Families in the Wylie Independent School District are continuing to call for transparency and accountability in the wake of a campus security breach surrounding a student-sponsored “World Hijab Day” event.
During a packed school board meeting Tuesday night—the first since the February 2 breach—trustees reviewed updated student club procedures but did not directly address accountability for anyone involved in the incident at Wylie East High School.
On Thursday, a Wylie ISD spokeswoman told Texas Scorecard that the district’s investigation into the incident has been concluded and the unnamed staff member who violated district policies has returned to work.
Communications Director April Cunningham added that “disciplinary action has been taken” against the employee but did not provide details.
Marco Hunter-Lopez, the student who blew the whistle on the incident in a video that went viral on social media, spoke at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
“We deserve answers,” he told trustees.
Hunter-Lopez explained that as president of the school’s recently formed Republican Student Club, he is required to follow extensive procedures when his club hosts visitors.
“The fact that outside adults were able to bypass these same procedures raises a troubling issue of double standards,” he said. “It sends a message that some groups are held to strict regulations while others are granted exceptions.”
Four adults with a group called “Why Islam?” were allowed to enter Wylie East High School during lunchtime and set up a World Hijab Day table in a common area. They handed out copies of the Quran and pamphlets on “Understanding Shariah,” and offered hijabs to female students.
The table was sponsored by the school’s Muslim Student Association, but the club did not have authorization to distribute the materials, nor did a sponsor escort the outsiders or supervise the display.
The next day, Wylie ISD confirmed that “district protocols” were not followed with regard to student clubs or distribution of materials. A day later, Superintendent Kim Spicer stated that an unnamed staff member had been placed on leave February 3 pending a “full investigation” into the acknowledged policy violations.
“This situation has left many of us—students, staff, and parents alike—questioning how such a lapse in protocol could occur on a campus that places such a strong emphasis on security,” Hunter-Lopez told trustees Tuesday night. “The students, community members of Wylie, and the entire district deserve transparency and assurance that something like this will not happen again.”
Wylie ISD parent Michael Schwerin told trustees he was speaking for himself as well as for all the parents, teachers, and staff members who are afraid to speak because they fear retaliation.
Schwerin said the security breach happened because trustees had abdicated their roles as elected leaders to the superintendent and staff, while the superintendent’s goal is “to stay off the five o’clock news.”
“As you can see, that failed miserably, unfortunately,” he said. “When you ask why parents went to the news or went to the internet and didn’t come to you directly, it’s because we know what happens when we come to you directly … I’m told that I’m lying, or it didn’t happen, or it’s stuck under the rug quickly.”
Jacquez Jones, a Teen Republican leader from Denton County, told trustees, “When you send your kid to a public school in the state of Texas, you expect your kid to be educated, not indoctrinated.”
“We still don’t have answers” about how or why the security breach occurred, said Jones. “The reason why people in Texas are removing their children from public schools, it’s because of stuff like this.”
Several speakers from Wylie and surrounding areas warned against Islamic influence within the school district, while a number of Muslim residents called for acceptance and harmony among diverse members of the Wylie community.
Yet Melinda Preston, who recorded the video of Hunter-Lopez that went viral, summed up most Wylie families’ main concerns: campus security, proper adherence to district policy, and equal treatment under the law.
“Parents deserve transparency, accountability, and assurance that established policies will be consistently enforced moving forward,” Preston told trustees.
Following public comments and a closed session, trustees addressed agenda items in open session—including new policies for student clubs and religious observances at school.
Scott Winn, assistant superintendent of student services, presented a “preview” of proposed revisions to guidelines for student clubs and organizations, which he said were prepared after “the campus breakdown on February 2, based on procedures that were not followed.”
Winn noted that clubs were already required to have an approved staff sponsor and that visitors must be approved in advance by the principal.
The new procedures state that club sponsors must meet visitors in the front office and escort visitors to and from meeting locations, and that any handouts must be pre-approved by campus administration.
At the time of the incident, the Wylie East website showed that the Muslim Student Association did not have a staff sponsor; now teacher Tyler Kinshella is shown as the MSA sponsor.
Superintendent Spicer already acknowledged that the Islamic materials handed out for World Hijab Day were not authorized and would not have been approved.
The added procedures state that “Failure to follow club processes and expectations may result in suspension of the club or revocation of sponsorship for a calendar year.”
No consequences were listed for sponsors or other staff members who fail to follow the guidelines, and trustees made no reference to discipline for specific staff members or clubs when addressing the failures that occurred on February 2.
Board President Bill Howard apologized but said “there’s been a lot of misinformation out there.”
He acknowledged that “procedures did break down” once the visitors got inside the school but said that “no students were at risk” and district officials responded quickly once they learned about the security breach.
“We are going to put guidelines in there to make sure this never happens again,” said Howard.
“I’m more worried about what people who live in Wylie have to say than people who come in from out of town,” he added. “We’re going to earn your trust back, and we’re sorry it happened.”
Trustees also voted Tuesday against implementing an optional period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts, as provided for by legislation passed last year as Senate Bill 11.
Board members stated that students are already allowed to pray and read religious texts during the school day.
Questions or concerns can be directed to the superintendent and/or school board trustees.
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