Keller ISD parents accuse school board trustee of bullying students on social media
A member of the Keller school board is catching flak for a social media post that includes a photo of two district students.
In an April 17 Facebook post warning of the “growing risk of Keller ISD regressing toward progressive ideals,” trustee Chris Coker, who is not on the ballot in the upcoming election, criticized candidates for working with a volunteer wearing a T-shirt of a climate action organization called the Sunrise Movement.
“Is this what you want in our schools?” Coker wrote. “Are these the people you want influencing the curriculum and making decisions for our children?”
The photos he shared are screenshots of a post by Jennifer Erickson, who is running for Place 2, which is held by trustee Joni Shaw Smith. Keller resident Jade Holbrook is running against them.
The photo from Erickson’s post is a selfie taken by Heath Schiflett, a Keller High School sophomore who was a vocal critic of the school board during its attempt to split the district earlier this year. He helped organize a student walkout to protest the split proposal in early February.
“This all stems from my child working on the walkout,” his mother April Shiflett said, adding that Coker is “condemning his beliefs and condemning who he’s supporting for the school board.”
The photo also included another Keller ISD student, Shifflett said.
Coker said in a text message exchange that he did not communicate with or address a specific student in the district.
“It’s important to clarify that my comments were not directed at any individual student,” he said. “However, once something is posted publicly on social media, it no longer falls under the expectation of privacy.”
In a comment on the post, Shiflett requested that Coker take the photo down, saying he did not have her permission to publish it. Erickson asked her permission to post the photo, she said.
Erickson said in an interview that she has had several students volunteer for her campaign and has been very careful to get parental consent to put photos of them on social media.
“I appreciate their help, but I also want to make sure parents are consulted and in the know,” she said.
In response to Shiflett’s comments on the post, Coker replied: “Spare me your self righteous anger, he probably shouldn’t take selfies and give them to Jennifer to share on her campaign page then. … Your anger is misplaced and silly.”
It was not the first time Coker used strong language against a constituent on social media. In January, he called a community leader “narcissistic” after she spoke out in opposition to the split proposal.
The proposal to split Keller ISD garnered intense criticism from a large portion of Coker’s constituents and ultimately failed.
Shiflett said she contacted the district administration with her concerns that her son could be harassed for his beliefs.
“We have school board members that are targeting students and their beliefs and their civic engagement publicly on school board forums,” she said, noting that Coker made the post with his public trustee page, not his private Facebook page.
A district spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Laney Hawes, a regular at school board meetings and co-founder of Keller ISD Families for Public Education, said Coker’s statements appear to violate the Keller school board’s ethics policy.
The policy states that trustees will “encourage expressions of different opinions and listen with an open mind to others’ ideas.”
“There’s one phrase in particular that stands out in your post as especially heinous: ‘Is this what you want in our schools?’” Hawes wrote. “And you’ve posted these words with a picture of two students currently attending Keller ISD schools. Your behavior is appalling.”
Coker said he does not believe his post violates this policy.
“I always encourage everyone to express their opinion,” he said in a text message. “That is the best way to determine someone’s point of view. With that said, it doesn’t mean I have to agree with it, and I have the right to make my opinions as well.”
Coker’s post fits the definition of bullying outlined in Keller’s school board policy, Hawes said in a text message. “He’s letting students know they are not wanted here by their own school board. … Students aren’t safe under his lack of leadership.”
In his post, Coker said the students and other volunteers in the post are working to undermine the “significant progress” the board has made in recent years.
This progress includes reducing the budget, a cell phone policy “to minimize distractions and encourage greater student engagement,” and enacting policies “to ensure that biological boys do not participate in girls’ sports or use girls’ restrooms — prioritizing fairness and safety for all students,” he said in a text message.
“I’m proud to be part of a team that is restoring integrity, discipline and a commitment to academic excellence,” he said.
His online behavior toward those who oppose the board’s words and actions does not appear to jibe with those statements, Shiflett said.
“I just want our school board to be filled with people who care about all kids, whatever that looks like,” Shiflett said. “And this is the opposite of that.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 4:24 PM.
