0001
 01           IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 
 01                   FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT 
 02
 02
 03  CELIA J. CHIU; DENISE BROWN;    *
 03  VERONICA C. JENKINS; DENISE     *
 04  KIRKE; ALFRED G. KIRKE; AND     *
 04  KENNETH R. JOHNSON              *
 05                                  *
 05       Plaintiffs/Appellees,      *
 06                                  *
 06  VS.                             *    
 07                                  *  
 07  PLANO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL        *
 08  DISTRICT, ET AL.                *
 08                                  *
 09          Defendants,             *
 09                                  *   CIVIL ACTION NO.
 10  JAMES DAVIS, DR., PISD CENTRAL  *   00-40613      
 10  CLUSTER AREA ASSISTANT          *
 11  SUPERINTENDENT; MARILYN BROOKS, *
 11  ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT FOR    *
 12  CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONS;    *
 12  JAMES WOHLGEHAGEN, DR.;         *
 13  ROXANNE BURLESON, PRINCIPAL     *
 13  HAGGARD MIDDLE SCHOOL; CORKY    *
 14  CRISWELL, PRINCIPAL HENDRICK    *
 14  MIDDLE SCHOOL; BEVERLY SELLERS, *
 15  PRINCIPAL WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL, *
 15                                  *
 16       Defendants/Appellants.     *
 16
 17
 18
 19       ********************************************       
 20                    ORAL DEPOSITION OF
 21                       DONELLA GREEN 
 22                      OCTOBER 5, 2000
 23       ********************************************
 24
 25
0002
 01          ORAL DEPOSITION OF DONELLA GREEN, produced as a 
 02  witness at the instance of the Plaintiffs, and duly 
 03  sworn, was taken in the above-styled and numbered cause 
 04  on the 5th day of October,, 2000, from 9:19 a.m. to 
 05  11:31 a.m., before Sunny Schaen, a CSR in and for the 
 06  State of Texas, reported stenographically, at the 
 07  offices of the Plano Independent School District, 
 08  2700 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075, pursuant to 
 09  the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the provision 
 10  stated on the record.
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0003
 01                   A P P E A R A N C E S
 02  FOR THE PLAINTIFFS:
 02      Mr. William Charles Bundren
 03      Attorney at Law
 03      P. O. Box 702647
 04      Dallas, Texas  75370
 04      (972) 630-3555 
 05
 05
 06  FOR THE DEFENDANTS:
 06      Mr. Richard M. Abernathy 
 07      ABERNATHY ROEDER BOYD & JOPLIN, P.C.
 07      1700 Redbud Boulevard
 08      Suite 300
 08      P.O. Box 1210
 09      McKinney, Texas  75070-1210
 09      (214) 544-4000 
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 10
 11  ALSO PRESENT:  Mrs. Ronni Jenkins
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0004
 01                         I N D E X
 01
 02  WITNESS                                            PAGE
 02  DONELLA GREEN 
 03
 03  EXAMINATION
 04      BY:  MR. BUNDREN                                  5
 04
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 06                      EXHIBITS INDEX
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 07  EXHIBITS             DESCRIPTION             IDENTIFIED
 07
 08     71    Affidavit of Donella Green                  92
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0005
 01                   P R O C E E D I N G S
 02  REPORTER'S NOTE:  The following was stated on the 
 03  record in the deposition of Marilyn Brooks, and by 
 04  agreement of all parties will also apply for this 
 05  deposition.
 06                     *  *  *  *  *  *
 07                MR. BUNDREN:  Do you want to take this 
 08  under the Rules?
 09                MR. CRAWFORD:  Yes.
 10                     *  *  *  *  *  *
 11                      DONELLA GREEN,
 12  having being first duly sworn, testified as follows:
 13                        EXAMINATION
 14  BY MR. BUNDREN:
 15      Q.   Would you state your name for the record, 
 16  please.
 17      A.   Donella Green. 
 18      Q.   Ms. Green, my name is Charles Bundren.  I'm an 
 19  attorney, and I represent some of the parents that have 
 20  filed a lawsuit against the school district, and I 
 21  believe you were named as a party involving the 
 22  connected math program and some activities with some 
 23  fliers and things.  Do you understand that?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   Okay.  Have you ever had your deposition taken 
0006
 01  before?
 02      A.   Yes.
 03      Q.   How many times?
 04      A.   Once.
 05      Q.   And what was that in relation to?  
 06      A.   One of our parents asked me to do that to talk 
 07  about the school and that it was a good school.  He was 
 08  trying to bring his daughter to Texas.
 09      Q.   Some kind of a family issue with the parents?
 10      A.   In Plano, uh-huh.
 11      Q.   All right.  Have you ever given a deposition 
 12  before or after that?
 13      A.   No.
 14      Q.   Ever testified live under oath in a courtroom?
 15      A.   Yes.
 16      Q.   How many times did you do that?
 17      A.   I think I did it once.
 18      Q.   And what did that relate to?  
 19      A.   I was a worker -- I can't remember what 
 20  they're called -- but a court liaison where I would go 
 21  meet with families.  And I can't remember what it was.  
 22  It's been a couple of years.  But they would ask us to 
 23  meet with the families and gather some information.  
 24  And it was like through an organization that helps 
 25  service the courts.
0007
 01      Q.   Now, the deposition today is just as if we 
 02  were in front of a court and jury at the time we take 
 03  the case to trial.  You understand that the court 
 04  reporter is going to take down your testimony and it's 
 05  going to be produced in a little booklet format.  
 06  You'll have a chance to review it, read it, and sign 
 07  it.  Do you understand that?
 08      A.   Yes.
 09      Q.   Okay.  And you understand that this is an 
 10  informal proceeding.  If you need to take a break for 
 11  some reason, if you'll let me know, I'll try to get to 
 12  a point to where I can break.
 13           I'd like to have some agreements with you 
 14  before we get started today, that if you don't hear my 
 15  question, would you ask me to repeat it before you try 
 16  to answer it?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   If you don't understand it, would you ask me 
 19  to clarify it before you try to answer?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   Okay.  What is your social security number?
 22      A.   ***-**-****.
 23      Q.   What is your driver's license number?
 24      A.   *********.
 25      Q.   Have you ever been convicted of a crime?
0008
 01      A.   No.
 02      Q.   What is your date of birth?
 03      A.   8/12/59.
 04      Q.   Where were you born?
 05      A.   Chelsea, Massachusetts.
 06      Q.   Where do you currently reside?
 07      A.   Plano, Texas.
 08      Q.   What is your address there?
 09      A.   2805 Silkwood Court, Plano, 75074.
 10      Q.   How are you currently employed?
 11      A.   I'm the principal of Armstrong Middle School 
 12  in Plano.
 13      Q.   Where did you graduate from high school?
 14      A.   Roosevelt High School in San Antonio.
 15      Q.   What year was that?
 16      A.   1978.
 17      Q.   And where did you enroll in college?
 18      A.   North Texas.
 19      Q.   What year did you enroll there?
 20      A.   Let me see.  I moved -- I started at Southwest 
 21  Texas and then ended up there, so that was -- I'm not 
 22  exactly sure, but maybe 1981, somewhere around there.
 23      Q.   Did you get a degree from North Texas?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   What degree did you get?
0009
 01      A.   A got a bachelor's of science in elementary 
 02  education with a minor in biology, and a master's in 
 03  administration, and a mid-management certificate.
 04      Q.   Did you get that all at one time?
 05      A.   I graduated, and then two years later, I had 
 06  my -- two and a half years later, I got my master's.
 07      Q.   When did you get your bachelor's?
 08      A.   1987.
 09      Q.   When did you received your master's?
 10      A.   1990.
 11      Q.   And your mid-management certificate was 
 12  received when?
 13      A.   1990.
 14      Q.   And when did you receive your classroom 
 15  teacher's certificate?
 16      A.   1987.
 17      Q.   Do you hold any other certificates from the 
 18  Texas Education Agency?
 19      A.   No.
 20      Q.   Any other degrees beyond your master's?
 21      A.   No.
 22      Q.   Have you ever published any books?
 23      A.   No.
 24      Q.   Published any articles?
 25      A.   No.
0010
 01      Q.   Okay.  When you received your teacher's 
 02  certificate, where did you go to work?
 03      A.   Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD at Sheffield 
 04  Intermediate.
 05      Q.   What year was that?
 06      A.   1987.
 07      Q.   And did you teach -- were you a classroom 
 08  teacher there?
 09      A.   Uh-huh.
 10      Q.   You need to answer with words.
 11      A.   I'm sorry.  Yes.
 12      Q.   Okay.  What grade level did you teach?
 13      A.   5th and 6th.
 14      Q.   What subject matters?  
 15      A.   I taught language arts, math, and I believe 
 16  one science class.  Then later I was assigned a 
 17  computer class.
 18      Q.   How long did you stay with the 
 19  Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district?
 20      A.   Three years.
 21      Q.   And then where did you go?  
 22      A.   I went to Lewisville ISD.
 23      Q.   What year did you go there?
 24      A.   1990.
 25      Q.   What position did you take there?
0011
 01      A.   Assistant principal at Griffin Middle School.
 02      Q.   How long did you remain in that position?
 03      A.   Three years.
 04      Q.   Until 1993?
 05      A.   Yes.
 06      Q.   Where did you go then?
 07      A.   I came to Plano.
 08      Q.   What position?
 09      A.   I was the assistant principal at Schimelpfenig 
 10  Middle School.
 11      Q.   How long did you stay in that position?
 12      A.   About three years.
 13      Q.   In 1996 did you take another position?
 14      A.   Armstrong Middle School.
 15      Q.   What position did you take there?
 16      A.   I was principal.
 17      Q.   You've been in that position since 1996?
 18      A.   This is my fourth year.
 19      Q.   What professional associations, educational 
 20  type of associations are you a member of?
 21      A.   The TASP.
 22      Q.   What does that stand for?
 23      A.   Texas Association of Secondary Principals; 
 24  TMSA, Texas Association of Middle School; ATPE, it's a 
 25  teacher organization.  There's one more.  I can't 
0012
 01  remember the last one.
 02      Q.   From time to time do you receive educational 
 03  materials and information from the associations that 
 04  you're a member of --
 05      A.   Yes.
 06      Q.   -- within the profession?
 07      A.   Yes.
 08      Q.   And from time to time do you attend 
 09  conferences on education and conferences on teaching 
 10  and continuing education from time to time?
 11      A.   Yes.
 12      Q.   Okay.  Do you attend TEA conferences?
 13      A.   Yes.
 14      Q.   Do you attend any of the TASB conferences?
 15      A.   I have gone to one -- one session within a 
 16  conference, but not a whole conference.
