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Racial allegations continue at RCISD
By Courtney Burleson, Managing Editor
Some Eagle Lake residents plan on taking their complaints against the Rice Consolidated Independent School District superintendent and a first-grade teacher at Garwood Elementary to the Texas Education Agency.
The controversy began after a Garwood teacher was captured in pictures with white men dressed up in “black face,” drinking 40-ounce bottles of beer and carrying buckets of fried chicken during a pre-Halloween party the weekend of Oct. 11. The teacher was not dressed in “black face” but posed next to someone who was in costume.
The event was a private party that took place off campus in Garwood. Rice CISD Superintendent Mike Lanier said the party had no affiliation to the school and he was told by the host that no one under 21 was invited or attended. The pictures were reportedly first posted on a MySpace website then circulated on the Internet.
Lanier said he has taken action based on the facts and relevant past circumstances.
“There is no need to respond to threats if decisions I have made are based upon Rice CISD board policy and state and federal law,” said Lanier. “I welcome TEA looking into this matter if they so desire.”
Former Eagle Lake Mayor Renee Cooper said she and others had made a request to Lanier that the teacher in question, a 31-year veteran, be fired.
“She could not, according to our attorney, be fired for this,” said Lanier.
Lanier said the teacher remains employed by the district, but other action has been taken.
However, because it is a personnel matter Lanier said he could not comment further.
Following a short leave, while the matter was under investigation, the teacher resumed duties Monday, Nov. 3
But this is not the conclusion Cooper and some others wanted.
“A massive campaign has been launched to file a grievance against the superintendent,” said Cooper. “We have people faxing and calling TEA. There are plans to go see the TEA president in Austin.”
Cooper described the pictures as demoralizing and hurtful to African-Americans. While she agrees the teacher was not in “black face” costume, being at the party and taking pictures was not appropriate.
“Professional people such as teachers are supposed to have higher standards,” said Cooper, who has been active in bringing the issue forward. “She shouldn’t have taken the picture with them, she should have excused herself from the situation.”
Several community meetings have taken place in Cooper’s home in which 100 plus people attended, she says.
“We’ve never questioned her teaching ability or tenure,” said Cooper. “She made a mistake and when you make a mistake you have to pay the price.”
On Wednesday, Oct. 29 a meeting, called by Lanier, drew more than 100 parents, students, concerned students and activist Quannel X. However, Lanier said he had not intended for the outcome it brought.
“I had hoped to have a discussion about the incident with members of our communities. Unfortunately, some of the most outspoken were not from our communities,” said Lanier. “I did have the opportunity to have a quality open discussion with some that remained after the unofficial end of the meeting. I heard their concerns about our schools and plan to address legitimate points brought out by them.”
He was left a message informing him about a meeting that would be taking place Oct. 23 in an individual’s home regarding the pictures. Lanier said the message said they wanted to let him know about it so they weren’t “going behind his back” but he was not officially “invited.”
“I don’t go where I’m not invited,” said Lanier.
During the meeting Quannel X told parents who have kids in the teacher’s class to keep them home from school.
Lanier said the teacher has four African-American students in her classroom, one of which had transferred from another campus. As of Monday morning, no one had been absent.
Rice CISD has an open transfer policy between schools and accepts intra-district transfers as long as there is space available at the receiving school.
Lanier has taken one parent’s recommendation to host diversity and sensitivity training classes.
Rice CISD Board of Trustees President Carolyn Baird said her first concern is with the children and hopes that somehow the district can come together.
“Rumors can only hurt our kids and our district and I hope the time has come for everyone involved to begin to repair the damage that has been done to all those hurt by this incident,” said Baird. “My concern is for the future of our kids and that is what we as a district want to make it better.”
A staff development day scheduled for Dec. 10 has had an agenda change from focusing on curriculum and instruction issues to issues brought up by this incident, said Lanier.
“My next steps are to continue to work to bring our communities together with the single goal of providing our entire student population with the best possible education,” said Lanier.
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