Grapevine-Colleyville ISD may decide his fate by Monday. Youget home! she told him. One of those parents complained about the photo and the district ordered Whitfield to take it down. Nov. 10, 20215 PM Central. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Jones and Jacobson talked to others in Colleyville who were suspected users, and all denied it. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? 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Oh, yeah, some of them are still doing it, Bryan says. Theyd made a mistake, she says. If I called your boss and said your kids and their friends are using drugs, my kid says youre looking the other way and not doing anything about it and thats not true, what would you say? Colleyville Heritage became the focus of a district investigation during the 2004-2005 school year after a Panther football/baseball player and his mother confronted school administrators and GCISD about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Whitfield's status with Colleyville Heritage High School is expected to be decided at a Monday school board meeting. I do miss some of my friends from Heritage, he says. Bryan understands, she says. She knew it would have to be this way. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. No real names, anyway. Had that photo been the only image, there would have been no request to remove it., In the superintendents letter Monday, Ryan told parents that the entire District leadership team and I are fully committed to the success and well-being of Colleyville Heritage students as we move forward together.. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. Colleyville Heritage High School's new principal, Dr. James Whitfield, is now speaking out saying he wishes he could've taken more of a stand in 2019 after his photo first stirred up. 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. Media pundits like Hansen say she should shut up and let it be. Live. All that stuff I could handle, and I do handle, she says. They had a problem and needed to know about it, for the kids safety. Theyre open late, they have cheap food, and theyre close by. On the front page blared her sons story: Colleyville player says pressure to improve prompted steroid use.. In a July 31 post on his personal Facebook page, Whitfield responded: "I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman. But the moms wouldnt tell the other moms about it, because they want their kid to have an edge. It centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nations institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society. Tickets for cancelled shows will be honored at these performances. 972-983-4822 cell. Overall Score 89.05 /100. James Whitfield chose to resign from his position as principal of Colleyville Heritage High School and the school board unanimously accepted on Monday. Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield has faced sharp criticism from some parents who are accusing him of teaching critical race theory. When Bryan got to school on Monday, it didnt take long to see that his cover had been blown. I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman. District: Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (ISD) SchoolDigger Rank: 370th of 1,876 Texas High Schools. Summarizing his defense, he finally blurted, Mom, the majority of the football team is taking them.. At that moment, it didnt seem like an earth-shattering admission. Show us with your support. 750 North St.Paul St. Officers on the scene have "the individual involved detained.". Anna Caplan covers McKinney, Southlake, Grapevine and Colleyville. THOSE WERE THE GROUND RULES, never in question, always understood. It has 2,123 students in grades 9th through 12th. People leave me alone. I just wish everyone else would.. I wish I had the conviction to say, No, Im not going to take it down thats a picture of me and my wife kissing on the beach. "His diversity efforts have just been amazing," said student Samantha Zelling, who took part in Friday's march and protest. She told the pharmacist she needed to vaccinate a horse. Our membership goal is 1 voice for every student! She expected to hear from him in a week or so. His friend stopped him. Last Monday, August 23, students gathered at a school board meeting to express their support for Whitfield. Also in the post, the principal referred to an incident in which a school administrator asked Whitfield to remove a photo of him and his wife, who is white, from his Facebook page. We need to make sure we're providing a healthy environment for all of them. I cant run from this. Colleyville Heritage High School is the 235th largest public high school in Texas and the 1,266th largest nationally. He received a disciplinary letter from the district a few weeks later and was placed on administrative leave soon after that. The e-mails from parents who say they are too scared to be named publicly but who thank her for shaking up the CHHS administration and mighty football program. 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. "Our lawyers are looking at it," she said. / CBS Texas, UPDATE: Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Releases New Statement On Decision To Put Principal James Whitfield On Paid Administrative Leave. Join us today so we can achieve that goal! Dave Denning, a former Grapevine High School principal, will serve as interim leader of the campus, Ryan said. Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield opened up in a lengthy Facebook post on July 31 about the incident from 2019 shortly after he had been promoted to the top post at the middle school. She says she sued Coach Cunningham not just because she feels his remarks made life tough in Colleyville, but because she says she wants to be sure other schools will think twice before ignoring a whistle-blower. Judges rejected so many of the girls that they did not have enough cheerleaders for a junior varsity squad this year. Its why she doesnt let me talk to, or even see, her husband and younger daughter. 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. One of those parents complained. 