Tarrant DA confirms complaints alleging illegal secrecy in Keller ISD split discussions
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Keller ISD controversy
Read our reporting on the possible plan to split Keller ISD into two districts.
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The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office has received complaints about the Keller ISD controversy over how the school board has handled its internal discussions of a possible split in the district.
At least one parent of children in the district told the Star-Telegram earlier this week that he had filed a police report accusing board president Charles Randklev, vice president John Birt, and Place 1 Trustee Micah Young of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act by discussing a split during a December closed meeting.
Under state law, public bodies are required to follow certain steps to post notifications about what it plans to discuss in either public or private meetings. State law also dictates what types of topics school boards and other government agencies are allowed to talk about during those executive sessions.
The parent who filed a complaint, Andrew Sternke, cited Facebook posts by trustees Chelsea Kelly and Joni Shaw Smith saying the topic of splitting the school district was discussed in detail during a Dec. 19 executive session, which caught both school board members off guard.
“The non public and clandestine way this district division was present on December 19, 2024 is not proper and usurps the opportunity for affected parents, students and voters from having a say,” Sternke said in an email to the Star-Telegram after filing a police report.
Sternke said Friday he was told the Keller Police Department had turned over its reports to the county District Attorney’s Office. A spokesperson for the DA confirmed it had received more than one complaint “regarding the Keller ISD school board controversy.”
It’s unclear, though, what if anything prosecutors are investigating. The DA’s Office responded to questions by saying it does not comment on “pending matters.”
The revelation of discussions about a possible split has rocked the Keller school district community. More than 100 people signed up to speak at a heated school board meeting Thursday night, while countless others showed up but couldn’t get in. Several thousand people watched the session livestream.
Most in the crowd opposed the idea of a split because of the consequences for their children’s education and property values. Many were furious over how the board members hadn’t told their constituents anything about it. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker weighed in Friday, calling it a “major decision that will impact thousands of families, and the way it is rolling out is unacceptable.”
Randklev said during the meeting that the community and ISD committees would study the proposal and characterized the process as “fact-finding.” He pointed to the need for more funding from the state legislature as an impetus for a possible split. Another meeting is planned for Jan. 30
School board members have been charged before for violating the state’s open meetings laws. Two in Southlake Carroll were indicted in 2021 for allegedly exchanging text messages about a proposed diversity plan. The charges were dropped two years later.
This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 5:05 PM.
