Keller school board member resigns, says chaplain resolution just the latest concern

Keller school board member Ruthie Keyes walked out of Monday night’s board meeting and announced that she was stepping down during a heated discussion about a resolution to allow chaplains to volunteer on campuses.

Keyes was in her fourth term. She first took office in 2012.

“This resolution has locked down my decision to step down from this board,” Keyes said during a discussion before board members voted 6-0 to adopt the resolution on chaplains serving as volunteers at schools.

Interim superintendent John Allison said chaplains would have to go through background checks and meet other requirements for volunteers. They would not replace the counselors who work with students.

Keyes said the wording of the resolution was vague and she questioned if the resolution opened volunteer opportunities for chaplains from different faiths. “I’m curious about the inclusion of chaplains from diverse faiths, or will this mirror the prayers at our meetings?” she said.

Keller board members voted previously to invite Christian clergy to pray at the beginning of board meetings.

“I believe it is critical to prioritize open communication, community input and transparent decision making to truly serve the interests of our students and their families,” she said.

Keyes then asked board president Charles Randklev and other members about a meeting that was supposed to take place Nov 15 to hire the new superintendent.

Keyes said she expected a text message but information for the meeting was sent to an email address that she hadn’t opened on her computer for about a year .Randklev then told Keyes he could call for a point of order and “shut things down.”

“I have the right to finish. Can we ask the lawyer if I have the right to finish this?” Keyes said.

Randklev responded by telling Keyes, “You are trying to re-litigate this agenda item.”

“No, I’m not. I knew nothing about this selection …” she said.

Then, someone in the audience said, “You let this board member speak.”

Keyes said, “I’ll do this. I’ll do this.”

Keyes told the person in the audience, “No, no, be quiet …

“You know what, you know what? I’m just walking out right here,” she continued. “For those of you who want to hear the end of this, I’ll be right out there because I’ll be leaving with them.”

Keyes said in an interview that her resignation was a culmination of a number of concerns, including the resolution on chaplains and discussions about book bans.

Keyes said she told board members that if they if they are concerned about the books their kids are reading, then take away their phones.

Keyes said she has more board experience than the other board members combined. Five board members are in their first term.

She said she was concerned about teachers and administrators not having a voice and that board members were not listening to them or to the community.

The votes were always 6-1, she said.

“I’m sitting there watching that these are people that I’ve not only worked for and with but people who I respect and I believe that they do an incredible job. I can see the writing on the wall for other people,” she said.

During Monday’s meeting, Randklev asked security to remove several audience members who were shouting and interrupting during the public comment portion and during the board’s discussion.

After Keyes left, Randklev told the audience that the preamble to the resolution came from Texas Association of School Boards policies and guidance.

“This idea that the board has cooked up some sort of secret language in order to hoodwink the community and of piping in chaplains who would take the jobs of our counselors is patently false.”

One of the speakers was Jeffrey Cohen, immediate past president of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville. He was one of the four hostages who escaped an 11-hour standoff when a British citizen held Cohen and three hostages at gunpoint while he demanded the release of a convicted terrorist.

“I’ve seen firsthand when religious fervor goes wrong,” he said.

Cohen said he was sure that his attacker believed that what he was doing was “right, just and what God demanded of him.”

“I’m not saying that’s going to happen at one of our schools, but what I’m saying is that accidents will happen, and that people with the best intentions will say the wrong thing.”