 17      Q.   Of TASB?
 18      A.   Uh-huh.
 19      Q.   At these conferences, do you learn about 
 20  school district policies?
 21      A.   Yes.
 22      Q.   Do you learn about updates on legal issues 
 23  involving school districts?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   Do you learn about new policies that have to 
0013
 01  go into place because of court cases and changes that 
 02  are going on in law?
 03      A.   Yes.
 04      Q.   Okay.  Do you feel like you keep pretty well 
 05  up to speed on all that?
 06      A.   Yes.
 07      Q.   Now, does the District, the Plano Independent 
 08  School District, have any in-house training that you 
 09  receive?  In addition to the TASB and TEA conferences, 
 10  do you receive any training here at the administration 
 11  building or from the District on updating on policies?
 12      A.   No.
 13      Q.   Does the District have any kind of a 
 14  requirement that persons in your position, such as a 
 15  principal, have to have so many hours of training 
 16  updated every year or periodically to keep your 
 17  position?
 18      A.   Yes.
 19      Q.   How many hours do you have to have in 
 20  additional training?
 21      A.   I think it's approximately 30 or thereabouts.
 22      Q.   Thirty a year?
 23      A.   Or about.  I'm not exactly sure on that.
 24      Q.   Okay.  Have you fulfilled those hours by going 
 25  to the conferences, the TEA conferences and the 
0014
 01  association conferences?
 02      A.   Yes.
 03      Q.   Now, you mentioned the Texas Association of 
 04  Secondary Principals.  Do they have conferences?
 05      A.   Yes.
 06      Q.   Do you attend those?
 07      A.   Yes.
 08      Q.   You also mentioned Texas Association of Middle 
 09  School Principals.
 10      A.   Yes.
 11      Q.   Do they have conferences?  
 12      A.   Yes. 
 13      Q.   And do you they attend those?
 14      A.   Yes.
 15      Q.   And then ATPE, do they have conferences?
 16      A.   Yes. 
 17      Q.   Do you attend those.
 18      A.   No.
 19      Q.   So you attend the Texas Association of 
 20  Secondary Principals, Texas Association of Middle 
 21  School conferences, TEA conferences, and sometimes the 
 22  TASB conferences?
 23      A.   That's correct.  
 24      Q.   All right.  When you came to work for Plano in 
 25  1990 -- let me be sure that's right -- no, 1993 -- when 
0015
 01  you came to work for Plano in 1993 as an assistant 
 02  principal, what did you understand your duties and 
 03  responsibilities to be in that position?
 04      A.   Since I answered to the principal, anything he 
 05  assigned to me.
 06      Q.   What did you actually do?
 07      A.   I think most everything:  scheduling, meeting 
 08  with teachers, parents, students, duty rosters, 
 09  interviews, budget, contracts, meetings.  I'm sure 
 10  there are others, I just don't recall what they were.
 11      Q.   As an assistant principal, did you from time 
 12  to time have meetings after the school hour at the 
 13  school with parents?
 14      A.   Yes.
 15      Q.   Did you have parent meetings where parents 
 16  were invited to come?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   Does the Plano Independent School District 
 19  encourage parents' participation in the school -- 
 20  schooling of their children?
 21      A.   Yes.
 22      Q.   Do they encourage the parents to have input in 
 23  the school?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   Do they encourage parents to be active in the 
0016
 01  school?
 02      A.   Yes.
 03      Q.   Do you personally think that's a good idea?
 04      A.   Yes.
 05      Q.   You think it's important that parents be 
 06  involved in their children's education?
 07      A.   Yes.
 08      Q.   Do you think it's important that they work 
 09  with them on their homework assignments and the 
 10  curriculum they're working on?
 11      A.   Yes.
 12      Q.   Do you think it's important for the parents to 
 13  know what their children are doing?
 14      A.   Yes.
 15      Q.   To understand the curriculum?
 16      A.   Yes.
 17      Q.   And to be involved in working with the school 
 18  to see that the kids understand the curriculum?
 19      A.   Yes.
 20      Q.   And you encourage those type of things, don't 
 21  you?
 22      A.   Yes.
 23      Q.   And every opportunity that you get, you 
 24  encourage parents to be at the school, to participate 
 25  in the school activities, to volunteer their time, and 
0017
 01  to be active in their child's education, don't you?
 02      A.   Yes.
 03      Q.   What is your understanding of the Plano 
 04  Independent School District's policies with respect to 
 05  parents participating in parents meetings that are 
 06  called by the school district?  
 07      A.   Oh, I think they have an opportunity to 
 08  participate in those meetings, but it depends on the 
 09  meeting.  That's hard to say because we have so many 
 10  different types of meetings in the school.  Sometimes 
 11  they're just informational where we're presenting some 
 12  information.  Sometimes it's more collaborative, like 
 13  on an SBIC committee.  It depends on the role of the 
 14  committee.
 15      Q.   From time to time, are parents -- let's move 
 16  on to Armstrong where you're now principal.
 17      A.   Okay.
 18      Q.   And let's just talk about Armstrong over the 
 19  last, say, three, four years that you've been 
 20  principal.
 21      A.   Okay. 
 22      Q.   You haven't seen since 1993 a change in the 
 23  District's policy concerning the desire for parental 
 24  input into education, have you?
 25      A.   Yes, I have.
0018
 01      Q.   Have you?
 02      A.   On the -- are you talking about literature or 
 03  are you just talking about policy?  I guess I need 
 04  clarification on that.
 05      Q.   Both.
 06      A.   Somehow I knew you were going to say that.  
 07  Not on -- as far as policies, I believe policies are   
 08  reviewed continuously.  And there are often changes or 
 09  additions or supplements, and we get those on the Web 
 10  site.
 11      Q.   Okay.  Have there been changes in the 
 12  District's policy concerning parents?
 13      A.   Oh, no.
 14      Q.   Concerning literature?
 15      A.   Not that I'm aware of.  That's probably a 
 16  better answer.
 17      Q.   Okay.
 18      A.   Because there could have been changes I'm just 
 19  not aware of.
 20      Q.   All right.  What other changes have there 
 21  been?
 22      A.   The only other one that I knew of recently was 
 23  the change in passing out literature.  It went, I 
 24  believe, from 24 hours approval to 48 or a longer 
 25  period of time.  We went to three days.
0019
 01      Q.   I'm sorry?
 02      A.   I think it went from a 24-hour period to three 
 03  days.  
 04      Q.   Now, what do you mean by passing out 
 05  literature, the change in that policy, as you 
 06  understand it?
 07      A.   You mean the change -- just what I said, that 
 08  I believe it went from being a 24-hour period of time 
 09  that the principal can review that information to a 
 10  three-day period.
 11      Q.   Okay.
 12      A.   But like I said, I'm not 100 percent sure on 
 13  that.
 14      Q.   What's your understanding of when that change 
 15  went into effect?
 16      A.   I don't know.
 17      Q.   Within the last couple of years?  Last year?
 18      A.   I don't know.
 19      Q.   But at one time when you came to work for the 
 20  District, was it a 24-hour review policy?
 21      A.   I believe so.
 22      Q.   And now you believe it's a three-day review 
 23  policy?
 24      A.   I'm sorry?
 25      Q.   Now you believe it's a three-day review 
0020
 01  policy?  
 02      A.   I believe. 
 03      Q.   Now, tell me what you understand the 
 04  District's policy to be at the middle schools, if 
 05  there's a difference -- I don't know if there is or 
 06  not, but if there is -- with respect to distribution of 
 07  literature by parents.
 08      A.   I believe the policy states that they have to 
 09  have prior approval from the principal, and they're 
 10  given a 24-hour -- during the time that I came to the 
 11  District, they were given a 24-hour time frame.  And if 
 12  I didn't respond, then it was not to be passed out.
 13      Q.   Kind of a pocket veto?
 14      A.   I guess.
 15      Q.   And you now think that the changes went from 
 16  24 to three days?
 17      A.   I believe.  I'm not positive.
 18      Q.   Let me be a little more specific on my 
 19  question and ask your understanding of the policy, if 
 20  you understand it to be any different.
 21           Is there any difference when a parent wants to 
 22  pass literature to another parent at a meeting of the 
 23  parents after hours at the school, or does the same 
 24  policy apply?
 25      A.   I don't know.
0021
 01      Q.   You don't know?
 02      A.   Huh-uh, I don't.
 03      Q.   You don't know if it's the same policy or you 
 04  don't know what the policy is or -- 
 05      A.   I'm not sure I understand what you're asking.
 06      Q.   Okay.  Let me clarify it for you.
 07      A.   Okay.
 08      Q.   Because I told you I would.
 09      A.   Okay.
 10      Q.   Let's assume that rather than distributing 
 11  literature -- a parent distributing literature to 
 12  students or distributing literature to just whoever may 
 13  be on the school campus during the school day -- 
 14      A.   Uh-huh. 
 15      Q.   -- that there is a meeting of the parents at 
 16  the school to discuss a curriculum or to discuss an 
 17  issue at the school.  It's a parent meeting, no --  
 18  students aren't there, it's not during the class day, 
 19  it's not during the class hours.  It's after hours in 
 20  the evening.  The parents are at the school.  What do 
 21  you understand the policy to be --
 22      A.   Okay.
 23      Q.   -- concerning the distribution by one parent 
 24  to another parent of literature in an after-hours 
 25  meeting?  
0022
 01      A.   Are you saying that the school has instigated 
 02  the meeting, or is that the context you're using that 
 03  in?
 04      Q.   Either the school has instigated -- let's say 
 05  the school has instigated the meeting.  Let's say the 
 06  school has invited the parents to come to a meeting -- 
 07  a parent meeting to discuss an issue at the school.  It 
 08  could be a curriculum -- 
 09      A.   I believe the same policy would apply.  They 
 10  have to have the prior approval.  
 11      Q.   That's -- 
 12      A.   That's what the policy states.  
 13      Q.   It's your understanding, then, that before a 
 14  parent can distribute to another parent --
 15      A.   Uh-huh.
 16      Q.   -- at the school at any time, either during 
 17  the school day or after the school day or in the 
 18  evenings, that the parent has got to get prior approval 
 19  of the principal?
 20      A.   That is my understanding of it.
 21      Q.   And it doesn't make any difference that the 
 22  parent is making a distribution to other parents as 
 23  opposed to making a distribution to students?
