Cy-Fair ISD Board Bans Trustees From Secretly Recording Each Other

Moments before the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD board approved a policy prohibiting elected officials from secretly recording conversations with each other and community members, trustee Lucas Scanlon addressed accusations levied against him by board vice president Natalie Blasingame.

Members of the public also weighed in on the controversy plaguing the board that oversees the third-largest public school system in Texas, saying they hoped that the district would soon be in the news for its positive accomplishments rather than the behavior of its elected officials.

The Houston Press broke the story last month that Blasingame admitted she recorded Scanlon’s wife and a former Republican Party precinct chair while discussing her re-election bid at a coffee shop in mid-April.

After that gathering, Blasingame’s friend Damon Lenahan threatened to release the recording if Scanlon’s wife Bethany didn’t remove a Facebook post pledging her support for board president Scott Henry, Blasingame’s opponent in the November election. Lenahan has also been accused of posting combative messages on Facebook when someone makes a comment that he believes is disparaging toward Blasingame.

Blasingame and Lenahan have denied conspiring with each other to threaten those who have been recorded; Lenahan said he acted independently. Blasingame said she only records people who have falsely accused her or lied about her, implying that Scanlon and his wife Bethany did those things.
The CFISD board’s Governance Committee responded to the sentiment that trust was broken among board members by proposing an update to standard operating procedures that bans trustees from recording community members, administration officials, or each other without the consent of all parties.

Another significant policy change mandates that trustees submit agenda items through the superintendent’s office and by committee rather than individually.

The board voted 6-1 on Monday to update the procedures, with trustee Christine Kalmbach casting the lone dissenting vote. Kalmbach said she took issue with the provision that a three-person committee must unanimously agree to request data from the administration.

Blasingame said at a workshop meeting last week that she supported updating the board procedures but was concerned that the agenda item was posted for a possible executive session, and she didn’t think it met the criteria. She strongly suggested the board had violated the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Following a contentious debate between Blasingame and Board Attorney Marney Collins Sims, it was determined that the item was properly posted. Although the board can go into closed session to discuss its duties, trustees chose not to. 

Scanlon addressed the controversy and noted that he left the workshop early last week to attend a Cypress Ranch High School homecoming event with his family. Scanlon said Monday he’s not seeking re-election in November but wanted to address matters that have come up lately in the media.

“False accusations fail under scrutiny over time,” he said. “I welcome inspection. Regarding my lying about my colleagues, this is false. Regarding accusations that somehow I’ve been involved in backroom deals, that is false.”

“Just because someone is accused does not make it true,” he added. “I encourage stakeholders who are viewing and listening to look at my behavior over time. You’re welcome to interview anybody along this dais. You’ll hear a common thread that what is important as a trustee is the district. That’s it.”

Following a speech at last week’s workshop in which Blasingame said, “My wish is only that people don’t lie and don’t threaten harm to me and my family,” trustee Julie Hinaman accused Blasingame of gaslighting.

At Monday’s meeting, Hinaman apologized for being unprofessional at the previous meeting.

“I was frustrated for the Cy-Fair ISD community,” she said. “A friend who grew up in Cy-Fair and has kids who are current students shared that she is saddened and embarrassed by how our beloved district has been brought into such turmoil. For those who did not attend or watch last week’s work session and only saw the headlines or read the news articles, please know that the true highlight of the work session should have been the celebration of the academic success of our students.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Julie Rix thanked Blasingame for her diligence in asking to see contracts and questioning expenditures. Another CFISD parent, Jennifer Chenette, brought up Blasingame’s comments from last week that she wants the truth and to protect her family. Without naming Damon Lenahan, Chenette alluded to the online bullying that Blasingame’s close friend has been accused of.

“You are not allowed to hand the fox the keys to the henhouse and let him run amok and then claim that you are fearful,” Chenette said. “It doesn’t work that way. I speak the truth. As a result, I’ve been doxxed on social media more than once.”

Nikki Cowart of the American Federation of Teachers said she and other community leaders are growing weary of being the only adults in the room at school board meetings.

“The time is now to be adults, to put our students’ needs first, and to stop making the news for the most childish and frankly embarrassing reasons,” she said. “It is time to return to working together, being innovative with untapped resources that are available to us, and not sneaking around with audio recordings and seeking outside legal counsel.”

“We are thankful, actually, for certain members of this board showing us what we do not want, what we never wanted,” she added.

Community members have taken advantage of the rift among board members to bolster their preferred candidates in the November election. Blasingame opted not to run for the Place 5 seat she currently holds, instead filing to challenge another incumbent, Scott Henry, for his Place 6 seat. A third candidate is running for Place 6, Prairie View A&M professor Cleveland Lane.

Place 5 candidates include Lesley Guilmart and Radele Walker. Cy-Fair ISD graduate Terrance Edmond filed for Place 5 but has said he’s withdrawing from the campaign. Place 7 candidates include Kendra Camarena, George Edwards, and Elecia Jones.

Blasingame, Walker, and Edwards have been endorsed by the Harris County Republican Party. Henry has the backing of fellow trustees Lucas Scanlon, Todd LeCompte, and Justin Ray. A pro-public education slate of Lane, Guilmart, and Camarena is supported by a group of parents and educators who say they want change to the status quo.

Jennifer Lorenz, president of the Cypress-Tomball Democrats, said Monday she has only recently started attending CFISD board meetings.

“When this current board majority started reducing buses, banning books, cutting librarians, and taking out important information like real climate change and real American history facts, we felt we needed to have a presence here,” she said. “We are here because of our values. We would like there to be less drama. Boring, for school boards, can be a great thing. This is supposed to be a nonpartisan board. We would love it to be one again.”