KELLER, Texas — The Keller ISD teacher said she was quitting in a dramatic moment that elicited gasps at Thursday night's board meeting said a trustee inviting an evangelical foreign film crew to her campus was the final straw leading her to quit.
Elizabeth Mitias told WFAA Friday she intends to keep teaching engineering at Central High School through the end of the school year and then leave the district after five years of teaching.
"I just realized I can't be the teacher I want to be here in Keller ISD anymore," she said. "It's not the students and their issues. It's from the top down now. The very, very top."
Mitias said her frustration over actions by the school board had been building for the last year or so, but she could not get over the February film crew incident that also enraged parents.
"Are you out of your mind?" She asked. "You can't do this. You can't bring people onto campus without a background check."
Mitias said she turned her resignation letter into her principal on Monday. She admonished the board of trustees during public comment Thursday night.
"Through the current trustees, our community’s children are only pawns to be used for their own agenda," she said. "It's not the students, it's you."
In a statement, Keller ISD said it would not comment on Mitias' case. The district said it aims to keep all its educators.
"We encourage our employees to always bring any concerns or frustrations to the attention of campus or district administrators so that we can work together toward the best possible solution to satisfy the needs and comfort of our workforce," the district said in a statement.
Mitias said the realization she had resolved to leave her job was "crushing." She said she doesn't know what's next for her, but she knows it won't be at Keller ISD.
"I can't work in that environment. I don't know what's going to come down the hallway next," she said.