 24      A.   That's my understanding.  
 25      Q.   It's your understanding of the policy?
0023
 01      A.   Right.
 02      Q.   Okay.  Do you enforce that policy?  
 03      A.   I try to.
 04      Q.   If you saw a parent at a parent-teacher 
 05  meeting -- a group of parents, you know, where you 
 06  have -- do you have meetings like that where parents 
 07  are invited to come to the school?
 08      A.   Yes.
 09      Q.   To discuss topics?
 10      A.   Yes.
 11      Q.   And if you saw a parent at that meeting 
 12  handing out fliers to other parents, would you stop 
 13  them?
 14      A.   If they had not had prior approval, I would 
 15  ask them to do it outside off campus.
 16      Q.   Off the property?
 17      A.   Right.
 18      Q.   Which means not in the parking lot, not in the 
 19  driveway, but off the school property?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   And you wouldn't even permit them to 
 22  distribute them in the parking lot to each other if you 
 23  knew what was going on?
 24      A.   If I knew that, yes.
 25      Q.   So if you saw parents coming to the school 
0024
 01  meeting and they were out in a parking lot of the 
 02  school and they jump out of their cars and one parent 
 03  handed another parent a flier and you saw that, you 
 04  would tell them not to do that, that that's a violation 
 05  of policy?
 06      A.   My understanding of the policy is it's not to 
 07  be -- it's not to be within the school.  So that's my 
 08  understanding of the policy.
 09      Q.   It's not to be on school property?
 10      A.   Right.
 11      Q.   Okay.  Let me give you another example.  Let's 
 12  say that -- do you have dances for the students at your 
 13  school?
 14      A.   Yes, if you can call it that.  It's more like 
 15  rocking.  
 16      Q.   Middle school dances, all right.  After hours, 
 17  say, on a Friday night, parents bring their children -- 
 18  your children don't drive yet, right?
 19      A.   That's correct.
 20      Q.   Your students don't drive, so most of the time 
 21  the parents would bring them to that meeting?
 22      A.   Yes.
 23      Q.   Okay.  And that would be an after-hours school 
 24  dance, okay, say, on Friday night.  And the parents are 
 25  driving through the drop-off area and dropping their 
0025
 01  kids off.
 02           If you saw a parent out there handing out 
 03  fliers to the parents as they came through the 
 04  drive-by, you'd stop that under the policy?
 05      A.   If it wasn't on school property.  We have an 
 06  unusual -- the way our property is, we -- there's a bus 
 07  lane right in front.  Our school property is here, bus 
 08  line, and then there's public property.  So they're 
 09  very -- I mean, they're almost in the same -- we 
 10  don't -- we're right smack in the middle of a 
 11  neighborhood, and so we're -- the public and school is 
 12  very close together as far as where the parents are 
 13  dropping the students off.
 14      Q.   The bus lane is a lane that comes through the 
 15  school property for the buses to unload?
 16      A.   Uh-huh.
 17      Q.   And that's school property, right?
 18      A.   That's correct.
 19      Q.   So if you saw parents standing out there and 
 20  handing out fliers to other parents -- not to students, 
 21  but to other parents -- would that violate the policy 
 22  as you understand it?  
 23      A.   I believe so if it's on school property.
 24      Q.   Okay.  It wouldn't matter -- I mean, they 
 25  could be handing out a flier critical of a book that 
0026
 01  you're using at your school if they didn't like the 
 02  subject matter of the book and they wanted other 
 03  parents to know that there was some objection to the 
 04  subject matter, would that matter?
 05      A.   If they are on school property and they 
 06  haven't gotten prior approval, then they don't need to 
 07  be passing it out.
 08      Q.   Okay.  Even to other parents?
 09      A.   That's correct.
 10      Q.   That's your understanding of the way the 
 11  policy works?
 12      A.   Right.  
 13      Q.   Now, have you received any specific training 
 14  on that type of a policy, distribution of literature 
 15  policy in the schools?  Have you received any training 
 16  on that?
 17      A.   Not before the lawsuit was filed.
 18      Q.   Have you received some training on it since 
 19  the lawsuit was filed?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   Who conducted that training?
 22      A.   I don't exactly remember.  I remember at a 
 23  principal's meeting, our east cluster superintendent 
 24  went over passing out literature and explained the 
 25  policy.
0027
 01      Q.   In depth?
 02      A.   I believe it was him.  Now, I'm not saying for 
 03  sure.  I'm just -- I think that's who it was, but I 
 04  know it was at one of the principal's meetings.
 05      Q.   Who is your east cluster superintendent 
 06  that -- 
 07      A.   Jeff Bailey.
 08      Q.   Jeff Bailey?
 09      A.   Uh-huh.
 10      Q.   And it was at a principal's meeting?
 11      A.   Uh-huh.
 12      Q.   Is that right?
 13      A.   Yes.  I'm sorry.
 14      Q.   What did Mr. Bailey say at that principal's 
 15  meeting, as best you can recall, about the District's 
 16  policy on parent-to-parent distribution of literature?
 17      A.   I don't believe that that's the way it was 
 18  worded, but as best I can recall, they just went over 
 19  the policy.  They handed out the policy and just went 
 20  over it.  I couldn't tell you exactly how it was 
 21  stated.
 22      Q.   And did he describe for you or tell you how to 
 23  interpret the policy?
 24      A.   No.  We just went over the policy.
 25      Q.   Just read it?
0028
 01      A.   We went over it, yes.  
 02      Q.   Called it to your attention?
 03      A.   Yes.
 04      Q.   And this was after the lawsuit was filed and 
 05  after you were served?
 06      A.   No.  It was after the lawsuit was filed and 
 07  before I was served. 
 08      Q.   Okay.  Sometime -- 
 09      A.   In between there.  
 10      Q.   Right at the initiation of the lawsuit?
 11      A.   Right.
 12      Q.   So it would have been sometime in the second 
 13  or third quarter of 1999?  
 14      A.   I can't say.  I'm sorry.
 15      Q.   Now, prior to this training that you received 
 16  from Jeff Bailey on the distribution of literature 
 17  policy, had you ever received any training or ever been 
 18  in a meeting where distribution of literature policy 
 19  was discussed?
 20      A.   Not that I can recall.
 21      Q.   What policy was Mr. Bailey going over?  Do you 
 22  recall the name of the policy?
 23      A.   No.  That was a while ago.  I don't recall 
 24  that.
 25      Q.   Do you have a copy of the policies in your 
0029
 01  office?  
 02      A.   They're actually -- the hard copy that we were 
 03  given when I first came to the District was in a huge 
 04  big blue binder.  And since then, since we now have the 
 05  Web site, they just update the Web site.
 06           We are welcome to go to the Web site and print 
 07  it out.  I do not.  I just know where it is on the Web 
 08  site.  You can go and look up the policy.
 09      Q.   Okay.  How would you go look it up?  I mean, 
 10  how would you try to find it if you don't know the 
 11  number?
 12      A.   Well, it's bookmarked, I mean, on mine.  So I 
 13  can just click on it.  But I just bookmarked it.  It's 
 14  the Web site in Plano for policies.  
 15      Q.   You mean the Web site for the Plano 
 16  Independent School district is bookmarked?
 17      A.   Yes.  
 18      Q.   But the policies are pretty thick, aren't 
 19  they? 
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   There's a lot of policies?
 22      A.   Yes.
 23      Q.   So once you got into those policies on 
 24  the Web site, how would you find what dealt with 
 25  parent-to-parent distribution of literature?
0030
 01      A.   Well, there are categories you can go and 
 02  click on for the -- you just kind of have to scroll and 
 03  see what category you're looking for and then look it 
 04  up.
 05      Q.   Now, do you recall Mr. Bailey, when he went 
 06  over this policy after the lawsuit was filed, telling 
 07  you that parent-to-parent distribution at a 
 08  parent-teacher meeting after hours would violate 
 09  policy?
 10      A.   I don't recall.
 11      Q.   You don't recall the specifics of anything he 
 12  said?
 13      A.   No.  I just remember getting a copy of that 
 14  policy and going over it.
 15      Q.   Let me ask you to look at Exhibit 64.  Those 
 16  should be in order, and they're the original exhibits.  
 17  If you would, take a look at that.
 18      A.   (Witness complies.)
 19      Q.   Exhibit 64 is a copy of Judge Brown's May 5, 
 20  2000, order.  Have you seen this before?
 21      A.   Yes.
 22      Q.   When did you see it?
 23      A.   When we met with -- we saw it before we met 
 24  with Richard, but then again when we met with Richard.
 25      Q.   In preparation for your deposition?
0031
 01      A.   That's correct.
 02      Q.   Okay.  Now, this order by Judge Brown is 
 03  dated, on the last page, May 4, 2000.  I think it's 
 04  File stamped May 5, 2000.
 05           Since then, has there been any training by the 
 06  Plano Independent School District of its principals to 
 07  deal with parent-to-parent distribution of literature?
 08      A.   As I mentioned earlier, I don't really know 
 09  when that date was.  I can't tell you when it was, the 
 10  time frame, so I don't -- 
 11      Q.   I think you told me it was after the lawsuit 
 12  was filed but before you were served?
 13      A.   And I don't know -- I don't know exactly when 
 14  that was.  Since this has come out, no.
 15      Q.   That was my question.
 16      A.   Okay.  I'm sorry.
 17      Q.   Yes.  Since Judge Brown's order has come out 
 18  last May, has there been any additional training?
 19      A.   No.
 20      Q.   Do you know of any changes that the District 
 21  has made to their policy to comply with the order?
 22      A.   Not that I'm aware of.  I don't know.
 23      Q.   So you have seen the order.  I assume you've 
 24  read it?
 25      A.   Uh-huh, yes.
0032
 01      Q.   But you haven't received any training from the 
 02  District relative to the order?
 03      A.   Yes.
 04      Q.   Is that correct?
 05      A.   Yes.
 06      Q.   If you would, while we're looking at this, 
 07  would you look at Exhibit 27.  Tell you what, why don't 
 08  you pull out of those, if you would, Exhibit 1, 
 09  Exhibit 27, Exhibit 26, and Exhibits 47, 48, and 49.  
 10  Do you have those pulled out of the stack?
 11      A.   Yes.
 12      Q.   All right.  If you look at Exhibit 27 first,  
 13  this has been previously identified at the 
 14  superintendent's deposition, Dr. Otto, as GKA Local.  
 15  And it has a paragraph entitled distribution of 
 16  publications.  Do you see that?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   Is this the policy that you were referring to 
 19  on parent-to-parent distribution of literature?
