Monday during the school board meeting, trustee Becky St. John claimed she was the subject of a “witch hunt.”
She is being accused of using derogatory language.
During Monday night’s Grapevine-Colleyville ISD board meeting, parents yelled strong words and emotions ran high between school board trustees.
“I call you a hypocrite,” one parent yelled at the school board president as police officers led her out of the room.
“Our board meetings have devolved into an SNL skit,” another parent observed.
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“I am not going to be the subject of a witch hunt and an agenda,” said Becky St. John, a school board trustee for 13 years.
Her name was on the agenda on Monday, but no one knew why.
The item has now been added to the agenda by school board president Casey Ford. He did not provide an explanation as to why the board would discuss trustee St. John in executive session.
During the meeting, St. John questioned why she was on the agenda and stated that she had asked Ford for an answer prior to the meeting but had not received one.
“I’m a little concerned that you didn’t explain why I was on the agenda,” St. John said.
During the meeting, Ford stated, “I was trying to be respectful to you.” He stated that he preferred to have the conversation behind closed doors rather than in public. “I am not one of those individuals who broadcasts our dirty laundry.”
St. John demanded that the board hold the discussion in public rather than behind closed doors.
Once the debate began in public, Ford and several members of the school board’s conservative majority claimed to have video evidence. It is of St. John allegedly using foul language against school board secretary Kathy Spradley at a previous meeting.
During public comment, both supporters and opponents of St. John spoke about her.
One parent said, “She is trustworthy and honest.”
For hours, her name was the centre of attention.
“Ms. St. John, you are not modelling adult behaviour,” another member of the community said.
That’s exactly what happened, and things got very heated among school board members.
“One was the b-word, and the other was the f-word,” Ford explained.
“Now we’re acting like we’re in middle school…I didn’t call anyone,” St. John responded.
Several parents described it as a political stunt. Trustee Jorge Rodriguez expressed concern about how the issue was handled.
“It’s a witch hunt against the trustee,” Ramirez said. “If there is a problem, talk to one person and solve it one-on-one.”
WFAA reached out to Ford on Tuesday but did not receive a response.
“I believe last night was a distraction from some more serious issues that we need to address. This includes transparency and community engagement,” said St. John.
St. John has been vocal about her concerns about spending and the school board’s hiring of the Cantey Hanger law firm.
The fight happened on the same night that the board made it official that Superintendent Dr. Robin Ryan could leave her job.