Grapevine-Colleyville school district, principal part ways after sides reach settlement
James Whitfield, the first Black principal at Colleyville Heritage High School, and the school district have agreed to part ways after controversy erupted when he was accused of promoting critical race theory and he later recounted “racial attacks” against him on Facebook.
During a specially called meeting Monday night, Grapevine-Colleyville school district trustees voted 7-0 to reach a settlement with Whitfield, which means that he will be on paid administrative leave until his resignation takes effect Aug. 15, 2023.
Some residents in the school district said they were disappointed by the board’s decision not to renew Whitfield’s contract.
Beverly Mavis, whose children graduated several years ago, said she still keeps up with the district and is concerned that Whitfield’s departure could set a precedent.
“I’m concerned that this will set a precedent for something like this to happen again,” she said. “This opens the door to bring up the next topic or the next individual.”
Mavis said the district has “tremendous” programs in place such as a partnership with Tarrant County College and a vocational program for students who are not interested in college, and she wants to see those improvements continue.
Lester Guillory, who also spoke during Monday’s school board meeting, told the Star-Telegram on Tuesday, “To me the biggest thing is that divisive national politics are taking over every aspect of local politics. School boards are supposed to be non-partisan and just do what’s best for the kids. We are so polarized now that we are sorting every book in public schools into a red or blue pile.”
Superintendent Robin Ryan read a prepared statement after the board voted to accept the settlement.
“The Grapevine-Colleyville school district and James Whitfield have been in the media frequently and recently,” Ryan said. “Each strongly believe they are in the right. However, each also agrees that the division in this community over this matter has deeply impacted the education of the district’s students.”
Ryan said that the district and Whitfield agreed to resolve their disputes and that there would be no further public statement from either party.
Speakers address the school board
Before the vote, many speakers crowded into the board room urging that Whitfield remain as principal. But others were not so supportive.
Stetson Clark, who first criticized Whitfield in July for promoting critical race theory, told trustees that he did not think Whitfield should get money as part of his settlement.
“We come here hoping to end this very ugly and public chapter in GCISD history,” he said.
“I don’t think James Whitfield should be rewarded for his bad behavior and bigotry. I do recognize that a settlement is more cost-effective than a lawsuit.”
Clark then asked, “How did we get here in the first place? Critical race theory, equity, social and emotional learning,” he said.
People in the audience laughed and shouted their disapproval. School board president Jorge Rodriguez pounded his gavel, trying to restore order.
“Sir, order sir,” he said.
Clark was given 30 seconds to finish speaking.
Amanda Kelso told trustees that she did not want to see Whitfield remain principal of Colleyville Heritage.
“Mr. Whitfield has damaged the reputation of this community and violated the privacy of students without their permission. He has made numerous false accusations about this district and community. He chose not to take personal responsibility and instead used race baiting.”
But others pleaded with trustees to allow Whitfield to stay on as principal, including several students who said he was an excellent leader.
Sean Vo, a senior at Colleyville Heritage who organized walkouts in support of Whitfield, said trustees did not listen to the students.
“We’ve shown up at these meetings multiple times. We’ve yet to be heard, we’ve yet to be listened to,” he said.
Beverly Mavis, who also spoke in favor of Whitfield, said there was a “deep dive into Whitfield’s Facebook page, but none of the trustees stood in support of the principal.”
Becca Garrett, who also supported Whitfield, described him as a dynamic educator.
“I just want to say that we (the school district) messed up here,” said Garrett, who added that she wants the district’s staff to better reflect the diverse population.
How the controversy began
Whitfield was named the first Black principal at Colleyville Heritage High School in 2020.
The controversy surrounding Whitfield escalated during a July 26 school board meeting when Clark, who ran unsuccessfully for an open seat on the board last spring, repeatedly called out Whitfield during the public comment session, accusing him of teaching and promoting critical race theory. Clark also called for Whitfield to be fired, and some in the audience agreed.
It is against district policy to name an employee when lodging a complaint or criticism.
Rodriguez repeatedly told Clark not to use Whitfield’s name but did not stop him from speaking.
Shortly after the meeting, Whitfield wrote a lengthy Facebook post describing how he had been the target of racial attacks for the past several months, but he kept quiet to protect his family. But the incident involving Clark was the last straw, he previously told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
In his post, Whitfield also said that in 2019, the school district asked him to remove photos he and his wife, who is white, had taken on a Mexican beach to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
Whitfield also described how he was criticized after writing about the death of George Floyd and his support for the Southern Poverty Law Center.
On Aug. 30, Whitfield was placed on paid administrative leave, and trustees also voted unanimously to authorize Ryan to notify him of the proposed nonrenewal of his contract.
Whitfield said school officials were using his race as reasons for not renewing his contract, but school officials said the nonrenewal notice had nothing to do with race or the photos.
During the Sept. 20 board meeting, Ryan and the district’s human resources director listed some of the reasons why the district was notifying Whitfield of the possibility that his contract wouldn’t be renewed. Some of the reasons included lack of communication, email communications with a party outside the district and accusations of hiding public records from discovery by deleting them from sent items and trash folders.
The school district is also facing a lawsuit from Mitchell Ryan, who accused the school board president of shutting him down when he spoke about Whitfield during an open forum. Ryan alleged that his Constitutional right to free speech was violated.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 11:19 PM.