A North Texas citizen disputes the story told by a committee co-chair to the Carroll school board trustees about a meeting they had regarding a cultural plan that has outraged citizens.
At the September 14 meeting of the Carroll Independent School District Board of Trustees, the co-chairs of the District Diversity Council gave the trustees an update on their controversial Cultural Competence Action Plan. The CCAP—which calls for documenting students who commit “microaggressions” and creating an “LGBTQ+” student focus group for kids in grades 9-12—has angered citizens because it advances leftist politics, as well as the lack of transparency and citizen involvement. The outcry became so great that Southlake Mayor Laura Hill publicly took the side of the citizens.
The outcry—and controversy—has grown even more after the DDC co-chairs gave the board their update three days after Hill’s action. Co-chair Eric Ransom later told the board of a meeting he said he had with citizens opposed to CCAP. “I took it upon myself—and I talked with Pam [DDC co-chair] about it, and she agreed—I said, ‘Pam, it’s time that we have to have a dialogue with the community,'” Ransom said. “Even the people that are opposing.”
“I started meeting with these guys individually,” he went on. “I met with Randy Robbins last weekend.”
“And yesterday, a group of nine of us got together for dinner at Woodfire Grill, and we had a really good, productive meeting,” he said. “It was a good start, and it was an opportunity for each of us to introduce ourselves and understand what backgrounds we come from.”
“In that meeting, we all committed to working together, understanding that there is a need for a plan,” he said. “And you can’t put the fault just … on the school board. Because everybody here wants to say, ‘You guys are not doing your job.'”
“As a community, they also failed,” Ransom added. “Because a lot of the stuff, if you were doing your job at home, we wouldn’t need a CCAP in many ways.”
In regards to the future of CCAP, Ransom told the trustees the DDC agreed to “slow it down.”
But he made it very clear it was still moving forward. “But by no means does that mean we are going to stop this process, and that does not mean that there’s a plan that’s not needed. Because I’m telling you right now, the community won’t stand for that either,” he said.
Texas Scorecard was provided with an email from citizen Randy Robbins to Carroll ISD trustees and administration disputing Ransom’s recollection of events.
“First off, I was the one who reached out to Eric Ransom at the request of [Trustee] David Almand after the initial failed board meeting on August 3,” the letter reads.“Sitting there last night, watching Eric Ransom completely misrepresent and outright lie about what was said by myself and others opposed to the CCAP is the final straw for me.”
“We ABSOLUTELY DO NOT believe this district needs a new document as this administration has failed to enforce the current policies in place. We ABSOLUTELY DO NOT have any desire for this process to continue to go forward in the face of our current superintendent search. We believe that ALL CCAP activities and engagement should cease immediately and furthermore Eric Ransom should be immediately removed as co-chair of the committee as he has completely lost all credibility in this community. There will be NO further meetings with him or anyone that he represents with me or anyone I have any influence with. Your only option is to scrap this entire dysfunctional process and start over with real men and women of integrity leading the process.”
Texas Scorecard sent inquiries to the Carroll ISD trustees asking for a response to Robbins’ email. None was received by publication time. The full email can be read here.
At the September 14 meeting, Ransom and Francis unveiled their new timeline to the trustees for revising CCAP.
“It’s not a defeat that we’re slowing it down,” Ransom told the board, repeating what he said he told DDC members. “Let’s make sure that everyone is heard, and then let’s come up with the right plan,” he said.
“I’m reminded of the words of one of my favorite poems: ‘My head is bloodied but unbowed,’” DDC co-chair Pam Francis told the board, in defiance of citizen outcries. “Because I believe in the CCAP, and I will keep fighting for the CCAP.”
Contact information for Carroll ISD board members is listed below.
Michelle Moore: michelle.moore@southlakecarroll.edu
Todd Carlton: todd.carlton@southlakecarroll.edu
David Almand: david.almand@southlakecarroll.edu
Danny Gilpin: danny.gilpin@southlakecarroll.edu
Eric Lannen: eric.lannen@southlakecarroll.edu
Sheri Mills: sheri.mills@southlakecarroll.edu
Matt Bryant: matt.bryant@southlakecarroll.edu
