colleyville heritage high school scandal

COLLEYVILLE The Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Tarrant County on Tuesday requested a meeting with the civil rights office of the U.S. Department of Education to discuss the ongoing. Lewis said she didnt want the schools help. "They did not feel there was a problem that we needed to look into," Rogers said. The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, a wealthy suburban district northeast of Fort Worth, said eight seniors and one junior admitted using the performance-enhancing drugs for a short period last spring. 8:06 PM on Aug 30, 2021 CDT Updated at 1:21 PM on Sep 1, 2021 CDT. James Whitfield, who was named Colleyville Heritage High School's first African-American principal in 2020, posted that during the July 26 board meeting, he was publicly named and accused of . 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. Colleyville Heritage High School 5401 Heritage Avenue Colleyville, TX 76034 P 817-305-4700 F 817-358-4765 When Lori Lewis learned that many players on her sons Colleyville Heritage football team were using steroids, she blew the whistle. In the ensuing days, Whitfield found himself at the center of the debate over how race is taught in Texas schools. Its been a roller coaster for him, she says. CHHS Theatre Department Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Why would he use steroids? Do you value our journalism? Whitfield, who was named principal of Colleyville Heritage High School ahead of the 2020-21 school year, has been accused online and in board meetings of teaching critical race theory and promoting a belief that white people are inherently racist. The titles in the list range from children's books and anti-bullying tips to novels that discuss racism and sexuality. But no names were used. 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. Students held walkout in support of Colleyville Heritage HS principal We hid the photo, no one from above ever mentioned anything else about it, but the damage was inflicted on us in profound ways. CHHS has several sub-administrators who are given students to oversee based on last name. But if were really concerned about reputations here, whose reputation has been damaged more? And, of course, making everyone in town proud, which is what winning does. On February 4, the Morning News dropped that bombshell and used quotes and information from their interviews with Lewis and Bryan. No big deal, Bryan thought. The next day, Lewis picked up her Sunday Morning News and boarded a chartered bus to Austin for a sales meeting. Sitting in her living room, Lewis moans slightly and puts her head down when her son explains what his life is like now: I just want this to be over, Bryan, 17, says. Its even tough to find a yardman in town. Cunningham wants to know, Why now? Hes a happily married man. She said the issue comes up informally "every time a professional athlete makes headlines" for steroid use. Some in the district have accused him of implementing critical race theory in the classroom. Nine CHHS players have admitted to using steroids. She says she has had to endure the communitys anger despite what should have been ample vindication: the Dallas Morning News, in an ongoing and exhaustive investigative series, has proven that steroids use in North Texas high schools is greater than many want to believe. The agreement seemingly puts an end to Whitfields arduous battle with the school district that date backs to July 26, when he was first accused of teaching critical race theory during a Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District school board meeting by Stetson Clark, a former candidate for the district's school board. Officers were called around . How did you get the syringes? Because the use took place away from school and in the off-season, when it was not related to a school activity, it is unclear whether any school policies have been violated, McClure said. Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District. Meanwhile, a petition in support of Whitfield has garnered hundreds of signatures, and he said hes humbled for all the support hes received. "I chalk it up to educators are held to a different standard, unfortunately. 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. Not one day has gone by that I havent had to deal with this or talk about it to someone. Twitter Fam, Youve probably seen #IStandwithDrWhitfield coming across your timeline, wondering what on earth is going on. Nor was the decision made in response to allegations Dr. Whitfield was teaching Critical Race Theory, or because of the photos on his social media account that were brought to the attention of the District in 2019. Football players were calling him Patrick. Conversations stopped when he arrived. 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. No, she said. In Colleyville, there are four places where kids usually hang out after dark: Whataburger, Taco Bell, Sonic, and Wendys. Heritage High School Too many of them are, but this one certainly is. They asked Bryan to relive every detail. GreatSchools Rating 5 reviews Awards Public school 1,974 Students Grades 9-12. 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. James Whitfield, principal of Colleyville Heritage High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was placed on paid administrative leave in late August, a month after a former school board candidate . Can you hide it? and I asked, Why? A weighted scale means additional GPA points are assigned to courses with greater rigor. And the News reporters agreed that they wouldnt identify any of the other students who Bryan knew or suspected used steroids. 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. COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE. 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 - en-academic.com They needed more information. Are ticket costs pricing Houston Astros fans out of Opening Day? Im gonna kick your ass.. When Ted Beal answered his phone that morning, September 23, the nightmare began for the CHHS administration. A Black North Texas principal has agreed to resign after being put on paid administrative leave in August amid accusations he was teaching and promoting critical race theory. Principal Speaks Out After School District Brands His Anniversary Pic Catherine Marfin, Breaking News Reporter. Hes just got to get a little faster, a little bigger, a little stronger. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, 18-year-old man, student face charges after gun found in car at Colleyville Heritage High School, What we know after 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defers comment on revival of sexual harassment lawsuit. They know.. 