“It is very clearly trying to divide our district along lines of race and class. We’ve already fought so many battles with this Board,” said Anderson-Himmelspach.
KELLER, Texas — Students from multiple Keller ISD schools walked out of class Friday at 9:40 a.m. They agreed to meet less than a mile from Timber Creek High School for a peaceful rally. That’s where they repeatedly chanted, “Keller district shall not split,” to protest a proposed division of the district.
“Several schools are here, Timber Fossil, Central,” noted one participant amid the chorus of protests. During the demonstration, student speakers rallied their peers, declaring, “We stand here unified against those that work to divide us.”
For some students, the decision to walk out wasn’t easy.
“That feeling of knowing I’m the only one walking out in my class period, in my math class is scary,” said Lielana Mares, a Central High School 9th grader.
Fellow Central High students Zahrah Anderson-Himmelspach and Elliot Mulaney made their decision together. They were nervous about leaving their classroom. But when the time came, they decided to follow through with their plans to participate in the walkout.
“My partner in crime, Elliott, we looked over at each other, and we were like, time to go. So we walked out off stage without a word to anybody. Our directors took our bags and left. And it was — it was scary,” Anderson-Himmelspach recalled.
“We are one district, and we will continue to be one district. We will not let this happen,” stated Elliott Mullaney, a 10th grader.
The protest came in response to some Keller ISD Board members’ proposal to split the district’s 42,000 students along U.S. Highway 377, creating two separate districts with about 21,000 students each. Students hope their absence will impact the district’s daily attendance-based state funding.
Trinity Springs Middle School 8th grader Sadie Ward helped coordinate the walkout at her school.
“Last night I was trying to organize all the things I could, all of the information, how we would do it, how we would leave,” Sadie Ward said.
Students expressed concerns about educational access and equity. Some of the students participating in the walkout described the plans to split Keller ISD as discriminatory.
“It is very clearly trying to divide our district along lines of race and class. We’ve already fought so many battles with this board,” said Anderson-Himmelspach.
Lielana Mares echoed these concerns. “Separating the more minorities, the poorer side of the tracks, getting like taking away all of our resources,” she exclaimed.
Parents like Allison Neatrour supported the students’ actions. She waited outside Timber Creek High School and grew concerned when her son Jaydyn didn’t exit at 9:40 a.m. After texting with Jaydyn, She said he informed her that the exits were being blocked and that he would try to leave when the bell rang at 11:00 am. Eventually, Jaydyn left the school and joined several other students at a nearby restaurant. Some of his classmates had the same parental support for the walkout.
“I think it’s very appropriate that they should be able to express their concerns about wanting to see together as a district,” Allison Neatrour said.
WFAA reached out to Keller ISD for comment on the walkout’s impact on the district but had not received a response as of publication. Students say they will continue to oppose the splitting proposal.