 20      A.   It's an FM number.
 21      Q.   Do you know what it is?
 22      A.   No, not by memory I don't.
 23      Q.   All right.  This policy states that duplicated 
 24  written or printed materials, handbills, photographs, 
 25  pictures, films, tapes, or other visual or auditory 
0033
 01  materials shall not be sold, circulated, or distributed 
 02  by persons or groups not associated with the school on 
 03  any school premises in the District unless they have 
 04  received permission in accordance with FMA Local?
 05      A.   That's correct.
 06      Q.   Is that the way that you understand the policy 
 07  of the District to be?
 08      A.   Are you asking me if this is the policy that 
 09  I'm familiar with?
 10      Q.   No.  I'm asking if it's your understanding 
 11  that what I just read is the policy?  Not 
 12  necessarily -- you told me you couldn't say that this 
 13  was the exact policy.
 14      A.   Well, I'm assuming it is.  I'm not -- I mean, 
 15  I'm assuming that this is it.
 16      Q.   Why are you assuming that?
 17      A.   Well, because I just -- I'm just trying to 
 18  remember what the other one was.  But I do -- I'm 
 19  reading that, and that appears to be the policy.
 20      Q.   As you understand it?  
 21      A.   As I understand it.  There's another one, 
 22  though, somewhere.
 23      Q.   Okay.  In this particular paragraph of GKA 
 24  Local --
 25      A.   Uh-huh.
0034
 01      Q.   -- what is prohibited is the distribution by 
 02  persons or groups not associated with the school; is 
 03  that correct?
 04      A.   Yes.
 05      Q.   Are you aware of any definitions in the 
 06  District's policies or any written guidelines that  you 
 07  were given from the District as a principal that allow 
 08  you or give you direction on interpreting what the word 
 09  persons means?
 10      A.   No.
 11      Q.   Are you aware of any guidelines, definitions, 
 12  or direction in writing given to you by the District 
 13  that define for you what the term not associated with 
 14  the school means?
 15      A.   No.
 16      Q.   Did Mr. Bailey, in his training session with 
 17  you after the lawsuit was filed, go over what persons 
 18  meant for purposes of this policy?
 19      A.   No.
 20      Q.   Did he go over or explain to the principals 
 21  what the term not associated with the school meant?
 22      A.   I believe there was some conversation about 
 23  that, but I don't -- I couldn't verbatim tell you it 
 24  was something to the degree that -- my interpretation 
 25  was that if it was an employee by the District, that is 
0035
 01  the association.  Now, I -- I don't recall exactly how 
 02  it was said at the meeting.
 03      Q.   And you didn't have any handouts?
 04      A.   Just of the policy.  He handed us the policy.
 05      Q.   And no -- nothing to give you guidelines on 
 06  how to interpret the policy?
 07      A.   No.
 08      Q.   And you're not aware of any guidelines given 
 09  on the Web site or by the District to you at any time 
 10  that defines for you what not associated with the 
 11  school means?
 12      A.   No.
 13      Q.   Let me ask you, do you think that students are 
 14  associated with the school?
 15      A.   It depends on what capacity you're asking.  I 
 16  mean, they go to school.
 17      Q.   Okay.  They're enrolled there?
 18      A.   Yes.
 19      Q.   Okay.  They're required by law to attend?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   They're required by district policies to do 
 22  certain things while they're at school?
 23      A.   Yes.
 24      Q.   So do you think that they are associated with 
 25  the school?
0036
 01      A.   Yes, but not with this policy.  If that's what 
 02  you're getting at, I don't know.
 03      Q.   It's a little ambiguous, isn't it?
 04      A.   Uh-huh.  
 05      Q.   Is it?  
 06      A.   Not this.  What you're saying is ambiguous to 
 07  me.  I'm trying to pinpoint what you're asking me.
 08      Q.   What I'm trying to find out is, is that 
 09  there's no definition of what not associated or what 
 10  associated with the school means.
 11      A.   There's no definition, but I interpret this as 
 12  being an employee of the District is associated by the 
 13  policy.
 14                MR. ABERNATHY:  Let him finish the 
 15  question.
 16      A.   Oh, I'm sorry. 
 17      Q.   That's okay.  
 18      A.   I'm sorry.  
 19      Q.   How do you interpret it?  Go ahead.
 20                MR. ABERNATHY:  She just told you.
 21      Q.   Go ahead.  I'll ask the question.  How do you 
 22  interpret it?
 23      A.   Just that when I read this, I'm thinking that 
 24  what it's talking about is anyone who's not employed by 
 25  the District to distribute information.
0037
 01      Q.   Now, if it was -- if it meant employees, it 
 02  could have said employees, couldn't it?
 03      A.   It could.
 04      Q.   And that would have been clear that you've got 
 05  to be employed by the District, right?
 06      A.   I don't know.  I mean, I read it the way I 
 07  read it.
 08      Q.   Now, what do you think the term groups not 
 09  associated with the District means?
 10      A.   The same thing.  If they're not associated,  
 11  I'm seeing that as a person employed in the District.
 12      Q.   Okay.  Now, you have a lot of different groups 
 13  in the community that use the school for distribution 
 14  of fliers, don't you?
 15      A.   What do you mean?
 16      Q.   Plano Sports Authority.  They distribute 
 17  fliers through the school.
 18      A.   But that comes through central.
 19      Q.   Now, Plano Sports Authority is not employed by 
 20  the District, are they?
 21      A.   But that's approved through central.  Anything 
 22  that does not come through central -- and if I got 
 23  anything I would send it to central, so I wouldn't make 
 24  that call.  They would.
 25      Q.   But you have a lot of different groups, 
0038
 01  outside entities that aren't employed by the Plano 
 02  Independent School District that distribute literature, 
 03  don't you?
 04      A.   I'm assuming, yes.
 05      Q.   Well, you have PSA.  That's the Plano sports 
 06  Authority.  They have fliers that go through your 
 07  school?
 08      A.   Yes.
 09      Q.   Okay.  YMCA, Indian Guides, Indian Princess?
 10      A.   I don't know of all those because I only pass 
 11  out the literature that central sends me and gives 
 12  permission to pass out.  So I know our campus doesn't 
 13  get everything, so I don't know what all those groups 
 14  are.
 15      Q.   Given your understanding of this policy, if 
 16  one student wanted to pass out a flier to another 
 17  student during a non-curriculum time of the day, on the 
 18  playground, for instance, or in the hallway in between 
 19  classes, they couldn't do that without getting prior 
 20  permission?
 21      A.   That's correct.
 22                MR. ABERNATHY:  You're asking about 
 23  students?
 24                MR. BUNDREN:  Yes.  I'm asking her 
 25  understanding of the policy.
0039
 01                MR. ABERNATHY:  This policy relates to 
 02  the students.
 03      A.   This is -- you're talking about the FMA Local 
 04  or are you -- 
 05      Q.   I'm asking just your understanding of 
 06  policy -- your understanding of the District's policy.
 07      A.   They're not allowed to pass anything out 
 08  either without approval from the principal.
 09      Q.   So if a student wanted to come to -- during 
 10  the class day, not interrupting class, not disrupting 
 11  class, they're in a free time or in between classes, if 
 12  they wanted to hand a flier to another student, would 
 13  they have to get your permission?
 14      A.   No, because they -- I'm not going to know 
 15  every situation where a child does that.  If it is 
 16  literature they're passing out, I have to approve that.  
 17  But if they're passing a note or, I mean, those things 
 18  happen all the time.  So maybe I'm misunderstanding 
 19  your question.
 20      Q.   Well, if you saw a student passing out fliers 
 21  to other students -- 
 22      A.   What flier?  I mean, that's a little unclear 
 23  to me.
 24      Q.   Well, it could have been a flier that invited 
 25  them to come to the local pizza party at the local 
0040
 01  First Baptist Church, couldn't it?
 02      A.   My understanding is any literature passed out 
 03  by students or an adult has to be approved by the 
 04  principal.  And I don't have the policy right in front 
 05  of me.  It's a different policy than what I'm reading 
 06  here.  
 07      Q.   Okay.  
 08      A.   There's a different one for students, and I 
 09  don't know what the name of it is.
 10      Q.   Do you think that GKA Local applies to 
 11  students or does not apply to students?
 12      A.   No, this is -- I think this applies -- this is 
 13  talking about parents.  Well, that's the context you 
 14  used it in.
 15      Q.   You think that this policy doesn't apply to 
 16  students?
 17      A.   It says any materials, so I'm assuming that's 
 18  anyone.
 19      Q.   Okay.  Now, the policy that I just showed you, 
 20  GKA Local, references FMA Local.
 21      A.   Uh-huh.  
 22      Q.   Would you look at Exhibit 49, please.  This 
 23  has a paragraph in it called prior review?
 24      A.   Uh-huh.
 25      Q.   And this states that all written material over 
0041
 01  which the school does not exercise editorial control 
 02  that is intended for distribution to students -- 
 03      A.   Uh-huh.  
 04      Q.   -- shall be submitted for prior review 
 05  according to the following procedures, okay.  So is 
 06  this the policy you're referring to on student 
 07  distribution?
 08      A.   Yes.
 09      Q.   Okay.  Now, do you think this policy applies 
 10  to a parent-to-parent distribution after hours?
 11      A.   I think that's this policy.
 12      Q.   Which one are you referring to?
 13      A.   Right here.  
 14      Q.   27?
 15      A.   27.  And I'm -- I don't usually interpret all 
 16  those policies.  I usually go through central.  If I 
 17  have a question, I'll call and ask.
 18      Q.   As the principal of the school, it's your 
 19  responsibility to enforce those policies at that 
 20  school?
 21      A.   Correct.  And if I don't understand it, I'll 
 22  call.
 23      Q.   Okay.  And sometimes you don't have time to 
 24  make a call?
 25      A.   Oh, yes, I do.
0042
 01      Q.   After hours?
 02      A.   Yes.  I was there last night till 9:00 so, 
 03  yes.
 04      Q.   Who is it that you would call at 7:00 in the 
 05  evening?
 06      A.   I've called Jeff Bailey at home later than 
 07  that.  I have access to anyone that I need to if I need 
 08  to make a phone call for emergency purposes.  
 09      Q.   So you would have to find somebody at home and 
 10  ask for an interpretation of the policy to know what 
 11  you can and cannot do?
 12      A.   If I didn't understand it.
 13      Q.   Now, look at FMA Regulation, which is 
 14  Exhibit 1, if you would.  This states that distribution 
 15  of materials in district schools or offices is not 
 16  allowed, and then it has a paragraph that has a whole 
 17  bunch of exceptions.
 18      A.   Where?  I'm sorry.  I'm looking for -- is it 
 19  that one?