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James Whitfield chose to resign from his position as principal of Colleyville Heritage High School and the school board unanimously accepted on Monday. She demanded to know why he was taking steroids. Its bad enough they identified her as a cheerleader. Whitfield's status with Colleyville Heritage High School is expected to be decided at a Monday school board meeting. It was supposed to be a celebration for Whitfield, who had just been named principal of Colleyville Heritage Middle School two years ago, and his family. August 30, 2021 / 5:42 PM Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, TX - US News Best High You may need to show identification if this was not done at walk-thru. His decision. # 1,954 in National Rankings. Lets go, then, he said. She went to sleep thinking it was the right thing to do. Had it come to that? Lewis told Beal that her son had used steroids, that he obtained them from other kids on the team, that they got them from someone at the nearby Whataburger. Except for a few friends, he felt ostracized. The video was shot off campus and not during normal school hours.. First, she noticed the syringes. Besides, she said. 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.". She opened it wide and turned it to the light. They shouldnt be filing stupid lawsuits. Colleyville Heritage High School principal James Whitfield has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to Grapevine-Colleyville . We understand that members of our community have questions, but the District does not resolve personnel matters in the media. THE SECRETARY AT COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE HIGH SCHOOL asked Lori Lewis for her sons last name. Colleyville Heritage High School is the 235th largest public high school in Texas and the 1,266th largest nationally. By midweek, Bryan couldnt take the whispers and the barely contained seething of the football players. 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. [2] Colleyville Heritage High School celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006. 817-305-4717. Texas High School Principal Sees Racism in Calls to Remove Intimate We have established procedures for that which we are following.". For Lori Lewis is, if not a pariah in Colleyville, a shamed woman in the eyes of many who believe her campaign has unfairly smeared its high school, coach, and football program. Bryan, afraid that someone inside had called the police, did the same. She hurried downstairs and called the pharmacy at the nearby Walgreens. The story was long, one of several the Morning News would run that week concerning steroid use. Bryan got out and starting jawing with him. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Whitfield reached an agreement with Grapevine-Colleyville ISD after being accused of teaching critical race theory at his high school and placed on administrative leave. Officers were called around 3:20 p.m. to the campus in the 5400 block of Heritage Avenue about a man with a gun. 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. GRAPEVINE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A high school principal at the center of a controversy in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is now on administrative leave. But that one sentence stuck with Lewis. Lewis was dumbfounded. He decided in the summer to concentrate on baseball. 4:25 PM on Mar 1, 2022 CST Updated at 8:58 PM on Mar 1, 2022 CST. Dec 29, 2022 The 2022-23 UIL high school soccer season officially starts today and the Star Telegram released its first soccer area rankings this week. 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. Theyd made a mistake, she says. I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman. The school district announced Monday, August 30, Colleyville Heritage High Principal Dr. James Whitfield was placed on paid administrative leave. Read more about this topic: Colleyville Heritage High School, Athletics Other articles related to "steroid controversy, steroid, steroids": Example video title will go here for this video. It ate at her. She wants a million-five. Its a smart school, too, well above state and national averages in students ACT and SAT scores. The Tarrant County Narcotics Unit, now working the steroids investigation, told Lewis that her first call should have been to them months ago. It was time to do something about her own reputationand those of future whistle-blowers. That they are able to hear and see the students. Minutes later, her son, Bryan Dyer (Lewis remarried in 1993), walked out of the school with a friend and headed toward his truck. Theres SO much, but I am beyond humbled by the kindness, support, love, & encouragement being shown to me and my family, he said in a tweet. It was all there. But he said trouble began as far back as 2019 when someone complained to administrators he was setting a "bad example" by posting pictures of himself kissing his wife on Facebook. The schools denial. She said that many other football players were using them, and her son told her that, because many players knew about it, the coaches either knew and didnt care or didnt want to know so they didnt ask how players had made sudden increases in strength and size. at 7pm. 535. , Lori Lewis says the comments by Coach Cunningham slandered her and her reputation has been damaged. Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas hosted controversial event. 972-983-4822 cell. It's something he and the district have denied. Sitting at her computer in her Mid Cities work cubicle, Lewis felt disheartened as she read the story. Bryan had to lie, even to friends who sidled up to him in private and asked if he was the one. Kids had easy access to steroids, athletes were using them, and high school administrators were in denial. Cooper vs. Colleyville Heritage - Texas High School Girls Basketball THOSE WERE THE GROUND RULES, never in question, always understood. Who is available? Note! Updated at 1:12 p.m. Wednesday with details throughout. Theyre mad at my mom because shes messing with that.. Butbefore he could pop open the champagne his boss called and asked him to check his email. 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. 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.. 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. Media pundits like Hansen say she should shut up and let it be. "It would be my hope that more rational minds prevail. No one from the school called her. The CHHS kids who posted to the Morning News steroids bulletin boards, saying everyone knew this was a problem, that it is still a problem. While the status of this as an ongoing personnel matter limits the information that the District can disclose about the events leading up to this decision, the speculation and conjecture that surround these events warrant some additional context. There were four teenagers inside, two in the front seat, two in back. Whats wrong with the picture? It was, Hey, I am trying to avoid any conflict, he told the station. Aria Jones, Breaking news reporter. (Everyone already knew, she says.) 