Carroll school board candidates clash on district’s controversial diversity plan
Candidates vying for two Carroll school board seats are divided in their opinions about a controversial diversity plan that is now on hold because of an ongoing court battle and restraining order.
Linda Warner and Cameron “Cam” Bryan are vying for the Place 4 seat while Hannah Smith and Ed Hernandez are running for Place 5.
They spoke Monday night during a candidate forum sponsored by Southlake’s Community Engagement Committee.
Smith, an attorney who clerked for Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, said she welcomes diversity, but said the Cultural Competence Action Plan (CCAP) hinders freedom of speech.
“It does not talk about diversity of thought. It infringes on freedom of speech by tracking microaggressions and audits student clubs including student religious clubs,” she said.
She described it as “highly invasive” and said the district needs to enforce the Code of Conduct.
Hernandez, a business consultant, countered that he thinks there is a need for diversity and inclusion, but added that, “we all know the plan is not going to happen. I’m surprised this fear-mongering is still going on.
“We need to leave it behind and create a common sense diversity plan. We need to create a safe and inclusive environment.”
Hernandez also said there is a need to validate the work of the committee that put together the proposed plan and to “validate the students’ stories of bullying and racism.”
Warner, a community volunteer, said she does not agree with using the Code of Conduct as a basis for a diversity plan as it is “punitive” in nature.
“I don’t think Southlake is a racist community,” Warner said. “What we do have in our schools is children who don’t feel welcome and who are being bullied.
“I think we are going to have to build something new; we need more than a code of conduct that is 127 pages long. We are going to have to educate our students. They just can’t click I agree when registering online.”
Bryan, who manages a grant program for airport infrastructure for the Federal Aviation Administration, said he has “zero tolerance” for bullying, but he doesn’t believe that CCAP is the solution.
“If it is implemented, I think it will cause more divisiveness,” he said.
Bryan said he favors an equal enforcement of the code of conduct and that the school board must do more to engage with the community, such as holding town hall meetings.
COVID’s emotional toll
Although the candidates disagreed on how best to address diversity and inclusion in the school district, they agreed that COVID-19 has affected students, and it’s time to bring them back to the classrooms for in-person learning.
Virtual learning has taken an emotional toll on students and teachers, they said.
Warner said it is time to address the emotional and academic needs, and teachers need to feel competent.
Bryan said teachers need to have resources and that they should have been better prepared for virtual learning while also providing classroom instruction.
Smith said she was impressed by how resilient the students are, but there are also “heartbreaking” stories such as a teenage boy packing his bag and leaving home because he wanted to go back to the classroom.
“We need to be equally concerned about our teachers. I heard a teacher of the year say they were exhausted and just can’t do this (teach in the classroom and virtually) anymore,” she said.
