Coppell Chronicle Vol. 5, No. 47
Coppell ISD Proponents Going Door to Door • Mansion’s Days Appear to be Numbered • Decision Delayed on Long-Delayed Project • Carrollton Council Quietly Approves H-E-B
Americans have been protesting nationwide since a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent killed Renee Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday by shooting her at point-blank range. There was even a protest in our small suburb on Saturday, when about a dozen Coppell residents held signs at the intersection of Denton Tap and Sandy Lake roads.
For an opposing view, we turn to Rep. Beth Van Duyne, whose Congressional district includes most of Coppell. On Thursday, her social media accounts shared a clip of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promising to prosecute anyone who lays a finger on a law enforcement officer. Van Duyne added this caption: “This is what America First leadership looks like! God bless the brave U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents!”
Coppell ISD Proponents Going Door to Door
People who believe in the power of Coppell ISD are pounding the pavement, spreading the word to their neighbors about all the school district offers.
This “Every Voice, Every Block” effort is a component of the Cowboys United marketing campaign, which is aimed at families who reside within the district but choose other options such as charter schools or homeschooling. The block-walking initiative is happening in advance of a School Choice Fair at Coppell High School on Jan. 21.
In a November article called “Coppell ISD Seeks ‘Cowboys United’ Champions,” I wrote that Superintendent Leanne Shivers seemed to imply that Town Center Elementary parents would be especially welcome to sign up as block walkers, because they so passionately opposed a proposal to close their campus. On Saturday, I tagged along with some Town Center parents who answered that call.
Tyler and Cori Reich are the parents of a kindergartner at Town Center and a preschooler, and the couple has a third child on the way. They have been knocking on doors to help the district, and Tyler signed up as a captain to organize volunteers in the Town Center area.
“If we’re going to say, ‘Don’t close our school’ and ‘We want to get involved,’ then we need to get involved,” he said.
As you might expect, nobody opened the doors at the first several houses they visited. Per the district’s training, the Reichs left behind flyers promoting the School Choice Fair and featuring a QR code to a short survey. The first person to whom they spoke said he was vacationing in Coppell while visiting his grandparents. Tyler handed him a flyer and touted the district’s new policy that says the grandchildren of district residents are welcome to enroll, regardless of where those students live.
The second person the Reichs met was an unabashed fan of Coppell ISD. She identified herself as the mother of a ninth-grader and a graduate who moved here for the schools and was happy with the results. Her niece and nephew are preschoolers who will enroll soon. “I hope the district thrives and continues thriving, because our hearts are in it for sure,” she said.
The Reichs shared their territory on Saturday with Brent Billington — who is the father of three preschoolers, the oldest of whom will enroll at Town Center this fall — and Lauren Benavidez, whose family includes a Town Center second-grader and a Coppell High School graduate. Appropriately enough for an education-related effort, Billington and Benavidez taught your technologically challenged correspondent something: Smart doorbells record audio and video of everyone who approaches. Armed with this knowledge, they delivered a promotional speech directly to the camera if nobody answered the door.
I did observe Billington and Benavidez interact with one gentleman who said his family moved here from Keller specifically because of Coppell ISD. He said his teenage son’s mother grew up in Coppell and knew former Superintendent Brad Hunt, who began his career as a teacher at Coppell High School.
My knee-jerk reaction to that detail: “See, there’s just one more downside to Brad’s retirement. He can no longer lure former students to raise their own kids here.” Then I remembered that Shivers was an associate principal at Coppell High School prior to serving as principal at Coppell Middle School North and New Tech High. So it’s entirely possible that she could do the same.
In the Jan. 9 edition of the district’s Informed newsletter, Shivers extended “my sincere thanks to the block captains and block walkers who have volunteered their time to support this effort. My husband and I will also be walking neighborhoods, and I look forward to connecting with many of you and continuing to engage with our community.”
Mansion’s Days Appear to be Numbered
A neglected Coppell mansion is getting closer to its date with a wrecking ball.
The five-bedroom, six-bathroom home at 631 Stratford Lane has been in a state of disrepair since the “snowpocalypse” storm in 2021. Last October, the city’s Building and Standards Commission approved an order that said the house must be repaired and brought into compliance with all Coppell ordinances within 60 days. If not, the city would seek an order of demolition.