Newly disclosed video and audio recordings published by Current Revolt reportedly show several Frisco ISD School Board Trustees, one of whom is also the President of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), conspiring against the “hate crowd” being able to speak at board meetings.
The candid recording of this coffee shop meeting shows a willful effort by the President of the Frisco ISD School Board Rene Archambault to censor the voices of the constituents in her jurisdiction.
Archambault was recorded saying “…every time it’s on an agenda, the entire hate crowd no can come and speak about how terrible they think our transgender students are.”
The term “hate crowd” is apparently their own codeword for concerned parents in favor of students using the bathroom of the gender assigned to students at birth. A review of a September 2022 Board meeting and the ensuing public comment does not convey “hate” towards transgender students, but rather concern for other students safety and privacy.
An unidentified party states “Marvin and Stephanie (two conservative Frisco ISD board members) are gonna keep on- they’re gonna ruin every meeting this year.”
Archambault continues “I have mechanisms in place…that I can push. And I can use our subcommittee structure. They wanted to vote on this in July. It’s November. That’s how long I’ve been able to push this out. So, I have mechanisms by which I can do that. And I can also put it on any agenda. They want it on the regular board meetings because it’s a show. If they ask for anything on transgender policy going forward, it will be on a special meeting in the middle of the day that no one goes to.”
Debbie Gillespie, the TASB President, says “…we need to be in the audience listening to what their narrative is so that we have a defense mechanism.”
Gillespie continues that “[Rep.] Matt Shaheen is that very thing…he’s not that smart.”
While the source of the recording is anonymous, Debbie Gillespie was quoted in a Dallas Express article stating:
“Although the meeting was at a coffee shop, it was inappropriate for Garrett Linker (Trustee in Prosper ISD) to record and share the recording for defamation of character purposes. … He should know the importance of meeting with community members and keeping those conversations safe.”
Speaking of defamation, Collins County Citizens Defending Freedom has confirmed that the recording was not made by Garrett Linker, contrary to Gillespie’s accusation.
This deliberate attempt to subvert the voice of constituents was released in response to the Frisco ISD attempting to investigate an incident Frisco ISD Trustee Marvin Lowe was involved in back in September of 2022.
Lowe has recently come under scrutiny over a conversation that he had with a transgender student and their mother. The 16 year old student spoke during a “breakout session” at the State Educational Conference in San Antonio. The ACLU-hosted session was titled “Transgender Students in Texas Schools: What You Need to Know.”
After the session, Lowe approached the student and told them that people may not understand their situation, but that we love you and we really wish the best for you. He said the mother heard the discussion and approached them. Lowe felt that both the student and the mother were under the assumption that he supported the student’s situation.
But Lowe made it clear to the mother that he didn’t think it was appropriate for a girl that is transitioning to be walking around a boys locker room. At that moment, the student began to loudly claim they felt “unsafe”. Transgender students in bathrooms and locker rooms has been a hotly contested issue in the district as well as the rest of the country as evidenced by the recording cited above.
The student waited almost a month before sending an email complaint to the Frisco ISD. Dallas Morning News reported on the complaint and published alleged statements made by Lowe. However, Lowe denies those exact statements and, while he doesn’t recall the exact verbiage used, he said he would not use the terminology he was cited as using in the article. In a phone conversation TGP had with Lowe regarding the quotations in the article, Lowe said “That’s not even the way I talk. I would not say that.”
Last Monday, the Frisco ISD put forth a motion to investigate Trustee Marvin Lowe over the allegations, however, it was not seconded and therefore not adopted.
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