Texas school puts first black principal on leave over critical race theory debacle
Colleyville, Texas – The first black principal at a Texas high school has been placed on paid leave, but the district refuses to say why.
On Tuesday, the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District announced that James Whitfield, the principal at Colleyville Heritage High School, was put on paid leave.
The decision came one month after a former school board candidate alleged the principal was pushing critical race theory on parents and students.
According to Britannica, critical race theory is an intellectual movement based on the notion that race is not a "natural, biologically grounded feature of a physically distinct subgroup of human beings," but rather a social construct that's used to oppress people of color.
The accusations against Whitfield were made at a Grapevine-Colleyville school board meeting on July 26 by Stetson Clark.
"I'd like to express my concerns, not only of myself, but of many in the community about the implementation of critical race theory in our district, specifically the views and goals of the principal of Colleyville Heritage High School, James Whitfield," Clark said in a video shared to the district's YouTube channel.
He continued on to reference an email Whitfield sent to parents in the summer of 2020, in which Clark claimed the principal was promoting the "conspiracy theory of systematic racism" by asking the community to be "anti-racist."
Clark asked the board to conduct a full review of Whitfield's tenure, and demanded that his contract be terminated "effective immediately."
Whitfield takes a stand
On July 31, just days after the school board meeting, Whitfield shared a lengthy Facebook post in response to the allegations made against him.
"I am not the CRT Boogeyman. I am the first African-American to assume the role of Principal at my current school in its 25-year history, and I am keenly aware of how much fear this strikes in the hearts of a small minority who would much rather things go back to the way they used to be," Whitfield wrote.
The principal noted that his name being explicitly mentioned at the school board meeting was against the rules of the public forum.
Additionally, Whitfield addressed the email Clark was referring to, which was sent out on June 3.
According to Whitfield, part of the email in question read, "I encourage us all not to grow weary in the battle against systemic racism – commit to being anti-racist. While there are great obstacles to face, please know that I am with you on this journey."
The principal noted that he had only gotten positive responses to his email at the time, and directly addressed several other concerns hurled against him.
"I will defend my words and my right to speak up against hate, intolerance, and bigotry," he said.
The school district responds
Despite Whitfield's efforts to defend himself and clear his name, the district inevitably decided on Monday to place Whitfield on paid leave.
On Wednesday, the district posted an update on its website referencing the decision, claiming that it had nothing to do with the critical race theory allegations made by Clark at the July 26 school board meeting.
However, the district failed to provide a reason for his suspension, writing, "We understand that members of our community have questions, but the District does not resolve personnel matters in the media. We have established procedures for that, which we are following."
Whitfield was named principal of Colleyville Heritage High School ahead of the 2020-21 school year after serving as the assistant principal for the 2019-20 school year.
"I am a strong advocate for teachers, students, and any cause that furthers justice, peace, love, and unity," he said.
On Monday, he shared a bible verse on his Facebook in what appeared to be a response to the suspension.
The district has not indicated how long Whitfield will be on paid leave.
Cover photo: Screenshot / Facebook / Colleyville Heritage High School