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. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD may decide his fate by Monday. Aria writes about breaking news. He meant half the players who mattered were juicing. Not Lewis. Thank you for spreading love! Hey, you little pussy, he said. On July 31, Whitfield responded to the claims in a lengthy Facebook post. That they will no longer give into that culture of forcing to assimilate and being ashamed of their identity," said student Sunehra Cowdhury. They werent snitches. But they would not be more specific. They were extremely polite but thorough. GPA is calculated on a 4.0 weighted GPA scale. Thats how competitive it is.. Black principal told to remove Facebook photo with white wife (Cunningham says that at the time of the remarks, he didnt know Lewis identity, and he has since apologized.) Colleyville is a majority-white city with only 1% of residents identifying as Black or African American, according to census data. This is how competitive it is in this town, Lewis says, smiling. All that stuff I could handle, and I do handle, she says. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. When Bryan got to school on Monday, it didnt take long to see that his cover had been blown. Where did you get them? What's wrong with the picture?' Colleyville players admit to briefly using steroids - Chron 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. Ive counted. He pulled forward into a parking space and waited on his friends, hoping everyone else would ignore him. COLLEYVILLE, Texas The embattled principal of Colleyville Heritage High School is expected to learn his employment fate this coming Monday. Where were you when you first injected them? They had pieced together a clear picture of a serious problem. 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. He was asked to remove photos from Facebook taken on a beach vacation with is wife, that some felt were inappropriate. They had the Courier article spread out, and several people were closely eyeing the photo accompanying the story. She was sad that shed been proven right. But the reporters needed something else. They were changed to Patrick and Michelle. He hung up. 5401 Heritage Avenue, Colleyville, TX 76034. SOUTHLAKE, Texas - Carroll ISD is punishing some students for an offensive video that shows a group of teens chanting the n-word. 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.. 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Colleyville, Texas, principal resigning after critical race theory Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. The photos were from an anniversary trip. Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield has faced sharp criticism from some parents who are accusing him of teaching critical race theory. But on Friday morning, students marched out of school to protest his treatment by Grapevine-Colleyville ISD administration, and to demand that their beloved principal be brought back to the campus. One section on the report's website was called "Colleyville Heritage's team secret". Lewis was convinced the tiny bottle held heroin, unaware that most illicit drugs are not sold with pharmaceutical labels. I am grateful for your partnership and look forward to working with you to serve and support the students of Colleyville Heritage High School.. McClure said no school officials have been implicated in the matter. Theres no reason for me to take this photo down,' he told KXAS. The school district announced Monday,. Critical race theory, or CRT, is an academic discipline usually taught at the university level. Hes been up at his schools weight room with other athletes, cleaning the mats, spray-painting the weights, putting the gym junk away. In hindsight, of course I should have just called them. GPA/Ranking - Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School - SharpSchool In May 2018, Dr. Ryan was named the 2018 Region XI Superintendent of the Year. They could not tell anyone her identityor else, as she put it, I will sue you. Given the extreme care administrators used with her identity in e-mail correspondence during the next few months (obtained by D Magazine), they took her threat seriously. 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Lewis begged him to calm down. 750 North St.Paul St. So when Bryan pulled into the drive-thru and ordered, he wasnt surprised to see people he knew. She didnt take long to make her decision: Bring it on.. The district had no additional comments Monday night because it is an ongoing personnel matter, a spokeswoman said in a prepared statement. Some parents learned about the photo incident when they read Whitfields account on Facebook. Public school 1,974 Students Grades 9-12. We need to make sure we're providing a healthy environment for all of them. The school went on lockdown when the incident was reported. 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. Thats what everybody should be doing. He loves his new school. Focusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed. He called a few buddies shortly before midnight and told them to meet him at Whataburger, one of the town hangouts. Thats your investigation? "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. Admitted it months earlier, not long after the journalists had interviewed Coach Cunningham. District Calls Anniversary Photo of High School Principal and His Wife The district told WFAA again Friday that the decision has nothing to do with critical race theory or allegations by a small group of parents. Gregg Jones and Gary Jacobson sat at Lewis kitchen table, in her upper-middle-class, redbrick home, on a quiet street in Colleyville, and grilled the mother and son for hours, during several interview sessions. He received a disciplinary letter from the district a few weeks later and was placed on administrative leave soon after that. "They're here to show their voice. Colleyville Heritage High School 5401 Heritage Avenue Colleyville, TX 76034 P 817-305-4700 F 817-358-4765 Like Our Page on Facebook Follow us on Twitter For weeks, kids buzzed about who they thought might be the anonymous athlete caught using steroids. Updated at 1:12 p.m. Wednesday with details throughout. His resignation won't be official. A petition in support of Whitfield has hundreds of signatures, and he said he's humbled for the support he's received and regrets he held this in for so long. CHHS PTSA Reflections Chair. Lawmakers eventually passed House Bill 3979, which restricts how teachers can discuss current events, encourage civic engagement and teach about Americas history of racism.