 20                MR. ABERNATHY:  It's up at the top, 
 21  Charles?
 22                MR. BUNDREN:  Yes.
 23      Q.   The first paragraph of this policy says 
 24  distribution of materials in district schools or 
 25  offices is not allowed.  And then it has a paragraph 
0043
 01  called exceptions.
 02      A.   Okay.  I found it.  I'm sorry.
 03      Q.   And the exception to that is, literature 
 04  regarding children's programs for nonprofit 
 05  youth-related organizations located in or functioning 
 06  in the District may be disseminated in a manner 
 07  delineated by the communications office.
 08           Then it gives examples of Boy Scouts, Girl 
 09  Scouts, PSA, PYSA, YMCA, YMCA Indian Guides, The 
 10  Classics, and Special Olympics. 
 11      A.   Uh-huh.
 12      Q.   There's also an exception for scouting fliers 
 13  that can be distributed in the fall, right?  Is that 
 14  right?
 15      A.   It says fliers may be distributed in the fall.
 16      Q.   Okay.  And then it has an exception for 
 17  nonprofit organizations, the next paragraph -- may be 
 18  allowed to distribute or display posters if the event 
 19  or activity is of an educational nature and will 
 20  benefit students.  It gives an example of the Dallas 
 21  Symphony, Dallas Orchestra, Dallas Arboretum.
 22      A.   Uh-huh.
 23      Q.   Now, these types of materials, for instance, 
 24  the posters of Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas 
 25  Arboretum, those types of things, are from time to time 
0044
 01  posted in your school; is that right?
 02      A.   If they've come through communications.
 03      Q.   Do you see any exceptions in this particular 
 04  policy that deals with parents?
 05      A.   I'm not sure I understand.  Are you saying are 
 06  the parents stated in this?
 07      Q.   Do you see an exception in this policy that 
 08  deals with the rights of parents to distribute 
 09  literature or to seek approval?
 10      A.   I believe this one is talking about 
 11  organizations.
 12      Q.   It appears to be, doesn't it?
 13      A.   Yes.
 14      Q.   Talking about nonprofits?
 15      A.   Uh-huh.
 16      Q.   Talking about different groups, but not 
 17  parents?
 18      A.   I don't see parents listed, no.
 19      Q.   Okay.  On Exhibit No. 49 -- do you have that?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   Is there a designated area at your school 
 22  where materials can be distributed to students?
 23      A.   You mean, do I designate a place?  Is that 
 24  what you're asking?
 25      Q.   Yes.
0045
 01      A.   I don't believe I've ever dealt with that yet.  
 02  I mean, since I've been a principal, I have not had to 
 03  designate a place.  That's not been applicable.
 04      Q.   Have you developed any time, place, and manner 
 05  restrictions on any kind of distribution of literature 
 06  at your school?
 07      A.   Have I developed -- well, I better follow 
 08  policy.
 09      Q.   My question is, have you developed any 
 10  specific time, place, and manner restrictions on the 
 11  distribution of any kind of literature at your campus?
 12      A.   And what I said is I would follow policy.  So, 
 13  you know, I would first get approval and then I would 
 14  probably ask that question -- in what manner should I 
 15  handle this, because everything is unique to the 
 16  circumstance.
 17      Q.   Okay.  When did you first hear about connected 
 18  math?
 19      A.   Let me see.  It was my -- I believe it was --  
 20  and I'm not exactly sure, but I believe it was the 
 21  second year -- let's see.  I couldn't tell you the 
 22  year, but it was my first year at Armstrong because 
 23  they were running a pilot program.
 24      Q.   At your school?
 25      A.   At Armstrong.
0046
 01      Q.   And what year would that have been?
 02      A.   The year I went to Armstrong.
 03      Q.   As a principal?
 04      A.   Yes.
 05      Q.   What year would that be?
 06      A.   It's in your notes.  I'm sorry.  I don't want 
 07  to have to count back.
 08      Q.   My notes indicate 1996-'97?
 09      A.   Yes, correct.
 10      Q.   Is that right?
 11      A.   Uh-huh, because I was there four years, so 
 12  that would be right.
 13      Q.   How did you hear about the fact that your 
 14  school was going to be a pilot for connected math?
 15      A.   Well, when I came in, they were already doing 
 16  connected math.
 17      Q.   What grade level?
 18      A.   I think it was at the 6th and 7th.  They were 
 19  all being trained.
 20      Q.   You say "they."  Do you mean the teachers?
 21      A.   Yes.  And I can't tell you exactly.  I don't 
 22  remember.  I really don't.
 23      Q.   How did you first learn that there was this 
 24  thing called connected math?
 25      A.   When I got on the campus, Pat Henry, my math 
0047
 01  department head, came and talked to me about it.
 02      Q.   What did Pat Henry say?
 03      A.   She just said that they were doing connected 
 04  math and wanted me to be aware of what it was.  So she 
 05  gave me a manual, and I read it.  And that's kind of 
 06  how we started.
 07      Q.   Had you ever heard of connected math prior to 
 08  that?
 09      A.   No.
 10      Q.   Have you received any specific training on 
 11  connected math?
 12      A.   What do you mean specific training?  
 13      Q.   There's been some testimony by some of the 
 14  Defendants that there were some meetings down in Austin 
 15  put on by TSSI.
 16      A.   No.
 17      Q.   And some of the teachers and administrators 
 18  went down to Austin to get training on that.  Did you 
 19  ever do that?
 20      A.   I didn't, no.
 21      Q.   Have you received any District training on 
 22  connected math?
 23      A.   Training is a little unclear.  I've been aware 
 24  of the program and I've read the materials, but 
 25  specific training, we're going to train you on 
0048
 01  connected math, no.
 02      Q.   Okay.  The reason I was asking those questions 
 03  is that some people have testified about specific 
 04  training.  It was unclear if it was just the teachers 
 05  or the administrators too.
 06           So you have not received any actual hands-on 
 07  training about connected math?
 08      A.   No.
 09      Q.   You're just aware that this is what the math 
 10  department is doing?
 11      A.   Now, we've gotten materials and information on 
 12  it.  But as far as specifically going through lessons 
 13  and here's -- you know, I've read the materials but, 
 14  no, not trained. 
 15      Q.   When Pat Henry came in 19 -- was this like the 
 16  fall of '96, when you were starting the fall semester?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   When Pat Henry came in and handed you this 
 19  manual on connected math, did you ask Pat, well, where 
 20  is the textbook or, you know, what is it we're 
 21  teaching?  I mean, did you ask any questions?
 22      A.   Yes, I did.  I asked lots of questions, but I 
 23  couldn't tell you all the questions I asked.  We spent 
 24  about a half a day or so going through that whole 
 25  thing.  She showed me the material.  She talked to me 
0049
 01  about, you know, just in general what connected math 
 02  was, that they had been doing a pilot.  And that was 
 03  almost four years ago, so I can't exactly recall what 
 04  that -- what was discussed, but I know we discussed it.
 05      Q.   And you needed to know that in case you had 
 06  questions from some of the parents?
 07      A.   Yes.  
 08      Q.   That's the reason you were curious?
 09      A.   Yes.
 10      Q.   All right.  Was there a textbook that year?
 11      A.   I believe there are workbooks that they use as 
 12  a textbook.
 13      Q.   Was that the first year in 1996-'97 that 
 14  connected math was at Armstrong?
 15      A.   No.
 16      Q.   Had it been there the prior year?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   Now, during the '96-'97 school year, did you 
 19  have any parent meetings to tell the parents about 
 20  connected math and that there was a pilot program going 
 21  on at Armstrong?
 22      A.   Yes.
 23      Q.   When did those parent meetings occur?
 24      A.   I couldn't tell you exactly the dates and 
 25  times and all that, but I know we had -- we tried to 
0050
 01  have one in the fall and one in the spring.
 02      Q.   So it would have been the fall of '96 and the 
 03  spring of '97?
 04      A.   And I'm trying to think.  I can't -- I don't 
 05  recall exactly.  I just remember having them.  I 
 06  remember being at them.
 07      Q.   Okay.  Did anyone come -- anyone from 
 08  administration come to those meetings?  
 09      A.   Jim Wohlgehagen.
 10      Q.   How did you communicate with the parents to 
 11  inform them that there was going to be a parent-teacher 
 12  night to discuss connected math?
 13      A.   Any time we do any parent meeting, we send a 
 14  flier home and we try to put it on the phone master, 
 15  but the phone master doesn't always work, so we -- it 
 16  does now, but at the -- when I first arrived there, 
 17  there was a problem with it, so sometimes it worked and 
 18  sometimes it didn't -- but fliers and phone master.
 19      Q.   Is the phone master some kind of recorded 
 20  message?
 21      A.   That's correct.
 22      Q.   So parents can call there and get a message?
 23      A.   It goes to every parent.
 24      Q.   Oh, it sends out a message to every parent 
 25  like an auto-dialer?
0051
 01      A.   Yes.
 02      Q.   Okay.  Now, the fliers.  You said you sent 
 03  fliers home.  How do you distribute those fliers?
 04      A.   The students take them home.
 05      Q.   So the school manufacturers a flier notifying 
 06  the parents of the meetings, and then students take 
 07  those home in their backpacks or take-home materials 
 08  and hand to their parents?
 09      A.   Yes.
 10      Q.   And you did that in the '96-'97 school year to 
 11  announce your parent meetings?
 12      A.   Any time we do a parent meeting, we either 
 13  send a flier or phone master.  That's pretty much a 
 14  standard procedure.
 15      Q.   Okay.  Now, in the fall meeting of '96 with 
 16  the parents or in the spring meeting of '97 with the 
 17  parents, was there any opposition or dissent -- let me 
 18  put it that way -- by the parents to the connected math 
 19  program?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   What do you recall about the opposition or 
 22  dissent, let's say, in the fall of 1996?
 23      A.   I can't exactly tell you dates and times 
 24  again, but I know there were parents that felt that was 
 25  not the best program for their child.  And there were 
0052
 01  just -- I was hearing also from the teachers that there 
 02  was, you know, a group of parents that wasn't happy 
 03  with the program.
 04      Q.   Did you start to hear that in the fall of '96?
 05      A.   I heard it right when I got there.
 06      Q.   From the very beginning.
 07      A.   Pat, when she went through the program with 
 08  me, said that we didn't have 100 percent, but she felt 
 09  like it was a good program.
 10      Q.   What did you understand she meant by didn't 
 11  have 100 percent?
 12      A.   That we didn't have 100 percent parents in 
 13  agreement with CMP.
