On the bus, she read, careful not to catch anyones eye. One of those parents complained about the photo and the district ordered Whitfield to take it down. 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. Three of his best friends have transferred to it in the past few years, so he has his core group of buddies together. No big deal, Bryan thought. 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 . By about 6 p.m., all students had been dismissed and all buses had left the campus, according to the school district. 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. Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,925. 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. The coach, Chris Cunningham, denied the accusations in reports published at the time and said he was adamantly against steroids. Jones and Jacobson talked to others in Colleyville who were suspected users, and all denied it. 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. They are: 1. The driver said he was friends with one of the players who used steroids. Its bad enough they identified her as a cheerleader. She asked the druggist to decipher the label for her. Read more about this topic: Colleyville Heritage High School, Athletics Other articles related to "steroid controversy, steroid, steroids": 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? Whitfield is now speaking out about the incident and responding to what he claims are bigoted and racist attacks, including accusations that he is a proponent of critical race theory. 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. # 1,954 in National Rankings. His decision. People leave me alone. NO NAMES. A few days later, he dialed the players cell phone to arrange delivery, reaching him in an SAT preparation class.. James Whitfield at his home in Hurst on Sept. 16. 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.. He pulled forward into a parking space and waited on his friends, hoping everyone else would ignore him. It has 2,123 students in grades 9th through 12th. Let your love shine so brightly & your positive voice be so loud that it drowns out the noise. Lewis wanted to get up and walk out, but she stayed put, stayed silent. Her son, a junior at Colleyville Heritage High School, had several such travel bags in his closet, but the others were all pressed flat, unused. Where did you get them? (Everyone already knew, she says.) They know.. Police did not identify either individual. Twitter Fam, Youve probably seen #IStandwithDrWhitfield coming across your timeline, wondering what on earth is going on. He received a disciplinary letter from the district a few weeks later and was placed on administrative leave soon after that. School would be out soon. Now, GOP lawmakers have turned their attention to what books children have access to in schools. It was early afternoon on Wednesday, September 22, and the Colleyville mother, after putting away the jeans, noticed a black leather bag. Dallas Cowboys want another playmaker on offense. The one who could name Bryan. It ate at her. Whatever. She knew it would have to be this way. Its a stupid lawsuit. "The only mention we make is a warning on health effects on our Web site," she said. Cunningham has apologized and said it was wrong to say the things he did, but I think anybody would have reacted the same way. That kid will know who Patrick is. 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. But I didnt want any of this for Bryan, Lewis says. Anna Caplan covers McKinney, Southlake, Grapevine and Colleyville. Hes just got to get a little faster, a little bigger, a little stronger. 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. Everyone would forget about it soon enough. Im going to fight him.. Kids need us! the principal added. Lewis repeated that shed told him everything she knew. Wed have to move if our names came out, she said.. 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. Whitfield's wife Kerrie said she took the photo to mean a black man with a tattoo on his arm was inappropriate. 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. She didnt feel proud that shed proven the school wrong. Oh, that. 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. Instead of issuing their support of me, they came after me, he said. 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. So I wouldnt feel comfortable mowing your lawn.. 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.". at 7pm. 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. About 20 showed up to the second meeting. It was, 'Hey, I am trying to avoid any conflict. This one held something. Dave Denning, a former Grapevine High School principal, will serve as interim leader of the campus, Ryan said. James Whitfield chose to resign from his position as principal of Colleyville Heritage High School and the school board unanimously accepted on Monday. 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Read more about this topic: Colleyville Heritage High School, Athletics, And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.Thomas Hobbes (15791688), Bret Boone - Professional Career - Legacy -. Check to be sure that email from abi@luhsd.net will come through. Hes not happy that Im still talking to the media. According to their story, Cunningham went on a 15-minute rant and blamed the then-unidentified mother for creating this problem. Officers were called around 3:20 p.m. to the campus in the 5400 block of Heritage Avenue about a man with a gun. It was too quiet, she says. I have done nothing wrong by anyone, Whitfield said. It was the sort of breakthrough that could take a pointy-headed newspaper treatise and make it touch people, win awards, effect change. 12. The high school has been categorized as one of the top 100 high schools in the United States of America by the Newsweek magazine's Challenge Index. Hes been up at his schools weight room with other athletes, cleaning the mats, spray-painting the weights, putting the gym junk away. For questions, to submit digital entries or to coordinate pickup of entries, please contact: Kacey Bess. In May 2018, Dr. Ryan was named the 2018 Region XI Superintendent of the Year. "They did not feel there was a problem that we needed to look into," Rogers said. Ive told you everything I know. reflections@chhsptsa.org. Youget home! she told him. The tick-tock drama of Bryans story, that compelling personal narrative, the hour-by-hour recounting of his traverse from good kid to drug user, would elevate the series. 