This story originally appeared in the Star-Telegram
Students from the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts (FWAFA), a charter school, have started a movement to peacefully protest for transparency and communication between the Executive Board of FWAFA and its teachers/students.
The movement was started after the Mar. 13 forced removal of school board member, Katie Copeland, and faculty departures, including the high school’s principal, Craig Shreckengast.
Copeland told the Star-Telegram that “she believes she was removed for questioning faculty changes steered by President Clint Riley”.
The movement has a Facebook group, “Join OUR Movement” and an Instagram account, @join_our_movement, which collectively have over 600 followers, as of Apr. 10. The Facebook group shares that those involved in the movement will peacefully protest by wearing black, make public records requests, and attend executive board meetings.
According to a post on the movement’s Instagram page, student parents and alumni have begun to support the protest. The post also states that supporters of the movement plan to attend an open forum discussion on Monday, Apr. 16 with Riley.
ABOUT FORT WORTH ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts is a public charter school serving the greater Fort Worth area. As passionate about teaching as we are about the arts, FWAFA provides comprehensive programs in dance, music, theater and visual arts. Our students are involved in a minimum of two hours of fine arts coursework each day, enabling them to embrace creativity and hone their craft.
Our mission is to inspire in artistically talented students a lifelong passion for learning, empowering them to achieve academic and artistic excellence. Find out more on the organization’s website.