 14      Q.   Oh, okay.  So she told you in that first 
 15  meeting when you first learned about CMP that were some 
 16  dissenting views on CMP from the parents?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   So you were aware of that right off the bat?
 19      A.   Yes.
 20      Q.   I assume that the fact there was some dissent 
 21  from the parents led you to believe that you may need 
 22  to kind of bone up on this to understand what's going 
 23  on here?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   Okay.  So you took a half a day with Pat to be 
0053
 01  sure you boned up as much as you could?
 02      A.   Yes.  And I also met with Jim Wohlgehagen.
 03      Q.   How long did you meet with Jim?
 04      A.   I don't remember.
 05      Q.   Now, when you had your parents meeting in the 
 06  spring of 1997, did you also have parents appear at 
 07  that meeting who were expressing opposition or 
 08  dissenting views?
 09      A.   Yes.  I mean, I couldn't tell you 
 10  specifically, but I remember there was some opposition.
 11      Q.   Did the parents speak up in the spring of '97 
 12  meeting with concerns about the program?
 13      A.   The way we structured our meeting is we had 
 14  the general meeting that Jim did.  This is pretty much 
 15  almost every meeting that I'm aware of when we were 
 16  there.  And then we'd divide them into grade levels to 
 17  go with their teachers.  So that's when a lot of that 
 18  discussion occurred.
 19      Q.   When they were divided into grade levels?
 20      A.   Right.  So they could meet with their 
 21  teachers.
 22      Q.   So your teachers then would come back and 
 23  report to you that there were parents that were in 
 24  opposition to what the District was doing on connected  
 25  math?
0054
 01      A.   Yes.
 02      Q.   So you were aware that was going on in the 
 03  spring of '97?
 04      A.   Yes.
 05      Q.   Okay.  Did you have the connected math program 
 06  at Armstrong in the '97-'98 school year?
 07      A.   Yes.
 08      Q.   And what grade levels did you have it in?
 09      A.   I don't remember.  I just remember there was a 
 10  process of implementation where they would get trained 
 11  and each group go and get the training for the grade 
 12  level.
 13      Q.   Your teachers?  
 14      A.   Yes, my teachers.  And I know one of my 
 15  teachers went to all three trainings.
 16      Q.   And were these in the summer down in Austin?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   So by grade level, they started taking your 
 19  teachers and taking them to Austin to get training on 
 20  connected math?
 21      A.   As I recall, yes.
 22      Q.   And you never went down there for any of that 
 23  training?
 24      A.   No.  
 25      Q.   Did you have a feel in the '96-'97 school year 
0055
 01  about how strong the opposition was in your school to 
 02  connected math?
 03      A.   I guess I didn't.  I know there was some 
 04  opposition, but the parents that I was speaking with 
 05  were very kind.  They went oppositional to me.  They 
 06  were feeling strong about the program, and I think 
 07  that's the way it's pretty much always been.  They felt 
 08  strongly about the program, but they weren't rude or 
 09  anything, at least on my campus they weren't, so...
 10      Q.   But you certainly knew that in the '96-'97 
 11  school year, there was a group of parents that had real 
 12  concerns and had expressed opposition to continuing the 
 13  program?
 14      A.   Yes.
 15      Q.   That was very clear to you?
 16      A.   Yes.
 17      Q.   Now, in the '97-'98 school year, did you have 
 18  parent meetings on connected math?
 19      A.   Yes.
 20      Q.   Okay.  When did you have those meetings, 
 21  generally?
 22      A.   I want to say -- and I'm not -- I'm 
 23  recollecting off that because we were going through 
 24  renovation, so I couldn't tell you exactly, but I think 
 25  we brought the parents in -- I can't even tell you if 
0056
 01  it was fall and spring.  We did bring them in, but I 
 02  can't tell you exactly if it was both semesters.  But 
 03  they came in.  Same setup.  We had the general meeting.  
 04  They went to teachers' classrooms.  
 05      Q.   Dr. Wohlgehagen came in?
 06      A.   Yes.  He's been at every one since I've been 
 07  there.
 08      Q.   So he would come in and speak generally to the 
 09  group?
 10      A.   He and Pat would kind of do it a little bit 
 11  together, but he did most of it.
 12      Q.   Pat is Pat Henry?
 13      A.   Yes, my department head.  
 14      Q.   Okay.  
 15      A.   They were actually, in my opinion, more 
 16  knowledgeable about it since they had been there since 
 17  the inception of it, so they would do the meeting.
 18      Q.   Approximately -- can you give us an 
 19  approximate idea about how many parents attended the 
 20  meetings in the '97-'98 school year?
 21      A.   Maybe 100.
 22      Q.   Okay.  Now, during the -- let's back up to the 
 23  '96-'97 meetings that you had.  
 24      A.   Uh-huh.  
 25      Q.   At those meetings, did any of the parents that 
0057
 01  appeared and were opposed to the program, did they 
 02  attempt to distribute any literature to each other?
 03      A.   In that year, no, not that I'm aware of, 
 04  unless they did it and I wasn't aware of.
 05      Q.   I'm just asking what you're aware of.
 06      A.   Okay, sorry.  No.
 07      Q.   You didn't see that?  
 08      A.   No.
 09      Q.   Okay.  You knew that they were there and you 
 10  knew that they had concerns and you knew that they had 
 11  some opposition to the program, but there wasn't any 
 12  distribution of literature by those parents?
 13      A.   Not that I was aware of.
 14      Q.   Okay.  How about in the '97-'98 meetings of 
 15  the parents?  Did the opposition continue to be there?
 16      A.   Uh-huh, yes.
 17      Q.   Did it grow?
 18      A.   I don't know if it grew or not.  I just was 
 19  aware it was still very present.  I couldn't tell you, 
 20  you know, if they were increasing or that sort of 
 21  thing, but they were present.
 22      Q.   And you had this -- well, you had one or two 
 23  during that school year.  You did have a parent meeting 
 24  specifically on connected math.  Dr. Wohlgehagen came 
 25  out.  He and Pat Henry presented the general session?
0058
 01      A.   Yes.
 02      Q.   Then you broke off to the classrooms?
 03      A.   Yes.
 04      Q.   And then did you get feedback from your 
 05  teachers about the parents and how they felt about the 
 06  program?
 07      A.   Yes.
 08      Q.   And was there a feedback of opposition to the 
 09  program?
 10      A.   Yes.
 11      Q.   How would you -- if you can, give me an idea 
 12  of your general feeling in the '97-'98 school year 
 13  about how strong that opposition was at your school?
 14      A.   I couldn't tell you.  I mean, I don't know 
 15  if -- you mentioned if it grew or not.  I don't know.  
 16  I just remember that there were concerned parents that 
 17  were there, and they voiced those to the teachers, and 
 18  the teachers felt like they handled them during the 
 19  meetings at that time.  So I couldn't tell you 
 20  specifically, but there was opposition.
 21      Q.   Okay.  Now, in the summer of 1998, did you 
 22  become aware that there was going to be a parents 
 23  meeting off-site, not at the school, that was being 
 24  organized by Mrs. Jenkins?
 25      A.   All right.  Can I rephrase that?  I think I 
0059
 01  understand, but I'm not -- would you rephrase it?  
 02  Maybe I didn't understand.
 03      Q.   At some point between the spring semester of 
 04  '98 and the fall semester of 1999, did you become 
 05  aware -- or at some point did you become aware 
 06  that there was going to be a parents meeting arranged 
 07  by parents of the District --
 08      A.   Oh, okay.
 09      Q.   -- to discuss the connected math program?
 10      A.   I saw it in the paper.
 11      Q.   Okay.  So you saw an ad in the paper 
 12  announcing a parents meeting?  
 13      A.   No.  I think what I saw was an article.  I 
 14  don't know if it was an ad or -- it was -- I think it 
 15  said that they were -- they had met.  I think it was 
 16  after the meeting.  I don't remember.  It was either 
 17  before or after.  I just remember seeing in the paper 
 18  something to do with this meeting.
 19      Q.   Did you know that -- when did you first learn 
 20  that in June of 1998 these parents were going to have a 
 21  meeting?
 22      A.   Oh, I didn't know.  I mean, there's always 
 23  rumblings, but I don't know.
 24      Q.   What do you mean by rumblings?  
 25      A.   Like parents just, you know, I heard there's a 
0060
 01  meeting, and I just -- you know, if that was what 
 02  needed to happen, that's what needed to happen, as long 
 03  as I was responsible for my school, that's what I 
 04  needed to focus on.
 05      Q.   Now, in the summer of 1998 going into the fall 
 06  1998 school year -- 
 07      A.   Wait -- okay, going into 1998-'99.  
 08      Q.   Are you with me on that time frame?
 09      A.   Yes.  The years are all convoluted to me, 
 10  so...
 11      Q.   At that point at your school, you were into 
 12  the third year of the pilot program or fourth year?
 13      A.   When I came there, I think that was their 
 14  second, I believe, because -- like I said, I'm not real 
 15  clear on that.  I don't remember.  I just remember we 
 16  were implementing it by grade.
 17                MR. BUNDREN:  Let's take a short break. 
 18                (Recess from 10:21 to 10:30 a.m.) 
 19      Q.   Ms. Green, during the break there was some 
 20  discussion about dates.
 21      A.   Yes.
 22      Q.   Did you have something you wanted to clarify?
 23      A.   Yes.  I'm a year off when I came to Armstrong.  
 24  It was actually a year later than when I had told you.
 25      Q.   Okay.  So your first year at Armstrong as 
0061
 01  principal would have been what school year?
 02      A.   19 -- wait a minute.  Hang on.  We just went 
 03  through this.
 04                MR. ABERNATHY:  Could I offer this?  Is 
 05  this the start of your forth year?
 06                THE WITNESS:  Yes, the beginning of my 
 07  fourth year. 
 08                MR. ABERNATHY:  So if it's the beginning 
 09  of your fourth year, then '97-'98 would be your first 
 10  year.
 11                THE WITNESS:  '97-'98.  I thought that's 
 12  what I -- I must have said '96-'97.
 13      A.   Okay.  It is '97-'98.  Sorry.
 14      Q.   So your first year as a principal at Armstrong 
 15  would have been fall -- 
 16      A.   The school year 1997-'98.
 17      Q.   So you started in the fall of '97, and then 
 18  spring of '98?
 19      A.   That's correct.
 20      Q.   Okay.  That's your first year?
 21      A.   I think, yes.
 22      Q.   So -- 
 23                MR. ABERNATHY:  Could I offer -- I'm 
 24  getting that confirmed, and I'll confirm it for you.
 25                THE WITNESS:  We're just going to make 
0062
 01  sure.
