The district told WFAA again Friday that the decision has nothing to. He wrote on Facebook that he could not ask others to speak up if he wont and just because I am a school administrator that does not take away my rights and ability to be human and defend myself.. She called a reporter at the weekly Colleyville Courier and told him her story. I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman. She was sad that shed been proven right. It read nandrolone decanoate.. Hes not even playing football this year. From the moment I called the school, I didnt want him involved. In a letter to parents Monday, Superintendent Robin Ryan wrote that Whitfield has been placed on leave but that he would not go into the specifics because it is a personnel matter., Whitfield, the schools first Black principal, told The Dallas Morning News on Monday night that he was told he was put on leave indefinitely because the superintendent has determined that doing so is in the best interest of the District.. 562. (Cunningham says that at the time of the remarks, he didnt know Lewis identity, and he has since apologized.) He knew where he was: at a party one block over. There were several long pauses, she says. The school became the focus of national attention during a 2005 steroid scandal involving multiple student-athletes. 6 /10. It was, 'Hey, I am trying to avoid any conflict. Phone calls can only be accepted the day of the absence. NO NAMES. In hindsight, of course I should have just called them. It wont change anything. James Whitfield, principal of. According to their story, Cunningham went on a 15-minute rant and blamed the then-unidentified mother for creating this problem. Critical race theory is a way of thinking about Americas history through the lens of racism. I know that there's just so many people under these attacks and that's my greatest fear because this profession means so much to me, he said. I dont think that was crazy.. The tough drug-testing program that Grapevine-Colleyville has adopted. Not Lewis. Faking it wasnt easy. An 18-year-old man and a juvenile student are facing criminal charges after a handgun was found inside a students car at Colleyville Heritage High School on Tuesday. I just wish everyone else would.. At that moment, it didnt seem like an earth-shattering admission. The schools denial. A high school principal in Colleyville says his bosses ordered him to remove a photo of him embracing his wife from social media. She was the founding editor of the websites PureWow Dallas and Racked Dallas. "Because of his extreme views I ask that a full review of Mr. Whitfield's tenure in our district be examined and that his contract be terminated effective immediately," said Clark, who lost a recent campaign to join the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD school board. Whitfield added that he has no regrets over what has transpired over the last couple of months, hes happy that he stood up for what he believed in and he hopes thats what people can learn from his situation. Colleyville Heritage High School (CHHS) is a public secondary school in Colleyville, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. In two sentences, theyd given Bryan away., Patrick arranged the [steroids purchase] with a couple of phone calls, paying $200 to a varsity football player. Not one day has gone by that I havent had to deal with this or talk about it to someone. RANKINGS star-telegram.com/article2703187 #txhssoccer , Chris Cunningham says hes trying to do something about the problem so it doesnt happen again. The driver said he was friends with one of the players who used steroids. Can you take this picture down? Since then, the district has stressed the move has nothing to do. Lewis made it clear that they could not take her son out of class to talk to him. Not one single day.. "If they do proceed with firing him, I hope the administration knows that these people aren't going anywhere," fellow student Sunehra Chowdhury said of the students who walked out of class. ABSENCES. On July 31, Whitfield responded to the claims in a lengthy Facebook post. Colleyville Heritage High School is a public high school of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District located in Colleyville, TX. While the move may have been about personnel, Whitfield said it feels personal. He was asked to remove photos from Facebook taken on a beach vacation with is wife, that some felt were inappropriate. [2] Colleyville Heritage High School celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. About 20 showed up to the second meeting. The answer, anabolic steroids, provided a bit of relief. A new study says yes. We hid the photo, no one from above ever mentioned anything else about it, but the damage was inflicted on us in profound ways. Jones and Jacobson, sick that theyd inadvertently revealed Bryans identity, suggested that the papers lawyers could convince the school district to pay for Bryans tuition. In December, however, nine students involved in football and other unspecified sports came forward and said they used steroids last spring. The paper sent a photographer, who took a picture of the vial of steroids, commonly known as Deca. And the story ran on the front page of the Courier on October 1, under a three-column headline that read: Steroid Use Suspected in Some Area Schools., The impact on the administration was less than shed hoped. THEATRE DEPARTMENT. And the News reporters agreed that they wouldnt identify any of the other students who Bryan knew or suspected used steroids. I knew what I was getting into. In fact, she knows that by filing a slander suit against the schools football coach, Chris Cunningham, she has only invited more recrimination. The 18-year-old, who is not a student, and two juvenile students were located inside the school, police said. It was also about keeping up with bitter enemies from Southlake Carroll, Grapevine, Keller, all the schools on the schedule. Can you take this picture down? Hes not happy that Im still talking to the