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Texas school's first Black principal put on leave after conservative uproar over critical race theory https://t.co/7pHMazhusk

— Raw Story (@RawStory) August 31, 2021

A high school principal in Colleyville says his bosses ordered him to remove a photo of him embracing his wife from social media.

Colleyville Heritage High School Principal James Whitfield has faced sharp criticism from some parents who are accusing him of teaching critical race theory.

One of those parents complained about the photo and the district ordered Whitfield to take it down. He said the district wouldn't tell him why.

It was supposed to be a celebration for Whitfield, who had just been named principal of Colleyville Heritage Middle School two years ago, and his family. But before he could pop open the champagne his boss called and asked him to check his email.

He looked online and immediately saw a photo of him and his wife on the beach -- a photo shot by a professional photographer on their anniversary.

"I look at the picture, and I look at the words above it, and it says, 'Is this the Dr. Whitfield we want leading our schools?' I showed it to my wife, who immediately begins to well up with tears," he said.

Whitfield's wife Kerrie said she took the photo to mean a black man with a tattoo on his arm was inappropriate. But James Whitfield said he took it to mean the issue was he was in an interracial relationship.

All it took was one person, and the school board flinched.  This speaks to the character of the members of the board.

Irony #1:

Whitfield, who was named principal of Colleyville Heritage High School ahead of the 2020-21 school year, has been accused online and in board meetings of teaching critical race theory and promoting a belief that white people are inherently racist.

Irony #2: 

A petition in support of Whitfield has hundreds of signatures, and he said he's humbled for the support he's received and regrets he held this in for so long.

One person complains, the school board jumps.  Hundreds support the principal, the school board, even show up at a board meeting to support him, and, well...

In a letter to parents Monday, Superintendent Robin Ryan wrote that Whitfield has been placed on leave but that he would “not go into the specifics because it is a personnel matter.”

Whitfield told The Dallas Morning News on Monday night that he was told he was put on leave indefinitely “because the superintendent has ‘determined that doing so is in the best interest of the District.’”

“I have done nothing wrong by anyone,” Whitfield said.

The move comes a week after the principal and a crowd of supporters attended a school board meeting to address claims from a group of parents who say he is teaching critical race theory.

The curriculum, an academic framework that says racism is a systemic problem perpetuated by government policies and institutions, is not taught in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, multiple sources in the district have said.

At a board meeting a few weeks before last week’s, the parent group accused Whitfield by name — which is against school board meeting rules.

“I’ve only chosen to speak out against baseless allegations after [the district] allowed a man to speak my name at the July 26 board meeting,” Whitfield said.

The critics claim Whitfield is teaching CRT because....but they are not racists!  Right?  No racism here.

Basically, this is why you don't want to work for a public school system.  When I was in graduate school, my first year out of college, I met a fellow grad student who had been a public school teacher only recently (then; this was going on 50 years ago now).  He outlined scenarios of students attacking teachers, literally assaulting them, and when we said the teacher should defend themselves or even sue the student, he said:  you don't want to work in public schools, do you?  He made it clear any response by a teacher to an assault was grounds for being fired.  I thought things had changed; maybe on that front, but even so, no fundamental change.

These people are afraid of their black principal.  EOD.

And "on leave indefinitely" means "you really need to find another job in another school district."  He might have kept his job if he'd kept his mouth shut.  Damned high price to pay.

This fight clearly started in 2019, when he became principal.  It was up to the Board and the Superintendent to support him, to tell the racists in the district to take a flying leap, that we don't negotiate with racists in this district, and we don't make decisions based on racist diatribes.

But they couldn't do that.