Texas principal at center of ‘critical race theory’ fight files for state education board - The Dallas Morning News

A former Colleyville Heritage High School principal, who left his job amid backlash over critical race theory, is running for the State Board of Education.

James Whitfield filed as a Democrat earlier this month to challenge Republican Pat Hardy to represent North Texas, according to state records. The District 11 seat, which includes parts of Tarrant, Parker and Dallas counties, helps shape what 5 million Texas public school students learn.

Among the next major tasks the state board will undertake is a review of the social studies curriculum, which will put the fight over how race and racism should be addressed in classrooms further into the spotlight.

Whitfield did not immediately return a request for comment. He gained national attention earlier this year as he decried the efforts of those in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD who tried to push him out as a school leader.

Over the summer, a former GCISD trustee candidate said Whitfield wanted to introduce critical race theory into the district, which the principal denied. The controversy stretched for months, sparking student walkouts in support of Whitfield, who is Black.

“I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman,” Whitfield wrote on Facebook this summer in a lengthy post defending himself. “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.”

The Grapevine-Colleyville ISD trustees voted unanimously last month to approve a separation agreement to end Whitfield’s contract as principal.

His candidacy was first reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Also running as a Democrat is Luis Sifuentes, a former teacher working in human resources.

“I don’t know how much CRT is going to play in this race,” Sifuentes said. “The Legislature already decided that. So I want to make sure that parents, community members, students know that I will be a voice for them.”

Republicans Joshua Tarbay and Rebecca Garcia have also filed to run against Hardy. “DC” Caldwell filed in both primaries.

Tarbay, a former Weatherford school board member, said he’s been talking with voters about keeping politics out of education.

“I did not file to become an activist because of a specific topic, such as the history TEKS or critical race theory,” he said.

Other candidates didn’t return requests for comment.

While Hardy acknowledged that Whitfield has name recognition, the longtime state board member said she is confident her district is reliably conservative.

Hardy, a former history teacher, said she considered retiring after this term but wanted to be part of the upcoming social studies review.

“The last thing I want to see is that 1619 Project into our standards,” she said Wednesday.

Such rhetoric over how to teach history could define the upcoming race.

Republicans continue to try and bar schools from teaching the New York Times’ 1619 Project, which sought to reframe American history around slavery’s consequences and the contributions of Black people. Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for the project.

Whitfield’s experience in Colleyville was caught up in heated debates over critical race theory, an academic framework that probes the way policies and laws uphold systemic racism. Both district officials and Whitfield said many times that the theory was not taught at the high school nor anywhere in its public schools.

Critical race theory has become a national target for conservative pundits, who have conflated it with a broad number of initiatives to address racial disparities in schools and promote diversity and inclusion. Texas lawmakers recently passed legislation aimed at keeping the theory out of schools.

The district has maintained that the nonrenewal of Whitfield’s contract was a personnel decision tied to “insubordination,” as well as Whitfield’s performance in his first year as principal at the high school.

Days before he filed his state board candidacy, Whitfield posted a video on Facebook defending public educators facing political backlash over efforts to make schools more equitable and inclusive. He encouraged people to show up at school board meetings and elections.

“Please do everything in your power to protect public schools,” Whitfield said, while wearing a T-shirt reading, “Racist people suck.”

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

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Texas principal at center of ‘critical race theory’ fight files for state education board - The Dallas Morning News
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