A pair of Fort Worth ISD coaches have taken allegations of mistreatment by City Council member Elizabeth Beck to the mayor’s office.
Beck strongly denies the complaints, saying they came about after she advocated on behalf of her daughter.
In letters to Mayor Mattie Parker, Young Women’s Leadership Academy volleyball coach Carley Long and athletic coordinator Akua Twumasi said Beck threatened their jobs and called them “dirty names” after they made the decision to leave Beck’s 17-year-old daughter off the school volleyball team. A spokesperson for Parker’s office told the Report the letters were texted to Parker’s personal cell phone Oct. 26.
Beck told the Report that Long’s and Twumasi’s accusations in their letters to Parker are not accurate, adding that she believes it was inappropriate for them to approach the mayor with their concerns about her. She declined to comment about the details of her fallout with Long and Twumasi, saying she wants to protect her daughter.
“When you are a public figure, and being on City Council qualifies as a public figure, you and your actions are under heightened scrutiny,” Beck said. “However, I think that an unsubstantiated letter rarely makes the news. Parents advocate for their children all the time, whether they’re an elected official or not. That heightened scrutiny should not prevent (council members) from being parents and from advocating for our children when we see them being mistreated by trusted adults.”
The letters claim that Beck’s daughter, a senior at Young Women’s Leadership Academy, missed volleyball team tryouts earlier this year. Beck said her daughter has played for the volleyball team since she began attending the academy. The team is currently headed to the playoffs.
When she learned her daughter would not be on the team this season because of the absence, Beck requested to meet with Principal Rediesha Allen and other campus leaders, according to the letters.
By the end of the meeting, it was agreed that Beck’s daughter would be part of the team but only as a practice player who does not participate in regular season games, both letters said. The Report was not able to independently verify that agreement. Long and Twumasi did not respond to Report requests for comment.
Since the meeting with Beck, Long has faced “unwarranted bullying and intimidation,” Twumasi’s letter to Parker’s office said.
Fielding complaints from concerned parents is a task many Fort Worth ISD educators must navigate on a routine basis. Parents stand up for their children all the time, Beck said, and elected officials are no exception.
Cesar Padilla, a district spokesperson, told the Report that teachers and athletic coaches are encouraged to talk to campus administrators about the various complaints they receive. Staff who believe they have been harassed are told to report such incidents to the campus principal or another supervisor, according to the district’s employee handbook.
“We always encourage parents with concerns to first work with campus administration and the campus supervisor,” Padilla said via email. “Additionally, campus staff should seek support from campus administration, the executive director or area superintendent when working with a parent. Every stakeholder has the right to communicate with an elected official via email or other channels.”
Padilla did not answer questions about whether educators followed that process or if campus administrators were aware of the letters sent to Parker’s office before they were made public last week.
Their letters first became public in an Oct. 26 article in The Dallas Express, a conservative news site funded by billionaire and major Republican donor Monty Bennett and run by CEO Chris Putnam, a former Colleyville City Council member and Republican congressional candidate.
Beck said she felt targeted politically when she saw the article. Like the rest of City Council members, Beck’s seat will be on the ballot next May.
“The fact that they were leaked by someone to what is a right-wing rag, not a credible news source, makes this reek of a politically motivated stunt at the expense of a child,” Beck said.
Beck declined to share who she believes gave the letters to The Dallas Express. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram also reported on the letters Oct. 29 after obtaining them through a request to the mayor’s office.
Beck said the school’s principal and the rest of Fort Worth ISD administration have been supportive of both her and her daughter throughout the public fallout. The principal did not respond to the Report’s request for comment.
“I think what those coaches did was wildly inappropriate. In an attempt to harm me, they harmed a child,” Beck said. “My concern with what happened with my child is that she was being harmed by the very individuals who wrote those letters.”
Parker responded to Long and Twumasi in separate Oct. 28 emails provided to the Report by Parker’s office. The mayor thanked the educators for sending the message, noting that council members do not report up to the mayor’s office and are each independently elected to their positions.
“I would also like to take the opportunity to thank you for your role as an educator and coach for the next generation of female leaders in Fort Worth,” Parker wrote. “Please be encouraged, even on your most difficult days, by how much Fort Worth supports your hard work and dedication.”
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org or @bycecilialenzen.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.