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Two fathers in Texas were arrested after they tried to speak up in support of students in one of the largest school districts in the state.
They are accused of allegedly disturbing the meetings by speaking about topics that are “not on the agenda.” The fathers face a misdemeanor charge related to disorderly conduct that hinders the public meeting.
Five members of the school board are also accused of trying to censure two conservative members. It’s been described as a “political hit job” by conservatives who say the school is involved in illegal activities.
Amy Weir, who is the president of the Round Rock Independent School District (ISD) Board of Trustees, has agreed to consider two different moves to censure resolutions against her colleagues.
Mary Bone and Danielle Weston have complained that the school district had violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by keeping members of the public out of a contentious school board meeting on Sept. 14th.
The fathers argue the school board is trying to “intimidate” and silence them.
Dustin Clark, a father of four children in public schools, told Fox News, “I believe I was arrested on 9/17/21 to intimidate me and other parents and community members from continuing to speak out against the superintendent and five of the school board members.”
“We believe we were intentionally targeted for arrest to silence our voices because we were speaking out against the school district for illegal activity,” Jeremy Story, a father of seven homeschooled children and a resident whose tax dollars go to support the school district, told Fox News.
“We believe we were intentionally targeted for arrest to silence our voices because we were speaking out against the school district for illegal activity.”
Danielle Weston told Fox News, “The vicious censure resolutions to strip Trustee Mary Bone and me of the powers and duties bestowed upon us by the voters is a naked political hit job.”
“The majority on the board are diverting taxpayer dollars and manpower away from students and teachers to destroy our reputations and inflict financial pain,” she added.
The school board is accused of refusing to let the public enter the meetings.
The school board restricts entry by only setting up 18 chairs in a large auditorium.
During the same time period, images have surfaced that show the large auditorium packed with students.
More than 50,000 students attend the dozens of schools in the Round Rock district. This includes some of the largest high schools in Texas.
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The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Clark and Story simultaneously around 5 p.m. Sept. 17, according to the fathers. Ryan Deck, the fathers’ defense attorney, told Fox News that while the sheriff’s office carried out the arrest, the school district’s separate police department filled out the probable-cause affidavit leading to the arrest.
Both Clark and Story face a misdemeanor charge of “Hinder Proceedings by Disorderly Conduct,” but the charges name different dates. The charge against Story traces back to an Aug. 16 board meeting while the charge against Clark traces to Sept. 14.
Amy Weir, president of the Round Rock ISD school board, told Fox News that “there has never been an attempt to silence Mr. Story.” She also noted that Clark has “spoken at nearly every board meeting since that September meeting without incident and without interruption.”
Jenny LaCoste-Caputo, a spokeswoman for the school district, told Fox News, “At no time were speakers not allowed to speak in accordance with state law and board policy at a Round Rock ISD board meeting.”
While Clark initially started speaking at board meetings to oppose mask mandates in schools, both he and Story expressed concerns about Hafedh Azaiez, a candidate the school board was considering for superintendent. Despite their concerns and those of two members of the school board, the five other school board members voted to hire Azaiez rather than wait to investigate him.
“We uncovered a video where he had used the police in his former district to silence a 68-year-old grandmother,” Story told Fox News, referring to a June 14 video of police officers delivering a trespass warning to Raquel Gonzales Martinez, an order barring her from setting foot on school grounds for two years.
“At no time were speakers not allowed to speak in accordance with state law and board policy at a Round Rock ISD board meeting.”
