Officials in the Wylie Independent School District have responded to public outrage over Islamic materials, including pamphlets on Sharia law, being distributed on a high school campus.
On Monday, a group called Why Islam? set up a table in a common area inside Wylie East High School during lunch time. The group was handing out copies of the Quran and pamphlets on “Understanding Shariah,” as well as offering hijabs to female students.
Marco Hunter-Lopez, president of the recently formed Wylie East High School Republican Student Club, alerted the public and raised concerns in videos posted to social media, which went viral Monday night after being shared on X by state and national media influencers Sara Gonzales and Libs of TikTok.
“We typically have colleges come out. We have our clubs, have tables. We’ve never had a faith group to my understanding,” said Marco.
In a statement sent to Wylie East families Tuesday morning, district officials took “full responsibility” for the incident.
“If proper protocols had been followed, this incident would not have occurred. We take that very seriously,” the unsigned statement added.
The district was not made aware of this incident until a video referencing it began circulating on social media later that evening, around 8:30.
Once we became aware, we immediately began an investigation. While that investigation remains ongoing, we have confirmed that district protocols for guest speakers and student club interactions were not followed. Ultimately, this issue stems from a failure to follow established procedures.
To clarify: Outside organizations are not permitted to distribute materials to students without prior approval from campus and district administration. Guests may speak only with official student clubs with prior approval and may address only students who have signed parent permission forms on file. In this case, the organization did not have permission to distribute materials, did not receive approval to speak with students outside of the club, and the club did not submit the required guest speaker request form.
These protocols exist to protect the learning environment and to give families confidence in what their children are exposed to during the school day. This situation is not about religion, politics, ideology, or any personal belief system. It is about a procedural breakdown.
“Mistakes were made, and we take full responsibility,” the statement continued. “We are actively addressing the lapses and reviewing our internal procedures and staff oversight related to student clubs and guest approvals to ensure incidents like this do not happen again.”
The statement did not identify which student club failed to submit the required forms, but the school’s Muslim Student Association posted to social media that it was sponsoring a “World Hijab Day” booth on Monday. The school’s MSA listing shows the club currently has no staff sponsor.
In February 2025, Wylie East Principal Tiffany Doolan posted an image on Instagram of herself wearing a hijab on campus as part of last year’s World Hijab Day celebration organized by MSA students. “I LOVED this experience!” wrote Doolan.
“Wylie ISD will not allow outside influence or online speculation to distort facts, sow division, or damage the trust we have built with our community,” the statement added. “Wylie ISD proudly serves a diverse population of students and families. We remain committed to complying with the law, following board-approved policies, and protecting the educational integrity of every school in our district.”
Some Wylie parents and staff believe the district is applying a double standard to Christianity versus Islam.
“As a parent in Wylie ISD, I can guarantee that they are trying to let it blow over,” Michael Schwerin posted to social media. “Teachers and staff have been told to remove bibles and crosses from their offices and classrooms. But THIS is ok?”
Many also question how members of Why Islam? were able to pass through the school’s front-office check-in system with boxes of materials, and then went unobserved by any adults on campus as their table was set up in a busy area near the office and school cafeteria.
“I’m not sure which is worse,” added Schwerin. “Either they are lying to us or this group got into the school.”
Families say the way for the district to rebuild trust is to identify the people responsible, hold them accountable for their “mistakes,” and make concrete changes to ensure that unauthorized individuals and groups are not again allowed access to the school and its students—as well as to address any ideological biases within the school system.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