media. Besides, she said. 5401 Heritage Avenue, Colleyville, TX 76034. When the kids get to middle school, a lot of them go to sports camps in the summer to improve. Its bad enough they identified her as a cheerleader. Can you believe those boys using steroids? one asked. It had absolutely nothing to do with race., The photo that aired in initial media reports was not the only photo that was received by the District, Kristin Snively, executive director of communications for the district, wrote in an email to The Dallas Morning News. GRAPEVINE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Dozens of students and parents rallied outside Grapevine-Colleyville ISD's school board meeting Monday night, August 23, to show support for Colleyville. Thats what everybody should be doing. Cunningham wants to know, Why now? In June, Lewis scheduled to have her lawn mowed by a Mid Cities fireman who runs a small lawn-care company. But the moms wouldnt tell the other moms about it, because they want their kid to have an edge. She said it to calm her son. Lewis was dumbfounded. All four got out of the car. As a new campus principal, we wanted to provide a smooth transition for Dr. Whitfield to Heritage Middle School, which is why we advised him of the concern and made a request for the photos to be taken down from Facebook.". I know he is. Even though it was approved by the district, the presentation was used to vilify my colleagues and me, he wrote. Tickets for cancelled shows will be honored at these performances. Im gonna beat your ass.. Hed only used them for a short while at the end of his sophomore year, when he wanted to make the varsity team as a junior. "They're here to show their voice. The students created a fake wall with the. He sold her the needles.. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Superintendent Robin Ryan announced Whitfield was being placed on leave in a message to parents Monday. State Rep. Matt Krause of Fort Worth, who is running for state attorney general, recently launched an inquiry into the types of books students can access in Texas schools, which included an 850-book list. It was the right thing to do. And it has nearly ruined their lives. Not their real names, of course. If you know that is on your trusted email list, contact your child's school office (Grade Level Learning Community, Building, or SLC) to have your email added to the system. The students named an adult with no ties to the school as the source of the substances. Is Whataburger healthy? McClure said no school officials have been implicated in the matter. It was the sort of breakthrough that could take a pointy-headed newspaper treatise and make it touch people, win awards, effect change. Scholars developed it during the 1970s and 1980s in response to what they viewed as a lack of racial progress following the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. THE SECRETARY AT COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE HIGH SCHOOL asked Lori Lewis for her sons last name. What's wrong with the picture?' "We're talking about a very short period, weeks," district spokeswoman Robin McClure said. Sports means everything to folks here, Bryan says. Oh, yeah, some of them are still doing it, Bryan says. Colleyville is a Yuppie burb, sure, with a median home price of $335,000, but it is affluence packed on top of a former tiny farming community, a fine cloth draped over an old couch. Colleyville Heritage, however, is the first school in the state to have multiple students admit to using steroids, said Kim Rogers, spokeswoman for the University Interscholastic League. Lewis told Beal she was left with no choice but to take her story to the media. That they will no longer give into that culture of forcing to assimilate and being ashamed of their identity," said student Sunehra Cowdhury. She checked the time. Some of the photos the district received contained poses that are questionable for an educator, especially a principal or administrator. He decided in the summer to concentrate on baseball. Texas Teacher of the Year keeps focus on students to drown out political noise, 'Its about a happy classroom': Garland ISD focusing on social emotional learning. And the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD has adopted an aggressive drug-testing policy, due largely to the hot media glare Lewis helped focus on the school and its tepid (in her view) initial response to her charges. "What he's done is said listen, we teach lots of different types of kids. Its a smart school, too, well above state and national averages in students ACT and SAT scores. Not Bryans. Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield has faced sharp criticism from some parents who are accusing him of teaching critical race theory. Eric Celeste is the editor at Spirit, the inflight magazine of Southwest Airlines. Feeder schools for Colleyville Heritage High School: Elementary: His decision. The school district has called the photos questionable for an educator, especially a principal or administrator, and they said it has nothing to do with race. The photos were from an anniversary trip. Her discovery. GRAPEVINE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A high school principal at the center of a controversy in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is now on administrative leave. Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield has faced sharp criticism from some parents who are accusing him of teaching critical race theory. The story said one boy admitted to using them. But no names were used. How many of them bought needles for players? She says she never used the word condone, and her demeanor in all those phone calls was completely appropriate. Ive told you everything I know. Check to be sure that email from abi@luhsd.net will come through. Like most teens, he acts blas, even when talking about how much he cant wait for college so I can get away from this town, all the crap thats gone on., Not that hes obsessing about it, either, he says. Critical race theory, or CRT, is an academic discipline usually taught at the university level. Summarizing his defense, he finally blurted, Mom, the majority of the football team is taking them.. Lawmakers eventually passed House Bill 3979, which restricts how teachers can discuss current events, encourage civic engagement and teach about Americas history of racism. District: Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (ISD) SchoolDigger Rank: 370th of 1,876 Texas High Schools. Colleyville Heritage High School is the 235th largest public high school in Texas and the 1,266th largest nationally. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE. They were extremely polite but thorough. How long did you do it? But Colleyville police Detective Hillary Wreay said her department has received no information from the school on the alleged sale or distribution of steroids and has no investigation in progress. Aria Jones, Breaking news reporter. Except for a few friends, he felt ostracized. Thats how competitive it is.. Colleyville Heritage High School 5401 Heritage Avenue Colleyville, TX 76034 P: (817) 305-4700 F: (817) 358-4765 E: chhs.info@gcisd.net Quick Facts Year Opened: 1996 Grades: 9th - 12th Enrollment: 1,984 Mascot: Panthers Principal: Julia Stephen Other Important Information/Procedures Hours First Bell: 8:40 a.m. School Ends: 4:00 p.m. Dangit, you got me!? The Grapevine . Many in town obviously dont take the steroids problem seriously. They werent too happy with me, she says. First, she noticed the syringes. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Dallas College. It would be my hope finally someone listens to the students because ultimately that's who we're here to serve. The story was long, one of several the Morning News would run that week concerning steroid use. Lewis said she didnt want the schools help. The coach, Chris Cunningham, denied the accusations in reports published at the time and said he was adamantly against steroids. Unfortunately, it didnt work out that way.. All that stuff I could handle, and I do handle, she says. James Whitfield at his home in Hurst on Sept. 16. My mom catches me at everything, Bryan says. First published on August 30, 2021 / 5:42 PM. But he doesnt like it., When her son talks, she stares at him intently, looking for signs that hes upset or angry. Aug. 31The Colleyville Heritage High School principal who was put on paid administrative leave after he was placed at the center of a critical race theory debate said he has been given no . 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Woman in viral pizza rant now facing ethnic harassment charges, Murdaugh Judge Clifton Newman: From segregated schools to the best we want in our jurists, NYC DOE probing anti-white texts linked to black superintendent, Black children attack, force white kids to say Black Lives Matter at Ohio school: video. LIVE: Colleyville Heritage vs. Grapevine | 2023 High School Soccer - YouTube Premieres in 4 hours February 21 at 4:00 PM Rice Memorial vs. Colchester | 2023 High School Boys Basketball. They had a problem and needed to know about it, for the kids safety. She is suing the coach and the school district for $1.5 million because Cunningham said Lewis was a liar and crazy in an interview with the News. During the following months, the reporters put together their package of stories. The University Interscholastic League, which sets rules for competition in Texas high school sports, has no policy on steroids. Then, one evening the Courier reporter called Lewis and asked if he could pass along her phone number to two reporters with the Dallas Morning News who were working on a series of stories examining steroid use in high schools all across North Texas. He hopes he starts, he says. All she does is shake her head and say, The parents in this town Shes already seen how it has enveloped Bryan. As Lewis recalls, Beal said, Ive talked to Coach Cunningham, and he says its not true. He will step down as principal at Colleyville Heritage High School and remain on paid leave until 2023. first accused of teaching critical race theory during a Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District school board meeting. This is how competitive it is in this town, Lewis says, smiling. While at UT, Catherine served as managing editor of The Daily Texan, UT's student paper, and interned at the Texas Tribune and Houston Chronicle. This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Heres how you can watch 'Daisy Jones and the Six', Proposed Texas bill gives tax cuts to heterosexual families only, These bites won big at the Houston rodeo's foodie awards. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Who is available? Welcome to the Colleyville Heritage PTSA Facebook Page intended to keep our parents, teachers, and students current on upcoming events and opportunities CHHS PTA is a noncommercial, nonsectarian, nonpartisan association that does not endorse any candidate or political party. The driver came after him. The Colleyville kids rarely venture far from home. "It would be my hope that more rational minds prevail. Bryan understands, she says. CHHS has several sub-administrators who are given students to oversee based on last name. School would be out soon. She makes mention of that one time someone said or did something to her daughter relating to the steroids backlash, but when I ask about it, she says she wont talk about it. No one from the school called her. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. They even went to football games, sat in the stands, and made a list of the players who looked like they might be using steroids, based on the common signs: acne, muscular definition, rage. Get out of the car, Dyer, he said. He wrote that he cant ask others to speak up if he wont, and that being a school administrator does not take away my rights and ability to be human and defend myself.. "I chalk it up to educators are held to a different standard, unfortunately. After months of trying, Jones and Jacobson finally interviewed coach Chris Cunningham, who declined to talk to D Magazine through a spokeswoman and through his lawyers. At Colleyville Heritage High, students rushed to defend James Whitfield, who has been accused of embracing critical race theory and is in danger of being fired. In a July 31 post on his personal Facebook page, Whitfield responded: "I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman. For weeks, kids buzzed about who they thought might be the anonymous athlete caught using steroids. Overall Score 89.05 /100. No, she said. Rogers said the organization surveyed districts across the state in fall 2002 and asked whether they saw a need for rules on steroids or a program of steroid testing. He said the district wouldn't tell him why. I am the first African American to assume the role of principal at my current school in its 25-year history, and I am keenly aware of how much fear this strikes in the hearts of a small minority who would much rather things go back to the way they used to be.". But if were really concerned about reputations here, whose reputation has been damaged more? / CBS Texas, UPDATE: Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Releases New Statement On Decision To Put Principal James Whitfield On Paid Administrative Leave. At least hes not a drug addict, she thought. Lewis was stunned. Skater punks, Bryan would call them. I wonder who it was.. In his post Saturday, Whitfield explained that the photos were taken a decade ago during their 10-year anniversary in Mexico. The CHHS teacher who cornered her in the parking lot after the second public hearing and told her many teachers supported her but were afraid to speak out. Colleyville Heritage High School Unclaimed. For nearly 10 years, she wrote restaurant reviews for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and her work has appeared in 360 West, Eater Dallas, Edible DFW, A+C magazine, D CEO, GlobeSt.com and Houstonia magazine. Only a worried mom and a kid who felt he owed it to her to fess up, do the right thing, be a man. She knew it would have to be this way. (CHHS officials declined to speak with D Magazine.) No big deal, Bryan thought. 5401 Heritage Ave. Colleyville, TX 76034-5919. Officers on the scene have "the individual involved detained.". And even if the answer was all of them, how many had gone to Kroger and said she needed them for a horse? "But if it's not CRT for this group, it will be something else.". She couldnt even get her grass cut? He told KXAS that he received an email at the time from a school administrator containing an image of himself and his wife, Kerrie, kissing on their anniversary trip. On the front page blared her sons story: Colleyville player says pressure to improve prompted steroid use.. So when Bryan pulled into the drive-thru and ordered, he wasnt surprised to see people he knew. Note! Beal asked her to come into the school for a talk. Among other things, SB 3 bans schools from making political activism part of a course and says teachers may not be compelled to talk about a widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs.. The school district announced Monday,. We will not sit silently while these individuals continue their bigoted attacks. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands. The Grapevine-Colleyville district has taken no action against the students and is reviewing school policies to determine whether disciplinary action will be taken, she said. Jones and Jacobson talked to others in Colleyville who were suspected users, and all denied it. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. And when he went to his truck after school, there was a sheet of notebook paper under his windshield wiper with one word scrawled across it: SNITCH.. The school and district officials dismissed the mother's claims, and the school's head football coach went as far calling her a "liar" in a Dallas Morning News interview. James Whitfield, 43, principal at Colleyville Heritage High School, has been placed on leave by the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD after being accused of teaching critical race theory at his. Submission Deadline: 11/4/22. Well, Im a friend of Coach Cunninghams. Why would he use steroids? We remain committed to providing a learning environment that fosters and encourages student academic and extracurricular achievement, Ryan wrote. "His diversity efforts have just been amazing," said student Samantha Zelling, who took part in Friday's march and protest. Whats wrong with the picture? It was, Hey, I am trying to avoid any conflict, he told the station. Students at Colleyville Heritage High took the theme and ran with it in a Donald Trump-esqe direction before a game against Trinity High in Euless. This story has been shared 117,245 times. Ive moved on. They were identified merely as the athlete and his mother.. This one held something. On the bus, she read, careful not to catch anyones eye. Only one. I am the first African American to assume the role of Principal at my current school in its 25-year history, and I am keenly aware of how much fear this strikes in the hearts of a small minority who would much rather things go back to the way they used to be, he wrote. No one from above ever mentioned anything else about it, but the damage was inflicted on us in profound ways, he wrote. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. Who is available? As a new campus principal, we wanted to provide a smooth transition for Dr. Whitfield to Heritage Middle School, which is why we advised him of the concern and made a request for the photos to be taken down from Facebook, it added. A wave of nausea swept through her. But that one sentence stuck with Lewis. When he decided not to play (and when he noticed acne on his back during the family vacation in Florida), he stopped. I'm ready to turn that next page, Whitfield told The Texas Tribune on Wednesday. Told that, McClure said she was certain the information had been passed on to the Colleyville department.