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16‑year‑old tells House panel Wylie ISD allowed 'Why Islam' booth; student describes threats and alleged double standard
Summary
Marco Hunter Lopez, a 16‑year‑old student, told the House Judiciary subcommittee that his Republican student club faced initial denial while an outside 'Why Islam' booth distributed materials (including a pamphlet titled 'Understanding Sharia') during lunch; he said administrators did not stop the distribution and later dismissed his safety concerns after he reported threats.
Marco Hunter Lopez, a 16‑year‑old sophomore at Wylie East High School, told the House Judiciary subcommittee that an outside "Why Islam" booth distributed pamphlets including one titled "Understanding Sharia" on campus during lunch and that school administrators did not intervene.
Lopez testified that his Republican Student Club met the district's stated requirements—10 members, a teacher sponsor and a room—but that it was initially denied recognition while other student groups were approved. He said the booth distributed Qurans with shahada cards and that the presence of that material during the school day alarmed him and fellow students.
"This openly occurred during lunch with administrators present who did nothing to intervene," Lopez said. He told the committee he later received threats, including messages that people would be waiting at his house to shoot him; he said requests to the principal for additional precautions were dismissed.
During the hearing, members entered local media reporting into the record showing that Wylie ISD opened an investigation into how the outside group set up on campus; Committee members noted staff discipline followed an internal review. Those media items were entered over objection by some members. The committee gave members five legislative days to submit additional materials for the record.
Lawmakers and witnesses debated whether the episode reflected local negligence or part of a larger, coordinated effort to introduce Sharia‑related materials into schools. Some Republican members and witnesses framed the school's handling as an example of a broader pattern of what they called selective enforcement; Democrats and civil‑liberty witnesses urged caution about generalizing from a single episode and warned against amplifying unverified claims.
Lopez said he is willing to provide detail to the record and to follow up with documentation of threats and school emails.
