High school coach alleges bullying from Fort Worth council member in letter to mayor
Fort Worth city council member Elizabeth Beck bullied and threatened the jobs of a volleyball coach and a school athletic coordinator over her daughter’s place on the Young Women’s Leadership Academy volleyball team, according to letters from the coach and coordinator.
The allegations came from a pair of letters sent to Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker from YWLA coach Carley Long and athletic coordinator Akua Twumasi. The Star-Telegram obtained the letters through a request to the mayor’s office.
Beck continuously targeted Long, threatening her job and calling the coach and her team “dirty names,” Long said in her letter to Parker
Beck said the letters give “in large part an inaccurate account of the situation.”
Beck’s daughter was left off the varsity volleyball team after she missed tryouts at the beginning of the season, Twumasi wrote in a separate letter expressing support for Long.
In a meeting held during the first week of the season, Beck’s daughter indicated she was not aware the tryouts had taken place, according to Twumasi’s letter.
However, the communication platform used by the school indicated Beck’s daughter had seen a message notifying students about volleyball tryouts, Twumasi said in her letter.
Considering Beck’s daughter had been a part of the team in her previous three years of high school and “that it would be the route of least resistance as her mother is a prominent figure in our school community,” she was allowed to join the team as a practice player, Twumasi said in her letter.
Twumasi also recounted a phone call with Beck during which the council member said “a multitude of curses” in response to a disagreement about her daughter’s treatment on the team.
Long alleged Beck called her a “white skinny dumb [expletive],” in the phone call with Twumasi.
Both women’s letters alleged Beck had threatened their jobs by saying she was coming for them.
“This type of behavior is not acceptable, and it shouldn’t be allowed for her to skip over the chain of command just because she is a council woman,” Long said.
Neither Long nor Twumasi responded to two emails from the Star-Telegram requesting comment about their letters.
In a text message to the Star-Telegram, Beck said she met with the athletic coordinator, principal and her elected school board trustee, school board president Roxanne Martinez, as a parent of a student.
“Like any mother I will always advocate for my child when a staff member is not behaving in a student centered manner, as was the case. The letters sent from members of the FWISD were in large part an inaccurate account of the situation,” she said.
Representatives for the Fort Worth school district did not respond to an email from the Star-Telegram requesting comment.
Martinez confirmed that Beck reached out to her, but said this isn’t out of the ordinary for parents of Fort Worth school students.
Beck was acting as a parent advocating for her student, Martinez said.
She added that she wasn’t aware of the letters from Twumasi and Long, but has since reached out to Interim Superintendent Karen Molinar to see how the administration could offer support.
Parker thanked both educators, but cautioned that her position does not give her authority over her fellow council members.
“They do not report up to the Mayor’s Office and are each independently elected to their positions,” Parker wrote in an email her office shared with the Star-Telegram.
Parker did offer a note of appreciation and encouragement to both women for their work educating the city’s next generation of female leaders.
“Please be encouraged, even on your most difficult days, by how much Fort Worth supports your hard work and dedication,” Parker said.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 4:33 PM.
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