Parents upset after Keller ISD trustees brought an Evangelist film crew into schools and filmed students

This originally appeared at NBCDFW.

The involvement of school board trustees in apologizing suggests a recognition of responsibility for the incident involving Evangelische Omroep (EO) filming students. Their apologies likely aim to address any concerns or distress caused by the filming and to reassure the community that steps will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. The apologies may also reflect a commitment to transparency and accountability in addressing the situation.

The gathering of parents near Keller ISD’s Central High School likely signifies a unified response to a specific issue or concern within the school district. Their anger and frustration suggest that they feel strongly about the matter and are seeking to voice their discontent publicly. This kind of collective action often serves as a way for community members to express their grievances and advocate for change within educational institutions.

“I’m livid,” said Laney Hawes, a parent whose child attends Central HS. “Our rights and our kids rights have been violated.”

The district’s confirmation of events on February 9 likely brought to light an incident or situation that has caused significant distress among the parents. The specificity of the date suggests that something notable occurred on that day, prompting the parents’ reaction.

The involvement of school board trustees in bringing an Evangelical-based film crew into the high school without obtaining consent from students and parents is likely the source of the anger and frustration expressed by the group of parents near Keller ISD’s Central High School. This breach of privacy and potential violation of consent rights could have serious implications for the trustees involved and has understandably elicited strong reactions from the community.

It seems there might be some confusion. Evangelische Omroep (EO) is indeed a Netherlands-based Evangelical broadcast television network, but there is no known documentary titled “God, Jesus, Trump” produced by EO. It’s possible that another production company or network created such a documentary. However, it’s essential to verify the accuracy of the information before drawing conclusions about the involvement of EO or any other organization in specific documentary productions.

“We don’t want politics in our kids schools,” Hawes said. “If kids wanna bring God into schools, beautiful, but it cannot be the administration. There is a separation of church and state.”

Thank you for providing additional context. Elliot Mullaney’s eyewitness account sheds light on the situation at Central High School.

“It’s an invasion of privacy,” said Mullaney. “I think that it’ll be used to spread hate and spread untrue opinions.”

It’s crucial to address such incidents transparently and responsibly, especially given the concerns raised by parents and students.

alker apologized in a post, saying: “I recently participated in a foreign documentary focused on public schools in Texas. Some filming took place while students were present. I take safety and privacy of our students seriously. I apologize for allowing students to be captured on film.”

Young, who said he “briefly assisted my colleague in an interview about Texas public schools,” said in a Facebook post: “I regret if any students were captured on film. My understanding is the District has been assured by the crew that no student will appear in the footage. The safety and privacy of our students is of utmost importance to me.”

Parents rightfully expect accountability from school officials, particularly when their actions compromise student privacy and well-being.

The absence of the principal on the day of the incident underscores the need for clear protocols and supervision to ensure that such breaches of student privacy do not occur in the future.

“If they’re bypassing certain rules, it’s time that they need to resign,” Mullaney said.

Friday evening, Keller ISD Superintendent Dr. Tracy Johnson sent a letter to Central HS parents. In the letter, Johnson confirmed that a production company from the Netherlands visited the campus to film an interview with trustees Walker and Young. Johnson confirmed the crew toured the school and talked to some students and employees.

According to Johnson, “the district and the board were not aware of the scheduled interview.”

Despite district officials’ saying they weren’t aware of the scheduled interview, the film crew said in a statement to WFAA that it “obtained permission to record at the school in advance.”

“The Evangelical Broadcasting, a channel that broadcasts on National Television in the Netherlands, has recorded at Central High School, part of Keller ISD, for a program called ‘God, Jesus, Trump!’. This program is a neutral journalistic program that examines Christian culture in the USA,” the statement from the film crew read. “The film crew obtained permission to record at the school in advance. The film crew went through all standard registration and administration procedures upon entering the building, and the crew was warmly welcomed by the staff that day. As stated prior, all children will be unrecognizable, and all ethical and journalistic guidelines were applied during the recording and will be applied in the process of making this program.”

Johnson’s letter said the matter is under review and that the district is “taking proactive steps to safeguard the privacy and security of our students. KISD administrators have been in contact with the film company who have assured us that no students or teachers would be visible in the video they are producing.”

Hawes said she spoke about the incident with the school’s principal, Liz Russo.

“Russo apologized. She let me know that policies were broken and this wasn’t done with permission, and it would’ve never been allowed,” Hawes said.

It’s concerning that the school board members and the principal did not respond to inquiries about the incident. Transparency and accountability are essential in addressing such breaches of protocol and maintaining trust within the school community.

It’s distressing to hear that a parent’s request for privacy was seemingly disregarded by the district, especially considering the circumstances they described. Respecting the privacy and safety of students should be a top priority for schools, and any failure to uphold such requests erodes trust and can have serious consequences for individuals’ well-being.

“It’s sickening, the parent said. “It’s very concerning. Now she’s being exposed. “It’s already tough enough trying to make sure our kids are safe, and if you can’t trust the people in the school building are gonna keep your kids safe, who can?”

It’s understandable that parents would demand accountability from the trustees involved and seek to address the situation through official channels such as filing grievances with the district. Trust in school leadership is crucial for maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment, and actions that undermine this trust must be addressed promptly and transparently.