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. He looked online and immediately saw a photo of him and his wife on the beach -- a photo shot by a professional photographer on their anniversary. I wanted to protect him. The Colleyville kids rarely venture far from home. 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. Sports means everything to folks here, Bryan says. But they would not be more specific. And while her son was fighting his battles, Lewis was fighting hers. Nine CHHS players have admitted to using steroids. I just want to know, Why? and I asked, 'Why? Buy tickets online here. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. She expected to hear from him in a week or so. Colleyville Heritage High School is a public high school of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District located in Colleyville, TX. Woman arrested in killing of 3 children at Italy, Texas, home in Ellis County, 41 North Texas congregations granted approval to leave the United Methodist Church, American Airlines, flight attendants file for mediation during contract negotiations, New Uptown office tower lands second major lease, Years after North Texas bid for Amazons second headquarters, retail giant halts plan, Mesquite to become the site of new 2,500-home community, North Texas builders see influx of activity in new year, but challenges persist, Mark Wahlberg pours tequila for fans at Dallas restaurant during thunderstorm, Chambelanes cambian de look: bailarines se adaptan a una nueva moda y ritmo en DFW, The Cowboys are closer than you think to a total makeover at running back, Q and A: How MLBs streaming, TV options will impact Rangers fans ability to watch team, Ex-Cowboys OC Kellen Moore opens up on Dallas departure, shows gratitude for Mike McCarthy. by Brian Lopez Opposition to critical race theory has become a rallying cry for Texas Republican leaders, who claim its indoctrinating students and teaching white students that they are racist. He wants to play wide receiver. Our membership goal is 1 voice for every student! Dr. James Whitfield, the former principal at Colleyville Heritage High School, filed a $250,000 defamation lawsuit against Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District and board member Tammy . ), & 6 (Mon.) A few parents blamed Lewis for making this an issue. On February 4, the Morning News dropped that bombshell and used quotes and information from their interviews with Lewis and Bryan. Can you take this picture down? Hes a good kid. That evening, she obsessed about its implication. COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE. At that moment, it didnt seem like an earth-shattering admission. Why would he use steroids? Then she reached inside and took hold of the vial. It was a football player. 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.. How did you feel? He agreed not to name the family members. . 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 was asked to remove photos from Facebook taken on a beach vacation with is wife, that some felt were inappropriate. GPA is calculated on a 4.0 weighted GPA scale. It would be my hope finally someone listens to the students because ultimately that's who we're here to serve. Whitfield's status with Colleyville Heritage High School is expected to be decided at a Monday school board meeting. If a student must be absent from school a parent should call or email the school Attendance Office, the day of the absence, to report the student's name and the reason. This is how competitive it is in this town, Lewis says, smiling. Theyre open late, they have cheap food, and theyre close by. Lewis pulled him out of CHHS and would soon enroll him in a nearby private school. Lewis asked that Beal call her back when his investigation was finished. Thats what everybody should be doing. Not one single day.. The reporters worked other sources. The 18-year-old, who is not a student, and two juvenile students were located inside the school, police said. But as Lewis read it, she found something horrible. By now, she had revealed her identity in subsequent newspaper stories. A high school principal in Colleyville says his bosses ordered him to remove a photo of him embracing his wife from social media. Bryan knew who it was. Hed been playing sports in Colleyville since tee ball at age 4, and through select baseball and Pee Wee football, all the way through this, his junior year, shed attended every game. Im used to it.. "Our lawyers are looking at it," she said. 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 . Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. They were identified merely as the athlete and his mother.. 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. CHHS has several sub-administrators who are given students to oversee based on last name. Dr. James Whitfield has been promoted several times in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD system. Bryan may be able to help, but dont contact him at school. She worried he would be labeled a snitch if it became a public ordeal. 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 school district told KXAS in a statement: When a social media concern is brought to the attention of the district, we have a responsibility to review it. 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. They said, Could you take it down? Its why she doesnt let me talk to, or even see, her husband and younger daughter. Contact info. My friends are used to it. You may need to show identification if this was not done at walk-thru. Tickets for cancelled shows will be honored at these performances. Its been a roller coaster for him, she says. Even though it was approved by the district, the presentation was used to vilify my colleagues and me, he wrote. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. CHHS has several sub-administrators who are given students to oversee based on last name. Officers were called around . 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. 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. (CHHS officials declined to speak with D Magazine.) 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. Bryan, three inches taller, popped him in the face. All she does is shake her head and say, The parents in this town Shes already seen how it has enveloped Bryan. According to state test scores, 55% of students are at least proficient in math and 77% in reading.