The district had previously accepted “In God We Trust” signs from a Christian conservative cellphone company to be displayed at every school.
SOUTHLAKE, Texas — The Carroll ISD school board has declined to accept “In God We Trust” signs that had rainbow colors and written in Arabic.
The district in Southlake, Texas, had previously accepted “In God We Trust” signs from a Christian conservative cellphone company to be displayed at all schools.
On Aug. 15, Patriot Mobile made the donation after Texas lawmakers passed a law in 2021 that required schools to display posters of the national motto if they are privately donated.
In response, residents went to Carroll ISD’s board meeting on Monday to present their own “In God We Trust” signs.
Srivan Krishana tried to donate the signs created by current and former students.
One sign presented had the word “God” with rainbow-colored letters, along with the U.S. and Texas flags. Another sign had the motto written in Arabic.
For another sign, “God” was written with colors of the transgender pride flag. Another proposed sign had the motto with a rainbow-colored background.
The school board cited it had no obligation to accept these donations of signs because the district had already accepted signs from Patriot Mobile.
“All of us are stakeholders in this community. In this state, we’re all taxpayers, we’re all voters and we’re all citizens so we wanted to be a part of this as well,” Krishana told WFAA. “I felt incredible frustrated and disappointed.”
The district said it is not required to accept more than one copy of signs. Texas’ law does not mention a limit on donated signs.
When asked to clarify why the board didn’t accept the signs, the district told WFAA it had no additional comment.
Patriot Mobile is connected to Patriot Mobile Action, a political action committee that spent roughly half a million dollars on school board races in Tarrant County this year.
Carroll ISD has been at the center of controversy at the start of the latest school year after it reviewed a biography written by the grandson of a slave in order to determine if the book is appropriate for students.
The book in question is “Life So Good,” by George Dawson. A Carroll ISD middle school is named after Dawson.
Also at Monday’s board meeting, Dawson’s grandson, Chris Irvin, addressed the board members about the decision to review the biography.
“What are you so afraid of?” Irving told the board.
In a statement earlier this month, the district said it reviewed the book this summer and determined one chapter, in particular, was not appropriate for students.