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Fort Worth council member says FWISD letters alleging harassment against him are false and inappropriate

Fort Worth council member says FWISD letters alleging harassment against him are false and inappropriate

A pair of Fort Worth ISD coaches took allegations of abuse by City Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck to the mayor’s office.

Beck strongly denies these complaints, saying they came after he acted as an attorney on behalf of his daughter.

Young Women’s Leadership Academy volleyball coach Carley Long and athletic coordinator Akua Twumasi wrote in a letter to Mayor Mattie Parker that Beck threatened them with their jobs and called them “dirty names” after they decided to keep his 17-year-old daughter away from school volleyball. he said. set. A spokesperson from Parker’s office told the Report the letters were sent to Parker’s personal cell phone on October 26.

Beck told the Report that the accusations in Long and Twumasi’s letters to Parker were untrue, adding that he believed it was inappropriate for them to report their concerns about him to the mayor. He declined to comment on the details of his dispute with Long and Twumasi, saying he wanted to protect his daughter.

“When you are a public figure and being on the City Council qualifies you as a public figure, you and your actions are under greater scrutiny,” Beck said. “However, I think a hoax letter rarely makes the news. Parents always defend their children’s rights, whether they are elected officials or not. “This intense scrutiny should not prevent (council members) from being parents and advocating for our children when we see them being mistreated by trusted adults.”

The letters allege that Beck’s daughter, a senior at the Young Women’s Leadership Academy, missed tryouts for the volleyball team earlier this year. Beck said her daughter has been playing on the volleyball team since she started the academy. The team is currently heading towards the play-offs.

According to the letters, when Beck learned her daughter would not be on the team this season due to absence, she asked to meet with Principal Rediesha Allen and other campus leaders.

Both letters stated that at the end of the meeting, an agreement was reached that Beck’s daughter would be on the team as a practice player who would not participate in regular season games. The report could not independently verify this agreement. Long and Twumasi did not respond to the Report’s requests for comment.

Twumasi’s letter to Parker’s office said Long “has faced unfair bullying and intimidation” since his meeting with Beck.

Addressing complaints from concerned parents is a task that many Fort Worth ISD educators must perform routinely. Beck said parents always stand up for their children, and elected officials are no exception.

District spokesman Cesar Padilla told the Report that teachers and athletic trainers were encouraged to speak with campus administrators about the various complaints they received. Staff who believe they have been harassed are told to report such incidents to the campus principal or other supervisor. According to the district’s employee handbook.

“We always encourage parents with concerns to work with campus administration and the campus superintendent first,” Padilla said via email. “Additionally, campus staff should receive support from campus administration, the general manager, or district superintendent when working with a parent. “Every stakeholder has the right to communicate with an elected official via email or other channels.”

Padilla did not answer questions about whether educators followed that process or whether campus administrators were aware of the letters sent to Parker’s office before they were made public last week.

Their letter was first made public on October 26. Article in Dallas ExpressA conservative news website funded by billionaire and prominent Republican donor Monty Bennett and is led by CEO Chris Putnam, a former Colleyville City Council member and Republican congressional candidate.

Beck said he felt politically targeted when he saw the article. Like other City Council members, Beck’s seat will come up for a vote next May.

“The fact that these were leaked to a right-wing rag and not a reliable news source makes this a politically motivated stunt at the expense of a child,” Beck said.

Beck declined to share who he believes gave the letters to The Dallas Express. Fort Worth Star-Telegram also Reported in letters of 29 October after receiving them through a request to the mayor’s office.

Beck said the school’s principal and the rest of Fort Worth ISD administration have supported both her and her daughter throughout the public negativity. The director did not respond to the Report’s request for comment.

“I think what these coaches did was extremely inappropriate. They harmed a child with the intention of harming me,” Beck said. “My concern about what happened to my child was that the people who wrote these letters would harm him.”

Parker responded to Long and Twumasi in separate emails sent to the Report by Parker’s office on Oct. 28. The mayor thanked educators for sending the message, noting that council members do not report to the mayor and are each independently elected to their positions.

“I would also like to take the opportunity to thank you for your role as an educator and coach of the next generation of female leaders in Fort Worth,” Parker said. he wrote. “Please be encouraged by how much Fort Worth supports your hard work and dedication, even on your toughest days.”

Cecilia Lenzen is the government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at: [email protected] or @bycecilialenzen.

Matthew Sgroi is the education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at: [email protected] or @matthewsgroi1.

News decisions at The Fort Worth Report are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy Here.

This article appeared for the first time Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.