Texas Principal in Spotlight Over Race Issues Agrees to Resign With Paid Leave

A schoolhouse committee successful Texas voted not to renew the declaration of a Black precocious schoolhouse main who had been thrust into the nationalist oculus implicit radical issues successful the district, saying that helium would stay connected paid permission until his resignation takes effect successful 2023.

The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District made the determination during a board gathering connected Monday astatine which supporters of the principal, James Whitfield, arsenic good arsenic radical who objected to his tenure spoke astir the relation of contention and diverseness successful the school.

After it announced the vote, the district, which includes astir of Grapevine and Colleyville, arsenic good arsenic parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said successful a connection that it and Dr. Whitfield, 43, “have mutually agreed to resoluteness their disputes.”

Dr. Whitfield, the archetypal Black main astatine Colleyville Heritage High School, said successful an interrogation connected Wednesday that it was a alleviation “to beryllium capable to determination on.”

“It was bully to perceive radical proceed to advocator for themselves and for different people,” helium said.

Dr. Whitfield has been connected paid permission since Aug. 30, aft helium was thrust into contention astatine a nationalist committee gathering successful July, erstwhile residents said helium supported teaching critical contention theory successful schools, activism aft the 2020 protests implicit the murder of George Floyd, and programs connected equality and diversity.

“There are ever going to beryllium radical that don’t hold with you,” Dr. Whitfield said of the Monday committee meeting, astatine which helium said immoderate attendees voiced “baseless grievances.”

One pistillate said Dr. Whitfield was persuading students to go “political activists,” portion different speaker, who was identified arsenic Stetson Clark, asserted that “critical contention theory, societal and affectional learning, and equity” were among Dr. Whitfield’s “divisive ideologies.”

In August, Dr. Whitfield described captious contention theory, which is an world model that seeks to recognize the roots and persistence of radical disparities, arsenic a “doctoral level” survey and said it was not a model taught astatine his school.

After the July meeting, Dr. Whitfield objected successful a Facebook post to being cited during that gathering by name, which is against policy, and for the archetypal clip revealed that the territory had asked him successful 2019 to region aged photographs from his idiosyncratic Facebook relationship that showed him and his wife, who is white, embracing connected a beach.

In the post, helium said helium was revealing the petition to region the photographs due to the fact that helium has had a consciousness since 2019, which helium said was confirmed by the criticisms successful the committee meeting, that contention would overshadow his tenure arsenic a Black pedagogue rising successful the ranks of the nationalist schoolhouse system.

In September, with Dr. Whitfield already connected leave, the territory projected not renewing his contract, which ends successful June 2022, and acceptable a proceeding for Nov. 9.

The territory said its reasons for the determination included a nonaccomplishment to support an effectual moving relationship. Robin Ryan, the district’s superintendent, added that the proposal was “not astir Dr. Whitfield’s race.”

“It is not astir pictures of Dr. Whitfield,” helium continued. “It is not astir captious contention theory. It is not astir definite individuals successful our assemblage calling for his resignation oregon his firing.”

But the territory aboriginal said it reached an statement that included paid permission until his resignation connected Aug. 15, 2023, and approved it successful the ballot connected Monday.

A transcript of the statement said its presumption “compromise disputed claims, debar litigation and bargain peace.”

In its connection connected Monday, the territory said that it and Dr. Whitfield “have been successful the media often successful caller weeks concerning the disputes betwixt them,” and that each “strongly judge they are successful the right.”

Dr. Whitfield, successful the interview, said helium could not sermon the agreement. But helium reflected connected those who utilized captious contention mentation arsenic a mode to knock him.

“As a Black antheral successful America, I cognize that systemic racism is real,” helium said.

“What’s ironic is radical who don’t privation it, what they are doing done this process is they are giving radical a real-life applicable people connected captious contention theory,” helium said. “They are showing radical a precise existent illustration of however captious contention mentation plays out.”