Keller Independent School District

The Keller Independent School District is a pre-kindergarten to grade 12 public school district based in Keller, Texas, United States. Located in Tarrant County, serves more than 34,000 students and operated 42 schools in the 2020–2021 school year.[1]

Keller Independent School District
Location
350 Keller Parkway, Keller, Texas
76248
United States
Coordinates32°56′02″N 97°14′52″W / 32.933810°N 97.24772°W / 32.933810; -97.24772 (District office)
District information
TypePublic
MottoIntentionally Exceptional
GradesPre-K–12[1]
Established1911[2]
SuperintendentJohn Allison (acting)[3]
Tracy Johnson (designate)
Schools42[1]
NCES District ID4825260[1]
Students and staff
Students34,319 (2020–21)[1]
Teachers2508.67 (FTE)[1]
Student–teacher ratio13.68[1]
ColorsGreen, white
Other information
ESC11
Websitewww.kellerisd.net/kisd

Demographics

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Keller ISD covers 51 square miles (130 km2) in northeast Tarrant County in cities such as Keller, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Watauga, North Richland Hills, Hurst, Colleyville, Southlake, and Westlake.[4] This was a fast-growing area, with about 2,800 new homes being built in the district every year, and enrollment is rising more than 2,000 students annually as of 2006.[5]

Schools

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Schools are listed with the cities they are located in, predominantly, most schools are located in northeast Fort Worth, Texas, while some are within Keller, Texas city limits.

High schools (grades 9–12)

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Middle Schools (5–8)

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  • Indian Springs Middle School, Keller
  • Timberview Middle School, Fort Worth (est. 2010)
  • Vista Ridge Middle School, Fort Worth (est. 2017)

Middle schools (7–8)

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  • Fossil Hill Middle School, Fort Worth (est. 1987) (exp. 2001)
  • Hillwood Middle School, Fort Worth
  • Keller Middle School, Keller
  • Trinity Springs Middle School, Fort Worth

Intermediate schools (5–6)

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  • Bear Creek Intermediate School, Keller (established 1973)
  • Chisholm Trail Intermediate School, Fort Worth (est. 1990) (exp. 2013)
  • Parkwood Hill Intermediate School, Fort Worth (est. 2004)
  • Trinity Meadows Intermediate School, Fort Worth (est. 2006)

Elementary Schools

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  • Basswood Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Bette Perot Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Bluebonnet Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Caprock Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Eagle Ridge Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Florence Elementary School, Southlake
  • Freedom Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Friendship Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Heritage Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Hidden Lakes Elementary School, Keller
  • Independence Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Keller Harvel Elementary School, Keller
  • Liberty Elementary School, Colleyville
  • Lone Star Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • North Riverside Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Park Glen Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Parkview Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Ridgeview Elementary School, Keller
  • Shady Grove Elementary School, Keller
  • Whitley Road Elementary School, Watauga
  • Willis Lane Elementary School, Keller
  • Woodland Springs Elementary School, Fort Worth
  • Early Learning Center, Keller

Controversies

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Book challenges

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The school district has received national attention for examining over forty books from library media centers and classrooms, including The Diary of Anne Frank, The Bluest Eye, and several versions of the Bible.[7][8][9]

Film crew incident at local high school

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On February 9, 2024, a seven-person film crew from Dutch evangelical television network Evangelische Omroep came into Central High School in Fort Worth, Texas to film a documentary series titled God, Jesus, Trump![10] a journalistic program examining Christian culture in the United States without authorization from the school district. The film crew went on campus in the direction of at least two members of the KISD Board of Trustees. One of the Board of Trustees members has since resigned in the aftermath of the incident. The school principal was absent from school on the day of the unauthorized filming. The network was granted permission to film in the school grounds and campus in advance, as long as students and teachers were not in the footage. The film crew went through all standard registration and administration procedures upon entering the building and the crew was warmly welcomed by the staff that day. The film crew was observed roaming the school premises, engaging with students and recording them during lunch hours. Concerns were raised by parents about the exploitation of students for personal political agendas. Shortly after filming concluded, parents received a statement from the school district saying that they were unaware of the film crew's visit. They also say an investigation is ongoing and they're working to make sure no students appear in any future documentaries. This led to outrage from students and parents, who felt their privacy rights were violated as a result. Parents demanded the removal of any board member involved.[11][12][13]

The Laramie Project

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Timber Creek High School was planning on putting on a performance of the play, The Laramie Project. A show about 1998 hate crime and murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. The show was approved by Timber Creek Principal Shawn Duhon, as well as by the KISD Theatre executives. The show was fully cast and students began preparing for the show. The School District then, without warning, unjustly canceled the production citing they wished to put on a more interesting performance, akin to their previous performances of Mary Poppins and White Christmas. The action was immediately attacked by Keller ISD students and parents.[14] The district reversed the decision after community outcry.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for KELLER ISD". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  2. ^ "District". Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "KELLER ISD NAMES JOHN ALLISON AS INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT". Keller ISD. June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "KISD Fast Facts" (PDF). Kellerisd.net. Keller ISD. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  5. ^ "Construction fuels big gains in Alliance Corridor" by Adrienne Nettles, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 16, 2006
  6. ^ a b Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002 (PDF) Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Lopez, Brian (August 16, 2022). "Keller school officials order 41 books — including the Bible and an Anne Frank adaptation — off of library shelves". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Richman, Talia (August 16, 2022). "Texas district pulls the Bible, Anne Frank adaptation as schools face more book backlash". Dallas News. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  9. ^ Schaub, Michael (August 19, 2022). "Texas School District Pulls Books From Shelves". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  10. ^ "God, Jesus, Trump!". De EO (in Dutch). Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "Keller ISD parents call for resignations after film crew controversy". KTVZ. February 21, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Nielsen, Nicole (February 20, 2024). "Keller ISD parents call for resignations after film crew controversy - CBS Texas". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  13. ^ Willard, Keenan (February 19, 2024). "Keller ISD trustee resigns after bringing evangelist film crew to school without permission; parents ask other board member to resign as well". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  14. ^ https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article286030636.html [bare URL]
  15. ^ Willard • •, Keenan (March 7, 2024). "Keller ISD high school changes course, will allow students to perform The Laramie Project". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
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