5401 Heritage Avenue, Colleyville, TX 76034. Lori Lewis carried a pair of her sons jeans into his closet. I just want to get on with my life. His resignation won't be official. Everyone would forget about it soon enough. Football players were calling him Patrick. Conversations stopped when he arrived. In a town like Colleyville, you cant tell anyone a secret you want kept. EVEN THOUGH LEWIS HAD PULLED BRYAN out of school, he was still getting hassled. 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. He sold her the needles.. Im going to fight him.. It was from the Grapevine-Colleyville school district. Some parents learned about the photo incident when they read Whitfields account on Facebook. Skater punks, Bryan would call them. McClure said no school officials have been implicated in the matter. Im gonna kick your ass.. She knew he didnt mean that literally more than half the Colleyville football team was on steroids. CNN A high school principal in North Texas who was placed on leave after being publicly accused of promoting critical race theory has agreed to leave his role. The school went on lockdown when the incident was reported. 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 . Dr. James Whitfield has been promoted several times in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD system. Heritage Elementary School 4500 Heritage Avenue Colleyville, TX 76034 Eagle 1991 507 Bransford Elementary School 601 Glade Road . 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, Colleyville Heritage principal accused of teaching critical race theory put on paid leave, the principal and a crowd of supporters attended a school board meeting, multiple sources in the district have said, an incident in which a school administrator asked Whitfield to remove a photo of him and his wife, who is white, After call for his firing, Colleyville Heritage principal speaks about critical race theory claims, 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. Lewis begged him to calm down. 5401 Heritage Ave, Colleyville, Texas | (817) 305-4700. THEATRE DEPARTMENT. At least hes not a drug addict, she thought. He knew where he was: at a party one block over. Hes not happy that Im still talking to the media. On their cardboard, handmade wall, they wrote: 'Paid for by . Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. Colleyville Heritage High School 5401 Heritage Avenue Colleyville, TX 76034 P 817-305-4700 F 817-358-4765 Dangit, you got me!? James Whitfield at his home in Hurst on Sept. 16. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. Colleyville Heritage High School principal James Whitfield has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to Grapevine-Colleyville . 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. The Colleyville kids rarely venture far from home. She hurried downstairs and called the pharmacy at the nearby Walgreens. Public school 1,974 Students Grades 9-12. She opened it wide and turned it to the light. 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. He said the district wouldn't tell him why. Grapevine-Colleyville sources have said that the district does not teach CRT, a doctrine that pushes the notion that racism underpins Americas history, laws and institutions, according to the Dallas Morning News. "As this is an ongoing personnel matter, we will not comment further. Instead of issuing their support of me, they came after me, he said. 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. "It would be my hope that more rational minds prevail. The scandal at CHHS, as well as the well-publicized suicide of a student-athlete in Plano, Texas resulted in the implementation of random drug testing by the University Interscholastic League in 2007. Who is available? That kid will know who Patrick is. Theres no reason for me to take this photo down,' he told KXAS. This story has been shared 117,245 times. First, she noticed the syringes. Get out of the car, Dyer, he said. I showed it to my wife, who immediately begins to well up with tears," he said. The parents shes known since Bryan played tee ball with their kids a dozen years ago ignore her. Some parents from Colleyville Heritage learned of the photo incident after a lengthy social media post Whitfield made over the weekend about the accusations he's faced and the pressure he and his family have been under, including the frustration over the district asking him to take down the photo. Just over a month later, the district has suspended Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield without explanation, he told The Washington Post on Tuesday. Officers were called around 3:20 p.m. to the campus in the 5400 block of Heritage Avenue about a man with a gun. Thats it? Lewis hung up. But no names were used. And during the second special session, lawmakers successfully passed Senate Bill 3, a more restrictive version of the House bill that will replace HB 3979 on Dec. 2. Its been a roller coaster for him, she says. Its he and his beautiful wife, they have a beautiful family, Sunni Roppollo, who has children at Colleyville Heritage High, told KXAS, adding that there was no reason to censor him.I chalk it up to educators are held to a different standard, unfortunately. 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.. 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. It didnt take long for more questions to come. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. But they would not be more specific. "The vast majority of people in that community, they know who I am. Bryan is used to getting in trouble with his mom. About 20 showed up to the second meeting. And the News reporters agreed that they wouldnt identify any of the other students who Bryan knew or suspected used steroids. In May 2018, Dr. Ryan was named the 2018 Region XI Superintendent of the Year. Can you hide it? and I asked, Why? at 7pm. Can you take this picture down? Bryan never had to wonder whether his mom was engaged, as Dr. Phil likes to say. They werent too happy with me, she says. (CHHS officials declined to speak with D Magazine.) Wed have to move if our names came out, she said.. She said it to calm her son. Then, two weeks later, Bryan left a movie theater on a weekend night. Well, I had an interesting day, he told his mother by phone that night. Example video title will go here for this video. Lt. Gov. The one thing that bothers Lewis is how this has affected her family. He meant half the players who mattered were juicing. 