A private Christian school in Fort Worth is implementing new “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs despite objections from parents.
In an email sent to students and their parents, Fort Worth Christian School (FWC) announced the changes are set to be implemented in the 2023-2024 school year, one of which will be the establishment of a “Student Diversity Council.”
However, after feedback apparently suggested parents were frustrated with the school for seemingly subscribing to the same ideologies as secular public schools despite these ideologies being the very reason some parents send their children to FWC.
“We apologize that this communication alarmed some families,” Upper School Head Nick Hinrichsen said in a follow-up email to parents. “Our intention is to remedy how students treat one another, not to subscribe to ideas that do not align with our school’s mission.”
Included in the email was a link for students to sign up for the diversity council.
The Dallas Express spoke with several parents whose children attend FWC. Some maintained that while they love the school overall, they are disappointed by the addition of DEI programs.
“There are a lot of parents upset — a lot,” said Chris Putnam, whose son attends FWC. “We’re having to fight this in every public institution, including the U.S. military. Why am I fighting this at my kid’s Christian school?”
“This is not the kind of thing I can let go,” he continued. “I’m faced with now pulling my kid out of the school that’s been otherwise tremendous. … I can’t just let this go.”
Putnam said the parents of the students attending FWC are “overwhelmingly conservative” and asserted that school leadership “should have included the parents or families” in an “open discussion” about the proposed programs.
“They didn’t do that because they knew what the reaction would be,” he said. “It feels now like … they’re prepared to just wait it out.”
Putnam said he believes “a couple bad actors” are responsible for pushing the initiatives, “but the bad actors are now in leadership positions.”
He said he suspects Hinrichsen “is a closet liberal and he’s the one that’s imposing this stuff.”
Another parent, Chad Campbell, told The Dallas Express that “Fort Worth Christian is an amazing school,” which made the announcement about the new DEI programs all the more disappointing for him.
“This is a hill I’ll die on to save this school because if Fort Worth Christian falls, there are not many places left where kids can get a Christian education with a Christian worldview that hasn’t been poisoned by a demonic culture,” Campbell said.
“We’re living in an antichrist culture, and it’s trying to destroy everything that’s good and wholesome,” he continued. “I will storm the gates of hell to keep Fort Worth Christian biblical.”
Still, proponents of DEI programs argue they are needed because they “address barriers and historical factors that have led to unfair conditions for marginalized populations.”
The Dallas Express contacted Hinrichsen and other school officials for comment multiple times but received no response by press time.