 02                MR. ABERNATHY:  I'll confirm it for you.
 03                MR. BUNDREN:  If it's different, just let 
 04  us know.
 05                THE WITNESS:  All right.
 06      Q.   Now, I don't know it's that critical because 
 07  I'm just trying to get a sequence of what all occurred.
 08      A.   Okay.
 09      Q.   So let me go back.  Whatever year it was in 
 10  your first year there, pretty close -- once you first 
 11  got to the school, you had this meeting with Pat Henry, 
 12  who was your math coordinator?
 13      A.   Yes.
 14      Q.   You spent a half a day with Pat Henry learning 
 15  about connected math?  
 16      A.   Yes. 
 17      Q.   And Pat Henry told you that there were parents 
 18  who were opposed to the program -- they already knew 
 19  there were parents that were opposed to the program?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   Which caused you as a principal to even want 
 22  to know more about what was going on because it's your 
 23  school and you need to know what's happening?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   Okay.  Then you had a parent meeting in the 
0063
 01  fall and another parent meeting in the spring of 1998; 
 02  is that right?  
 03      A.   Yes.
 04      Q.   And you knew during that year that there were 
 05  parents of students at your school who had a dissenting 
 06  view or opposing view to the administration's pilot on 
 07  connected math?
 08      A.   Yes.
 09      Q.   When did you learn that Ronni Jenkins -- she's 
 10  one of your parents, isn't she?
 11      A.   Yes.
 12      Q.   Her children attend your school -- or did 
 13  attend your school at that time?
 14      A.   Yes.
 15      Q.   Okay.  When did you first meet Mrs. Jenkins?
 16      A.   I know it was probably that first year I was 
 17  there.  I'm almost positive it was that first year.
 18      Q.   And do you remember the context of your 
 19  meeting with Mrs. Jenkins?
 20      A.   No.
 21      Q.   When did you first come to understand that 
 22  Mrs. Jenkins, who is one of your parents, opposed the 
 23  connected math program that the District was piloting?
 24      A.   I couldn't give you an exact time frame.  I do 
 25  recall early on, though, having a conversation with 
0064
 01  her.
 02      Q.   And did she express to you in that 
 03  conversation her opposition to connected math?
 04      A.   I think the way she told that to me was that 
 05  she had some concerns about the math program.  And it's 
 06  not exactly what she said probably, but something to 
 07  that degree.  
 08      Q.   Who were the other parents that you know at 
 09  the school that first year that were opposed to the 
 10  math program besides Mrs. Jenkins?  
 11      A.   She -- Mrs. Jenkins was the only one I think 
 12  that was pretty consistent.  I didn't really have a 
 13  group of parents that were coming to me at that time 
 14  saying, I don't like this.  I think just several 
 15  parents said that they, you know, were concerned about 
 16  math -- about the math program.
 17      Q.   Okay.  Now, you said Mrs. Jenkins was 
 18  consistent.  Has she been consistent in her opposition 
 19  to the math program since you first met her?
 20      A.   Let me clarify.  Consistent in the sense 
 21  that I saw her.  She was in the building.  She would 
 22  always speak.  She sometimes would do nice things for 
 23  the staff.  So it wasn't like she was consistent, 
 24  always at my door saying she didn't like it.  I meant 
 25  consistent in that I saw her.  I got to know her right 
0065
 01  away.
 02      Q.   She was very active in the school?
 03      A.   That first year, and the second probably.
 04      Q.   So she was a parent who was concerned about 
 05  education, concerned about her kids, and expressed that 
 06  through her conduct and activities at the school?
 07      A.   Yes.
 08      Q.   Did you ever have any problems with 
 09  Mrs. Jenkins?
 10      A.   No.
 11      Q.   Was she ever rude to you?
 12      A.   No.
 13      Q.   Ever speak harshly to you?
 14      A.   I think she was upset with me at our last 
 15  meeting, but I think it was just more she was concerned 
 16  about her sons, so...
 17      Q.   Concerned about her sons?  What about her 
 18  sons?
 19      A.   She wanted to put them in algebra.
 20      Q.   Were they in connected math?
 21      A.   Were they in our math program?
 22      Q.   Yes.
 23      A.   Yes.
 24      Q.   And did that connected math program involve 
 25  connected -- did it involve connected math?
0066
 01      A.   Yes.
 02      Q.   And did she oppose that?
 03      A.   Yes.
 04      Q.   And did she want to move them out of that?
 05      A.   Yes.
 06      Q.   And what did you say to her?
 07      A.   Yes.
 08      Q.   That she could?
 09      A.   Yes.
 10      Q.   Why was she upset with you?
 11      A.   I think she thought I was going to say no.  
 12  And once we established that, you know, I wanted to 
 13  work with her and, you know, work through that, I think 
 14  we were okay.  
 15      Q.   So early on in your tenure as a principal at 
 16  Armstrong, you knew that Mrs. Jenkins was in opposition 
 17  to the District's connected math program?
 18      A.   Yes.
 19      Q.   And she was consistently in opposition to it?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   Would you say that her opposition to it grew 
 22  as the years went by?
 23      A.   No, because she was always the same as far as 
 24  with me.  I mean, you know, she's very consistent.  But 
 25  I wouldn't say it grew, at least not from my 
0067
 01  understanding.
 02      Q.   Now, sometime in the spring of 1998, did you 
 03  have a conversation with Mrs. Jenkins at an 8th grade 
 04  social concerning the upcoming summer's meeting with 
 05  the parents?
 06      A.   I don't remember.
 07      Q.   You don't have any recollection of that 
 08  meeting?
 09      A.   No.
 10      Q.   Okay.  Did you tell Mrs. Jenkins that the 
 11  administration had found out about her meeting with the 
 12  parents in the summer?
 13      A.   If did I, I don't recall saying that.
 14      Q.   You can't deny that you said that, you just 
 15  don't recall?
 16      A.   I can't deny it and I can't -- like I said, I 
 17  don't remember.  It was long ago.
 18      Q.   Did you tell Mrs. Jenkins that because she had 
 19  scheduled the meeting of the parents in the summer of 
 20  1998, that the administration had ordered you to 
 21  conduct parent math meetings in May of '98?
 22      A.   No.  I don't recall that.
 23      Q.   You don't recall that one way or the other?
 24      A.   No, I don't remember that at all.  I don't 
 25  remember that conversation taking place.  That's not my 
0068
 01  style.  That's not how I talk.  
 02      Q.   Who decided when you were going to conduct 
 03  your parent meetings on connected math?
 04      A.   In what -- during what time frame?
 05      Q.   In the first year you were there.
 06      A.   Well, they had done -- when I got there,  they 
 07  were already doing math meetings.  They already had 
 08  math meetings.
 09      Q.   They were ongoing?
 10      A.   Uh-huh.  They usually did one in the fall and 
 11  one in the spring.
 12      Q.   Okay.  Now, let's talk about the spring 
 13  meetings of 1998.  Now, there were some meetings in the 
 14  spring of 1998 with the parents right before the school 
 15  year ended?
 16      A.   Uh-huh.  
 17      Q.   Is that right?
 18      A.   That's correct.
 19      Q.   Okay.  Who told you to conduct those meetings 
 20  in that time frame?
 21      A.   No one.
 22      Q.   Who made the decision that you would have a 
 23  meeting right before school adjourned in 1998?
 24      A.   We had been doing that every year since I had 
 25  been there in the fall and the spring.  So we were 
0069
 01  doing the same thing -- we didn't change what we were 
 02  already doing.
 03      Q.   Do you recall if you had that meeting in May 
 04  of 1998?
 05      A.   I know it was in the spring.  I can't tell you 
 06  exactly when it was, but it was in -- it was in the 
 07  latter part of the spring.
 08      Q.   Okay.  Last six-week period or something?
 09      A.   I can't tell you that.  I'm sorry.
 10      Q.   Now, that was your second -- if we're right on 
 11  when you started at Armstrong, that would have been 
 12  your second parents meeting to talk about connected 
 13  math?
 14      A.   Uh-huh.
 15      Q.   Is that right?
 16      A.   Yes.  Sorry.
 17      Q.   Were there opposition parents at that meeting? 
 18      A.   I don't know.  I would guess yes, I mean, 
 19  because there were always parents that were asking 
 20  questions.  They weren't ever rude about it or 
 21  anything, but there were always questions so, yes.
 22      Q.   And they expressed concern about the program?
 23      A.   Yes.
 24      Q.   Questioned the program?
 25      A.   Yes.
0070
 01      Q.   Opposed the program?
 02      A.   Some.  
 03      Q.   It would be fair to say that there were 
 04  differing views among your parents on the 
 05  appropriateness of the program for their students?
 06      A.   No.  The only information that I received from 
 07  the parents is that they were concerned about the 
 08  connected math program.  We didn't talk about 
 09  appropriateness or not appropriateness.  There was a 
 10  concern about the actual program, the content of the 
 11  program.
 12      Q.   Were they -- did they express concern to you 
 13  about whether or not their child that was enrolled in 
 14  your school was receiving proper instruction on math 
 15  because of the program?
 16      A.   Yes.
 17      Q.   Okay.  Were there parents that wanted to opt 
 18  out of the program?  
 19      A.   If they did, they didn't come to me to ask.  I 
 20  think the opposition was there, but I didn't have 
 21  anyone until later -- I think the last year -- say  
 22  something to me.  
 23      Q.   Now, at some point, and you say, I think, 
 24  earlier in the summer of 1998 or some point in that 
 25  time frame you learned about a parents meeting outside 
0071
 01  of the school district at some other place to discuss 
 02  the District's pilot program on connected math; is that 
 03  right?
 04      A.   I just remember seeing something on it, that's 
 05  correct.  I couldn't -- 
 06      Q.   In the newspaper or -- 
 07      A.   Somewhere -- I saw something on it, yes.
 08      Q.   Tell me what you recall about where you saw it 
 09  and what you recall.
 10      A.   I don't remember.  I'm sorry.  I don't 
 11  remember.
 12      Q.   Now, in the fall of 1998, going into the 
 13  1998-'99 school year, that would have been your second 
 14  year --
 15      A.   Okay.
 16      Q.   -- as principal at Armstrong; is that right?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   And the District was still in a pilot program 
 19  for connected math at your school?
 20      A.   Yes.
 21      Q.   And you had -- did you have any fall 
 22  meetings in the fall of 1998?  Were there any meetings 
 23  in the fall?
