Parent questions Plano ISD about $120,000 in-kind donation of School Connect SEL program

A resident raised questions during the public-comment period about a consent-agenda item that listed a $120,000 in-kind donation of the School Connect character-education program to Plano ISD.

Cody Weaver, who identified himself as a Plano ISD resident, told trustees he was concerned that the district had presented School Connect in consent item 7.5 as an in-kind donation and asked whether that language signaled the district's adoption of School Connect as an SEL model. Weaver referred to the program's co-author and noted that School Connect had won CASEL recognition; he asked whether the district had received professional development or curriculum development services from the donor and whether other character-based programs had been considered.

Weaver read a list of School Connect learning objectives that he said raised potential concerns about curriculum content, including items he interpreted as instructing students about preferred pronouns, 'appreciating diversity' and 'envisioning more inclusive communities.' He urged the board to pull the consent item and discuss the matter publicly. The district did not debate or act on Weaver's request during the meeting; consent-item approvals occurred later in the agenda and passed as presented (with the removal of a separate contracts item at the board's request).

The board did not provide a response during the public-comment period; staff later approved the consent agenda with routine items. The district did not record any immediate follow-up action or directive in the minutes from the May 6 meeting. Board and staff representatives should be consulted for details about program adoption procedures and whether acceptance of an in-kind donation constitutes curricular adoption.