27-03-2025
New legal filing calls for immediate removal of Keller ISD board members who supported plan to split
Although Keller Independent School District has abandoned its
plan to divide the district in two
, the fallout continues.
New legal action calls for the removal of five Keller ISD school board members.
"It's a matter of public trust," said Cary Moon, the chairman of the Heritage HOA Legal Task Force.
The north Fort Worth neighborhood amended its petition against the district Thursday to call for the immediate removal of President Charles Randklev, Vice President John Birt, Trustee Micah Young, Trustee Chris Coker, and Trustee Heather Washington.
The amended petition, which builds on the original filing on March 4, asserts that those board members have "continuously acted without property authority and hindered transparent governance."
"There is extensive concerns over legal decisions they've made, financial decisions they made and that leads to questions of priorities, of the education of our children," said Carey Moon, the chair of the Heritage HOA Legal Task Force.
The proposal to divide Keller ISD created a
public uproar
, with parents and students crowding into school board meetings in January and February to voice their opinions. The
superintendent even resigned
in opposition to the plan, and the board got hit with a lawsuit alleging members violated the Texas Open Meetings Act in their planning.
Trustees have since reversed course, but parents said it's too late.
"We're not just going to let it go and say, 'Oh, you know what? We'll forget about it now,'" said Laney Hawes, a parent to four Keller ISD students and co-founder of the nonprofit advocacy group Keller ISD Families for Public Education. "No, we don't trust them. The laws were broken. They need to be held accountable."
Their long-term goal is to vote out the trustees who pushed this proposal.
"We're trying to rebuild the community, but it's going to take us a few years to replace the school board and to get trustees in there that we believe have the community's best interests at heart," she said.
Through this process, the community has proven there is power in speaking out.
"There's been a concerted and enjoined effort by parents, teachers, business owners, neighbors to really protect our ISD," Moon said. "And it's been gratifying to see that."
Keller ISD issued this statement in response to the amended petition: "It is our practice not to comment on pending litigation. We're focused on maintaining exceptional educational opportunities for our students as we navigate the current Texas public school funding crisis."
The Keller ISD Board of Trustees' next meeting is set for Monday, March 31.
