Judge expected to issue ruling before next Grapevine-Colleyville school board meeting
A federal judge is expected to issue a ruling in a free speech lawsuit before the next Grapevine-Colleyville school board meeting.
Tony McDonald, an attorney representing a resident who sued the school district and board president, said that during a court hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman said he plans to issue a ruling before the Oct. 25 school board meeting.
Last month, Mitchell Ryan sued the school district and board president Jorge Rodriguez alleging that his constitutional right to free speech was violated when he was repeatedly interrupted when he said the name of Colleyville Heritage Principal James Whitfield during a public comment period at the Aug. 23 board meeting.
The suit alleges that Rodriguez did not apply the district’s policy of not naming employees during public comment portions of board meetings when people spoke in support of Whitfield.
Whitfield is currently on paid administrative leave and is awaiting a decision on whether his contract will be renewed.
Whitfield said he is being targeted because of his race and because he spoke out after the death of George Floyd. Whitfield was accused of teaching and promoting critical race theory and said he was told to remove social media photos of an anniversary celebration he and his wife, who is white, took on the beach.
The district said the possible contract nonrenewal wasn’t brought on by the accusations of teaching critical race theory or the photos. The district cited reasons including failure to communicate and insufficient reporting.
Pittman issued a ruling on Sept. 27 allowing the district to continue its policy limiting speech, but said he has concerns over its uneven implementation.
He also asked Ryan to provide evidence that his constitutional right to free speech was violated.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 7:55 PM.