Fort Worth ISD has been in the headlines due to an uprising of parents and students engaging in local board meetings, filing open records requests, and advocating for their neighborhood schools. The catalyst for the increased attendance came after they were forcing children to wear a mask in violation of the governor’s GA-38.
I met Carlos Turcios (20) at a FWISD school board meeting in February when I spoke about the influence of Leadership ISD, a social justice non-profit that originated as the brainchild of TEA Commissioner Mike Morath to influence school board governance. Carlos is a graduate of FWISD and began his engagement in local education politics when he was fifteen. He and other residents were able to thwart efforts to divide his high school due to overcrowding issues.
As a student, he was encouraged after being asked to participate in the FWISD equity committee. By the third meeting he realized there was a political agenda that devolved into full-blown “wokeness.” He said FWISD is messy, very shady and the leaders don’t want transparency.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) in FWISD was rebranded as “Courageous Conversations.” This is a common practice among school districts to use deceptive semantics by saying they are not employing CRT while they impose identical theories.
As a member of the Equity Committee in Richardson ISD, I realized it was a shallow endeavor and a waste of time. These districts are not interested in true equity with regard to student and teacher resources and real progress. As a minority student, Carlos’ parents taught him to focus on character over color. He witnessed the indoctrination and chose to speak out against the philosophy. Ironically, these policies negatively impact minority students the most when school districts shift their focus away from academic learning.
Carlos has a large following in FWISD through his social media pages and attending public meetings. He has emerged as a leader for his community and an example of how to get engaged at the local level to be a positive influence for others of all ages. He encourages parents to not stand down to the bullying or be afraid to speak up and defend their children.
UPDATE: Since this interview took place, FWISD trustee Jacinto Ramos resigned from the board. He is an employee of Leadership ISD. Two major philanthropic funders of Leadership ISD have pulled out due to the controversies in FWISD.
Twitter: @Carlos__Turcios
Website: https://carlosturcios.org, Facebook: Carlos E. Turcios
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