Plans to censure two pro-transparency members of the Round Rock ISD school board were put on hold Wednesday evening, as a judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the action.
Last Tuesday, the Round Rock ISD school board limited the number of citizens who could attend a meeting where the issues of extending the district mask mandate and raising taxes were on the agenda. School police were deployed to block more citizens from entering.
Multiple citizens were arrested and charged with “hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct” after rebuking the board members for discussing raising taxes while blocking citizens from entering.
School board members Danielle Weston and Mary Bone repeatedly admonished the board during the meeting to vote and simply allow the citizens and parents inside so they could all proceed with the meeting. The board rejected the idea by a vote of 5-2.
While last week the board delayed their plans to vote on extending the district’s mask mandate policy, they also got to work on a new plan—a resolution to formally censure Weston and Bone for what they claimed were violations of portions of the Texas Penal and Education Codes, not agreeing with the capacity limits in the meeting, and trying to put those limitations to a vote. They were slated to pass the censure resolution at Wednesday’s meeting.
But shortly before the meeting was set to begin, the 425th District Court granted Bone and Weston a TRO, blocking consideration of the censure resolution.
In a joint statement, the two board members said they were “very thankful” to be granted the TRO against “the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees and the five individual trustees who were attempting to stifle discussion about important issues facing our community and prevent two strong voices on the board of trustees from fully advocating for the educational needs of 47,000 students.”
“These precious students in RRISD have endured historic learning loss over the last 18 months, they have missed out on many rite-of-passage events and have been isolated from peers and mentors in our schools. They and their families have suffered in unimaginable ways. We will continue to relentlessly advocate for these children, restoring the Rule of Law, protecting parental rights and the principle of open government,” they added.
The matter will be before the court on October 6, to determine if a temporary injunction should be issued.
Though the RRISD board was unable to censure their two colleagues at Wednesday night’s meeting, they did extend the district’s mask mandate policy.