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. It was also about keeping up with bitter enemies from Southlake Carroll, Grapevine, Keller, all the schools on the schedule. My friends are used to it. Many in town obviously dont take the steroids problem seriously. 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. He just wants to enjoy his senior year, and I want to do everything I can to help him., But, she says, she believes she has a mission. 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.". The story was long, one of several the Morning News would run that week concerning steroid use. But James Whitfield said he took it to mean the issue was he was in an interracial relationship. Now, GOP lawmakers have turned their attention to what books children have access to in schools. The man, Stetson Clark, narrowly lost a school board race in May to the incumbent, Becky St. John. 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.. 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. I know he is. When Lori Lewis learned that many players on her sons Colleyville Heritage football team were using steroids, she blew the whistle. Told that, McClure said she was certain the information had been passed on to the Colleyville department. A few days later, he dialed the players cell phone to arrange delivery, reaching him in an SAT preparation class.. Catherine Marfin, Breaking News Reporter. While the move may have been about personnel, Whitfield said it feels personal. HERE IS PART OF ABC CHANNEL 8 SPORTS director Dale Hansens on-air editorial from April 19, the day Lewis filed a lawsuit against Coach Chris Cunningham for slander, asking for $1.5 million in damages. Its a stupid lawsuit. They had the Courier article spread out, and several people were closely eyeing the photo accompanying the story. Colleyville players admit to briefly using steroids, Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Eric Gordon trade looking better and better for Houston Rockets, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend, Hiker takes 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo at Brazos Bend State Park, This Texas Hill Country town is the new, cooler Fredericksburg. 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. Since then, the district has stressed the move has nothing to do. Thats what everybody should be doing. Attendance Clerk. The foursome scrambled back into their car and took off. The reporters worked other sources. They are: 1. We will not sit silently while these individuals continue their bigoted attacks. He hopes he starts, he says. Whitfield wrote that the allegations were connected to a 2019 presentation he took part in as middle school principal on Breaking the Barriers that addressed peoples differences. GRAPEVINE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A high school principal at the center of a controversy in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is now on administrative leave. Whether the district acted over concerns from parents over racial issues or the way the couple was posed, Roppollo said there was no reason to censor the principal. All four got out of the car. As she waited, she overheard customers gabbing. A new study says yes. RANKINGS star-telegram.com/article2703187 #txhssoccer The answer, anabolic steroids, provided a bit of relief. They needed more information. We remain committed to providing a learning environment at Colleyville Heritage that fosters and encourages student academic and extracurricular achievement," Grapevine-Colleyville ISD said in a news release. 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. Aria Jones, Breaking news reporter. It was, 'Hey, I am trying to avoid any conflict. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. During the following months, the reporters put together their package of stories. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands. COLLEYVILLE - Nine Colleyville Heritage High School students involved in football and other athletics have admitted to using steroids, district officials said Friday. She was sad that shed been proven right. Colleyville Heritage High School 5401 Heritage Avenue Colleyville, TX 76034 P 817-305-4700 F 817-358-4765 You heard that story earlier tonight. No one from above ever mentioned anything else about it, but the damage was inflicted on us in profound ways, he wrote. 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. ", "Anything that has to do with being inclusive, having a safe and nurturing environment for all students, they want to attach that to CRT, because it's the boogeyman buzzword of the day," added Whitfield. Earlier this week, Abbott asked the Texas Education Agency, along with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the State Board of Education, to develop statewide standards preventing "obscene content in Texas public schools.". Contact info. At the first public hearing the school district held to discuss the issue, including spending money for more drug testing, not one parent showed up. COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE. 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 High School (CHHS) is a public secondary school in Colleyville, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Grapevine-Colleyville ISD school board voted unanimously on a proposal Monday not to renew the contract of suspended Heritage High School principal James Whitfield. Going forward, Whitfield believes his work in education isnt done. Can you take this picture down? I just want to know, Why? People know each other. James Whitfield, principal of. McClure said the school began investigating the matter in October. By Hannah Natanson Photos and. The coaches had told him to get bigger and stronger if he wanted to earn a starting position, he said. 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. Hes been up at his schools weight room with other athletes, cleaning the mats, spray-painting the weights, putting the gym junk away. It ate at her. 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. Catherine writes about breaking news, crime and the Dallas Zoo. Focusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed. It's he and his beautiful wife, they have a beautiful family," said Sunni Roppollo, who has children at Colleyville Heritage High. 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.