Good afternoon everyone and thank you for coming.
Katy ISD · Regular Board Meeting
Katy ISD Regular Board Meeting, October 28, 2015
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Joining me today are the Board of Trustees President Mr. Charles Griffin and other trustees,
Ms. Rebecca Fox, Courtney Doyle, and Ashley Vann, as well as Virginia High Principal Mrs. Cobb and the PTA President.
I also want to thank the members of the Katy Faith Community for being with me earlier today and praying with me as well.
No student in Katy, ASCII will have their faith denounced.
she will be forced to give a failing grade for that as well.
I don't want any employee of the district doing that.
That's just not gonna happen.
If I were someone looking at my phone or in front of a computer or
watching television and I saw the Facebook posts, the news lead-ins,
the headlines, as a Christian, I too would be very concerned.
Also as a Christian I've learned to judge not lest ye be judged. Also in the Christian
discipline of discernment and justness. In the words of the late great Paul Harvey I
would say, wait for the rest of the story. Here's what we've heard. A student was forced
to deny God. Students were threatened with lower or failing grades if they don't deny
not God. Here's what we know. On Monday about 1.50 p.m. October 26 in a reading
class was an activity involving critical thinking and there were a series of
questions our state's students had to respond to regarding is it a fact
opinion or common assertion and one of those statements which I do not approve
prove of was there is a God and then is that a fact, opinion, or common assertion?
How inappropriate, has not been used again, will not be used, in fact is literally in the trash can.
Around 4.30 I believe two parents contacted the Westman Mortgage Union, our principal, and voiced their concerns.
The principal shared their concerns and said I will get on this in the morning because the staff is going home already.
One parent accepted that and waited for the principal to do her job.
That night the Board of Trustees was in session, so a parent came here with their seventh grade
daughter and presented that case to the Board of Trustees.
And we do understand a lot of Facebook and social media activity took place, and that
parent and student were interviewed by a member of the media following that meeting, following
their comments.
comments and we have a whole lot of talk going on right now. We do not believe
that we're in the best place without this has been handled. I have every
confidence in the principal to do her job and in fact the principal talked
with at least eight other students in the class of 22 and the teacher as well
And in the investigation, those assertions were not corroborated by the other students.
Was the activity graded?
It was not graded.
Was it 40% of their grade?
Absolutely not.
Were the students told they have to deny God?
God, no one corroborated that at all.
It was used all over the district, all over the building or whatever it is.
No, it was not used by anybody else.
It was used earlier that day in other classes, but it will not be used again.
For one, I applaud Jordan's courage and as a parent of three children I do understand
a mother's desire to keep their children safe and not have their beliefs questioned.
I support that.
I believe that.
And if I had any reason to believe any evidence to support it, that a teacher did do what
has been alleged, I will stand with Jordan as well.
based upon the facts of the principal's investigation, those assertions just are not true.
They're just not true. I can respect how she feels, and I'll accept that she feels she was made to feel that way.
But nothing that the principal has found supports the assertions that the teacher deliberately threatened them
or try to force them to deny God. I have Mr. Charles Griffin, Board President,
a few comments and then we'll have questions after that. Thank you. My name
is Charles Griffin and I want to thank you for being here today. As a board we
also would like to recognize the bravery of Jordan Woolley. If you can imagine and
put yourself into her place, a seventh grade girl having the courage to stand
up in front of her community and the board and tell us about a concern that she had
the fact that she had faith in me our board and our community that we would listen to her
and take her concern uh and know that it affected her that it would affect us because we as a board
are elected by the community and the community's values are our values so i'm very proud of jordan
that this classroom activity she believed affected her and she had the
the wherewithal to come up and express to us her concerns. There's a clear
conflict of these values that she expressed and she let us know them and I
think we empathized with how she felt. So the administration did their job. You're
gonna hear information today about the investigation that we've learned so far
and I have complete confidence in the administration that the investigation
was concluded and done in an appropriate manner and all the facts that could come
out have come out. I'm going to ask the superintendent to come back up and
continue with the discussion. Thanks. Thank you Mr. Griffin. A number of times people ask so
what are parents or students steps of recourse? Well the principal offered
offered except to be concerned and said I will meet with the teacher tomorrow, look
into it and get back with you.
At no time did I think Jordan's mom ever sought to be with the teacher.
It became something very, very big and different before the principal had a chance to do her
job.
And that's unfortunate.
That's unfortunate.
For this time we'll take any questions you may have.
Mr. Griffin and I are happy to answer any questions.
maybe principal may have a few answers as well but open it up. Yes sir.
Are there any parents that say the assignment was given the next day?
Are the classes not approved?
My understanding is that the question was was the assignment given the next day.
I am told it was not given the next day. It was not.
I asked KDISD specifically about that yesterday and they did not deny that you used something very much.
KDISD is the entity. Who did you ask?
Well, that was the response I got from the police officer.
Okay.
The assignment was not used.
Oh, the assignment was not used.
Alright. You're basically calling Jordan a liar by saying that nobody else is cooperating with you.
No, exactly not. I'm not calling her a liar.
she believes what she believes other students didn't share the same belief
discussion one thing the allegations of being forced is something very different
next person
So you're saying that he wasn't denied God, but the question challenged him not?
I believe the question was, or the response was, prove your point.
Prove that God is real.
Prove your point, as would have been with any other topic that had there been a discussion about,
well, I think this. Well, if you think that, back it up. What do you mean?
And it was not a hostile thing, I don't believe, at all. It's just a classroom discussion.
So what did that discussion have to do with this assignment?
The assignment was, is this statement a fact, opinion, or common assertion?
They even had, I think, a question about Michael Jordan, that he scored X number of points in a certain game, or that he was the greatest player of all time.
Is it a fact, opinion, or common assertion?
