After months of wrangling over sexually explicit books in students’ libraries, a majority of McKinney Independent School District trustees are trying to oust the lone conservative board member who has sided with parents in the debate over explicit books.
The fight is coming to a head at a special meeting set for Tuesday, May 31, at 9:00 a.m.
At the last regular school board meeting on May 17, Board President Amy Dankel proposed a resolution asking Trustee Chad Green to resign.
Dankel cited Green’s alleged misconduct at a campus event in March and his attendance at a rally calling on the superintendent and board members to remove obscene books from McKinney ISD libraries.
The entire board minus Green approved Dankel’s resolution and agreed to hold a special meeting to discuss further action against Green.
The May 31 special meeting agenda includes one item:
Consideration and possible action regarding Board responsibilities, investigation, evaluation, and possible approval of a resolution to censure Board member, Chad Green.
It’s not clear what the censure might entail.
Green’s supporters believe the meeting was scheduled during business hours, instead of in the evening like regular board meetings, to minimize public participation.
Dankel is being sued for squelching free speech at board meetings.
Conservatives also say the board’s effort to get rid of Green is a “witch hunt.”
Green was elected last year on a platform of transparency for taxpayers and giving parents a voice in the district. Constituents believe the conservative is being targeted for representing their concerns, and several have spoken on his behalf at board meetings.
At their regular meeting in March, Dankel and the board voted to initiate an investigation into allegations Green violated board policies while at a campus event earlier that month, which turned out to be a Family Fun Day event at Ruben Johnson Elementary.
During the April meeting, an outside attorney hired by the board to conduct the investigation claimed Green had violated board policies by:
- engaging in political advertising on campus, because others in his group displayed McKinney First PAC literature (which did not promote any candidates);
- violating the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, designed to protect students’ education records, by taking photos of students participating in the event and posting them on Facebook; and
- violating campus safety and security policy by forgetting to sign the visitors sign-in sheet when he checked in on campus (though others in his group signed in), which the attorney called “a dereliction of duty.”
Also in April, the board voted to ban Green from going onto any McKinney ISD campus without another board member until they decided on “corrective action.”
During the May 17 meeting, Dankel tried to frame the board’s opposition to Green as a racial issue, claiming a sign at the rally he attended was racist because it included the names of “the two members of the board who are not white,” Larry Jagours and Harvey Oaxaca.
“Being a Republican doesn’t mean I’m a bigot,” Dankel added, one of several times that night she referred to herself as a Republican.
Green said the sign wasn’t his and he held it briefly to shade himself.
Dankel failed to mention the rally featured multiple signs naming her and other board members as well as the superintendent.
“My name was out there too,” Trustee Lynn Sperry said, confirming that Jagours and Oaxaca were not singled out.
“I fear that we are losing the trust among us that allows us to work together,” Sperry added.
“It’s hard to have trust when you’ve been threatened by the board president,” Green responded.
Citizens can speak during public comments at Tuesday’s special meeting, which will be held at McKinney ISD’s $70 million Stadium and Community Event Center. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.
They may also contact McKinney ISD school board members.
