “responsible for the failure to promptly protect the students of Carroll ISD.”
The Carroll school district issued an emailed statement which said “Carroll ISD is in receipt of correspondence from West & Associates. While the lawsuit is not the focus of the letter, the concerns relate to pending legal action against the District. Because the parties plan to participate in a mediation soon to see if we can bridge the gap in the parties’ positions and resolve our differences, we decline to discuss the matter at this time.”
Russell Maryland, a former Dallas Cowboys player who has lived in Southlake for over 19 years, said he was a member of the District Diversity Council which was made up of 63 parents, students, and other community leaders who spent months writing the Cultural Competence Plan.
“I love my city. Southlake has been like a family of sorts. No family is perfect, but the shortcomings are becoming more apparent,” Maryland said.
He said the Southlake community is “under siege” on two fronts.
Maryland described how children have been bullied for years and years and complained. He also described how a group that ignored the call to address the videos that surfaced in 2018 of students using a racial slur now wants to “influence and implode” the cultural competence plan.
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 5:10 PM.