Describe what happened before he was released.
I really can't speak to how Jordan felt about what she's told us thus far.
Well, I mean, when you compare it, I don't think it's a lie or a conspiracy.
I don't think it's a lie.
Your own words in your investigation, where it goes, what do you take away?
Well, what I take away is that Jordan has some very strong beliefs, and she truly felt
her faith was being questioned and she felt justified in defending it and I support that.
However, the assertion that the teacher deliberately forced her to deny her God or threaten her God,
that was not corroborated.
Is it fair to say that maybe you were misinterpreted?
What was going on in your eyes?
I don't want to try to categorize as misinterpreted.
How she feels is how she feels.
And you have to respect that without a doubt.
And I do respect that.
How many other parents have you spoken to about this?
I haven't spoken to anybody. I know Mrs. Cobb has spoken to at least one other parent.
Because two parents called. One called her Monday.
I believe she visited with the other parent again this morning.
Because they believe, I mean in your statement you said no student would face a failing grade if they were to denounce God.
They were not threatened with a failing grade.
they were told that if they answered that it was you know anything but a
common assertion or a myth that that specific item on that assignment would
be marked wrong so nobody said failing grade okay and they also said everybody
says that it was going to be a graded assignment you can say now there that it
wasn't and maybe it wasn't or they could say then that it wasn't it was not but parents say and the
other kids are saying that it was a graded assignment and that's why there was such a big
discussion well and again uh that's one assertions that it was great assignment only that it was mrs
cobb the assignment was not intended for a grade it was not intended for a grade through the lesson
planning or communicated to the students that the assignment was going to be taken for a grade
Why did the assignment say on it that it was worth 20 points? That section, did you see it?
Yes. Why did it say 20 points? I don't have that answer for you at this point. Exactly.
The assignment itself was not an assigned. What I understand is that this was a borrowed
sheet from another teacher and was not proofed, it was passed out and that shouldn't happen that way.
I believe it was an activity that was designed by one of the other teachers.
I don't know which one.
And this teacher in question is new to the district and borrowed it from one of her peers.
Yes.
Obviously, we can't reveal any personnel actions, but it has been addressed appropriately by the principal, as I would have expected.
it but right now she is only she is at home of her own shoes so she's not on
leave right now this is for her first year correct it's her first year she is
a veteran teacher I believe yes
parents who said the same thing.
Jordan's family has already been told by the principal
that that's not necessary.
The principal is deciding what's necessary in this case,
and the parent's opinion is not being considered?
I think that's something that will be considered.
Mrs. Cobb?
As the principal, I've not had that conversation
with the parent.
That question has not been asked.
You haven't talked to Ms. Woolley
about taking her daughter out of that class?
I have spoken to Ms. Woolley.
Ms. Woolley and I have not had a conversation
regarding her mother or her daughter being removed from the classroom.
Any other questions?
Would anything be done differently in light of this as far as screening what worksheets are approved in the classroom?
What your process was currently and maybe any changes that you're going to make in the planning process?
I think that's a good question about what do we do going forward. We try to
give teachers flexibility with our activities. However, we do expect them to do a
much better job than what's done in this case I do believe in screening it and
really looking at is this an appropriate assignment, is this an appropriate
activity, are all the contents appropriate. I think that I will tell you
no I do not agree that that statement should have been in there. It was a bad
that statement on the activity.
No, we still give teachers flexibility.
We have about over 5,000 teachers,
and I have great confidence in them to make the right decision.
This was a mistake this time, I do believe,
and I think we've all learned from this.
Mrs. Willey says that what the teacher has done
by bringing this up and making this such a,
she says inappropriately inside that classroom
has created quite a firestorm,
not just in the school but nationally of course and I know you know that but it
never should have even been a topic inside that school and there hasn't been
an apology from the school she says that this that this has happened and because
it's causing a lot of emotional distress on her daughter and some other kids okay
I think in the rest of the tape that you had in your story that you did not use I
I did apologize directly that evening to Jordan directly.
This was used in other classes earlier that day and did not generate the firestorm that we're under right now.
What generated the firestorm was when it went public versus letting the process of working with the teacher and the principal play out.
So the teacher did not make this a firestorm.
It was a couple of folks' response to it.
And the tools they used social media-wise made this a firestorm.
It's unfortunate because there's been a lot of piling on since this time has happened.
And you have a teacher under that pile, she's 13 years old, a seventh grade student under that pile, and a parent, a principal, and a school.
So when they begin to peel off the pile for the next story, they have left behind crushed some very good people.
And that's unfortunate.
question I don't know what the teacher's response was I know what I've read but
but Mrs. Cobb, have you heard anything about that response?
Okay.
I had a question before whether the student was being told,
would you believe it's fact, isn't fact, because the Bible is not fact?
If that's what happened, and I don't know if that's what happened or not.
What about when the teacher was trying to get Jordan to prove that God is real,
Jordan says that there are people who have passed away and come back to this
earth and have told their story about what they saw and seeing God and that
teacher told her that those people are just trying to seek attention what about
I mean this is this speaks to the argumentativeness of the teacher that
day well I've not heard that it's a from you so I don't know after I'm not you
You heard that from Jordan the night that she testified right here.
She said that very thing.
So this is not the first time you're hearing it.
This is the first time I really heard that part of it.
She never said it, but I was really thinking about what was going on.
It's on videotape, and a lot of people have watched her say that.
I appreciate that.
Nobody seems to want to talk about how argumentative the teacher was to try to convince the students.
How the teacher is alleged to be argumentative, correct.
All right, I'm told that's time.
But thank you all for coming.
We appreciate you all.
This is a big story and I think we ought to get to the bottom of it and we have, we believe.
And it's time to work together again as a community.
Thank you.
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