Colleyville Heritage High School
Its attendance boundary includes sections of Colleyville, Grapevine, and Euless.
Campus
It has a coffeeshop.
Controversy over principal
On September 1, 2021, James Whitfield – the high school's first Black principal – was suspended for allegedly promoting Critical Race Theory (CRT), an accusation that Whitfield has repeatedly denied. In support of Whitfield, students held walkouts, then joined their parents and 3 dozen teachers to meet with the school district's board of trustees, pleading with them to reinstate the popular principal. At a July 26 school board meeting, Stetson Clark – a former school board candidate – accused Whitfield of promoting CRT, while several people in attendance yelled, "Fire him." Clark based his accusation on an open letter Whitfield wrote in the summer of 2020 about his concerns over the murders of Ahmoud Arbery and George Floyd, and the killing of Breonna Taylor. One of the same parents has previously attacked Whitfield for posting a photograph on his personal social media accounts depicting him and his wife on a beach. Whitfield, whose wife is white, viewed the criticism as predicated on their status as an interracial couple. Whitfield removed the photo after a formal request from the school district. On June 15, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott became the third state governor – following Idaho and Tennessee – to pass legislation making the teaching of CRT illegal. The Texas House Bill 3979 and the follow-up legislation – Senate Bill 3 – authored by Senator Bryan Hughes, came into effect on September 1, 2021. Whitfield's suspension is set against the backdrop of debates on the impact of similar legislation in a number of states across the country.
On November 8 the school district announced a “settlement and separation agreement” with Whitfield. He was placed on paid administrative leave until August 2023. Whitfield is not allowed to discuss the details of the settlement.
Notable alumni
- Jaimie Alexander, actress
- Maxx Crosby, NFL football player
- Annie Ilonzeh, actress
- Kyle Kubitza, MLB third baseman
- Stephen Lambdin, Olympian in Tae Kwan Do
- Christian Ponder, NFL quarterback
- James Russell, MLB pitcher
- AJ Smith-Shawver, MLB pitcher
- Cody Thomas, MLB outfielder
- Bobby Witt Jr., MLB player
- Adam Zimmer, NFL coach
See also
- 2020s controversies around critical race theory Section Anti-CRT school boards firings and suspensions