KELLER, Texas — Thursday night, dozens of furious parents, students, and teachers flooded Keller ISD's board meeting to address several controversial issues.
One of the topics most addressed was about an Evangelist film crew from the Netherlands that was allowed into a school and filmed students without parents' consent.
Trustee Micah Young, who was interviewed by the film crew, faced several calls by parents and taxpayers to resign. At Thursday night's meeting, Young addressed the issue by reading a written statement out loud.
"On the afternoon of February 9th, I was invited to attend an interview in the Central High School Library," Young said. "When I arrived on campus, I badged in at the front door and proceeded to the library. This is the first time I had ever met or communicated with the film crew. I made a point to notice if they were wearing campus visitor stickers, and indeed they did. When the interview was complete, I left the library and headed out the front door of the campus. During the time I was with the film crew, I did not observe any students being interviewed, and I do regret if any students were captured on film. The district has stated they have the assurance of the film crew that no students will appear in any footage. I look forward to working with this body and the district to ensure this doesn't happen again. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a KISD trustee, and I'm committed to working with the district to ensure our students' safety and privacy are protected on campus."
That statement didn't deter fired-up speakers from addressing the documentary controversy during public comment, which followed Young's remarks.
"[This was] a profound betrayal of our community’s trust," one speaker said.
"Regardless of what happens to the footage, the filming is what breaks the law," another added.
Parents and students also took on trustees about theater at Timber Creek High School. "The Laramie Project," a play about the aftermath of a gay student’s brutal murder, was canceled at the school after it was already announced.
"The decision to move forward with another production at Timber Creek High School was based on the desire to provide a performance similar to the ones that have created much excitement from the community, like this year’s Keller ISD musical productions of Mary Poppins and White Christmas," the district said in a statement in advance of the meeting. "The decision was a collaborative one made by many stakeholders."
Several theater students showed up to make it clear that the explanation was not sufficient for them.
"They said they’re looking for more shows like White Christmas and Marry Poppins to generate more community excitement," sophomore William Samson told WFAA before he spoke at public comment.
"But with a petition that has reached over 3,200 signatures a few hours ago, we believe its generated more than community excitement," he continued.
"I felt dejected," Samson said. "I originally read the show a year ago, I fell in love with it. I was so excited, I’ve always wanted to do the show, so hearing that it was canceled was really, disheartening."
"It's’ a very important historical piece, and it’s a beautiful tragedy about real people," sophomore Taylor Silvestri added. "[I felt] sadness and confusion because all they said is we’re not doing this anymore."