 24      A.   I think we tried to have them twice a year.  I 
 25  know when we began the renovation, there was a problem 
0072
 01  too with space.  We had stuff all over the building.  I 
 02  can't recall if we did, but our goal was to have them 
 03  each semester, every semester I was there.  They'd been 
 04  doing that before.  We wanted to continue doing that to 
 05  keep everyone informed.
 06      Q.   Okay.  Now, do you know if you had one in the 
 07  fall, or was that in the first quarter of 1999?
 08      A.   I don't recall.  I'm assuming we did, but I 
 09  can't tell you exactly when we had it.
 10      Q.   During the fall of 1998 and the early part of 
 11  1999, did the opposition among the parents to the 
 12  connected math program grow?
 13      A.   I don't think it did.  I think there's always 
 14  been opposition.  So I couldn't tell you if it was 
 15  growing or not.  I didn't have any more parents come 
 16  talk to me about it.
 17      Q.   Did you hear more about what was going on in 
 18  the District with the connected math?
 19      A.   Yes.
 20      Q.   Did it tend to you to be escalating within the 
 21  District?
 22      A.   At some point, yes.
 23      Q.   Okay.  You're aware that there was some 
 24  Level 1 grievances filed by some of the parents dealing 
 25  with connected math?
0073
 01      A.   Yes.
 02      Q.   That's a little unusual, isn't it?
 03      A.   Not in a school district, I mean.
 04      Q.   Have you ever had someone file a Level 1 
 05  grievance against you --
 06      A.   No.
 07      Q.   -- on curriculum?
 08      A.   No.
 09      Q.   That's a little different -- it doesn't deal 
 10  with discipline or it doesn't deal with expulsion -- 
 11  let me ask you this.  Have you ever heard of a 
 12  grievance filed before in the school district 
 13  concerning a pilot program?
 14      A.   Before what?
 15      Q.   At any time while you've been in Plano?  Have 
 16  you ever come across or heard of a grievance filed with 
 17  respect to a pilot program?
 18      A.   Not that I'm aware of.
 19      Q.   Were you aware that there were parents in your 
 20  school during the fall of 1998 that were seeking 
 21  petitions, parent signatures on petitions to the school 
 22  board about the connected math program?
 23      A.   Yes.
 24      Q.   How did you become aware of the petition 
 25  drive?
0074
 01      A.   One of my parents came and said that there 
 02  was -- there were people asking them to sign 
 03  petitions -- that they said if they didn't sign the 
 04  petition, they wouldn't get a textbook or something 
 05  like that.  I couldn't verbatim quote it, but that's, I 
 06  believe, what I was told, that there were several 
 07  parents that came and said there were petitions 
 08  circulating.
 09      Q.   Dealing with connected math?
 10      A.   Yes.
 11      Q.   Among the parent group?
 12      A.   Yes.
 13      Q.   Did you ever see any of those petitions?
 14      A.   I believe I saw it when it was completed 
 15  because it listed out, I think, you know, all the 
 16  people that signed it.  And I think that was once it 
 17  had been submitted.
 18      Q.   To the Board?
 19      A.   (Moving head up and down.)
 20      Q.   Is that your understanding?
 21      A.   Wherever they submitted it.  I just remember 
 22  seeing a copy of it.
 23      Q.   Do you recall in what context you saw a copy 
 24  of it?
 25      A.   No.
0075
 01      Q.   Okay.  Did it list the school that the 
 02  parents' child was enrolled in?
 03      A.   I think it was just a list of names, grades -- 
 04  and, yes, it was by campus.
 05      Q.   Okay.  And this was kind of like a data list 
 06  that had a field for data -- or a field for name and a 
 07  field for campus and a field for grade, that kind of 
 08  thing?  
 09      A.   I believe, something to that effect.
 10      Q.   Okay.  Did you attend any of the Board of 
 11  Trustee's meetings on connected math?
 12      A.   Yes.
 13      Q.   Which ones did you attend?
 14      A.   I had a teacher speaking at one regarding the 
 15  connected math program, in support of it, and I went to 
 16  support her.
 17      Q.   Who was that teacher?
 18      A.   Margaret Craig.
 19      Q.   Did she speak at an open meeting of the Board 
 20  of Trustees?
 21      A.   Yes.
 22      Q.   Do you know when that was?
 23      A.   I want to say in the spring of 1999.
 24      Q.   Was it when the Board was considering the 
 25  adoption of a textbook?
0076
 01      A.   There was open meetings.  And I believe that 
 02  she went to speak at one of the open meetings.  I don't 
 03  recall which exact one, though.
 04      Q.   Did you see Mrs. Jenkins there?
 05      A.   I don't remember.  I don't remember.
 06      Q.   When do you recall the District finally made a 
 07  recommendation for approval of a textbook on connected 
 08  math?
 09      A.   I don't recall that that happened.  All I know 
 10  is that the way we were structuring the curriculum on 
 11  my campus is how we implemented it, per the Board 
 12  directive.
 13      Q.   Did you ever have -- in the 1998-1999 school 
 14  year, did you ever have a textbook for connected math?
 15      A.   Not that I'm aware of.
 16      Q.   Did you get a textbook for connected math in 
 17  the 1999-2000 year?
 18      A.   I think I mentioned earlier we were using the 
 19  workbooks as the textbook.
 20      Q.   And where did the workbooks come from?
 21      A.   The program?  You mean for the ones the kids 
 22  were using?
 23      Q.   Yes, the materials you were using in the 
 24  program?
 25      A.   Because we were -- at that point we were still 
0077
 01  a pilot, we were getting them from Jim Wohlgehagen.
 02      Q.   Have you been a principal at Armstrong Middle 
 03  School when any other pilot programs were going on 
 04  there?
 05      A.   Yes.
 06      Q.   How many different pilot programs have gone on 
 07  at Armstrong Middle School?
 08      A.   Several.
 09      Q.   And what do you understand the pilot programs 
 10  to be?
 11      A.   I understand a pilot program is an opportunity 
 12  to maybe try something to see if it's going to be 
 13  successful with the students.  Specifically I'm 
 14  speaking of boys and girls club or after school 
 15  programs.
 16      Q.   How about curriculum -- pilot programs on 
 17  curriculum?
 18      A.   I had never worked with one before coming to 
 19  Armstrong, so I was following the District directive on 
 20  that.
 21      Q.   So when you were presented with the connected 
 22  math program as a pilot program at Armstrong, it was 
 23  the first time you'd ever seen that?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   Since you've been at Armstrong, how many other 
0078
 01  pilot programs on curriculum have you worked with?
 02      A.   None.
 03      Q.   Now, did you attend the parents meetings on 
 04  connected math in the '98-'99 school year?
 05      A.   Let me think back.  I went to all of them, so 
 06  if we had them on our campus, I was there.
 07      Q.   Did you see Mrs. Jenkins at any of those?
 08      A.   Yes.
 09      Q.   And during one of those sessions, did 
 10  Mrs. Jenkins point out to the people that were 
 11  participating in the program a reference in the grant 
 12  application to the students as being human subjects?
 13      A.   I don't recall that.  I don't remember.
 14      Q.   Did you ever tell the group that you weren't 
 15  going to address Mrs. Jenkins' concern about the grant 
 16  referring to the students as human subjects?
 17      A.   I don't even remember that statement being 
 18  made, so I don't recall that.
 19      Q.   So you don't recall ever standing up and 
 20  saying, we're not going to address that question?
 21      A.   Hang on a second.  I think what you're 
 22  referring to is, we had a meeting -- one of the 
 23  meetings, that we were getting ready to divide into our 
 24  groups to go to the classroom, and I said that we 
 25  wanted to give the parents the opportunity instead of 
0079
 01  in the big group is to let them talk to their teachers 
 02  and let them ask their questions with their teachers,  
 03  if that's what you're talking about.  Other than that, 
 04  I don't recall anything else being said.
 05      Q.   You don't recall Mrs. Jenkins ever raising the 
 06  question of why the students were referred to as human 
 07  subjects in the grant application?
 08      A.   No.  I don't even recognize that statement 
 09  that you're making.
 10      Q.   Did you ever review the grant application?
 11      A.   No.
 12      Q.   Do you know that there was a grant 
 13  application?
 14      A.   No.
 15      Q.   Did anyone from the District ever tell you 
 16  that the grant application referred to the students as 
 17  human subjects?
 18      A.   No.
 19      Q.   I want to go back to these series of these 
 20  meetings that you had on parent-teacher math night and 
 21  be sure I understand what was going on there.
 22           As I understand it, each meeting had the same 
 23  basic format?
 24      A.   Uh-huh.
 25      Q.   Is that right?
0080
 01      A.   Yes.
 02      Q.   A date was selected for the meeting, a 
 03  location at the school was selected, a time was 
 04  selected, and there was a flier sent out to the parents 
 05  through the take-home folders of the kids --
 06      A.   Yes.
 07      Q.   -- announcing the meeting?
 08      A.   Yes.
 09      Q.   Did you put it on your marquee as well?
 10      A.   We probably did.  I couldn't tell you, but we 
 11  try to get all meetings on there.
 12      Q.   So you were distributing information to the 
 13  parents about the connected math parent-teacher 
 14  meetings at least through the fliers -- you know that 
 15  for sure?
 16      A.   Yes.
 17      Q.   Your phone mail system?
 18      A.   If it was working.  
 19      Q.   What did you call it?
 20      A.   Phone master.
 21      Q.   Phone master, okay, which was kind of an 
 22  auto-dialer.  
 23      A.   Uh-huh.  
 24      Q.   And it dials all the parents' homes --
 25      A.   Yes.
0081
 01      Q.   -- and gives them a recorded message, right?
 02      A.   Yes.
 03      Q.   And the marquee, if you got it on there?
 04      A.   Right.
 05      Q.   And it was an invitation to parents to come to 
 06  the school after hours to get information about the 
 07  pilot program of connected math occurring at your 
 08  school?
 09      A.   Yes.
 10      Q.   Okay.  And then there would be a question and 
 11  answer session afterwards?
 12      A.   No.  It was more like we had the informational 
 13  meeting on the front end and they went to the teachers 
 14  rooms.  And they actually did a lesson with the teacher 
 15  so they could have, you know, some experience with what 
 16  the kids were being asked to do.  And then if they had 
 17  questions, they were welcome to ask them at that time.
 18      Q.   Okay.  Now, you told your parents -- or at 
 19  least expressed to them, or at least it was understood, 
 20  I guess -- that the connected math program at Armstrong 
 21  was a pilot program?
 22      A.   I didn't say that.  I think that was just an 
 23  understanding in the District, that it was a pilot 
 24  program.
 25      Q.   Okay.  Not every middle school had it?
0082
 01      A.   That's correct.
 02      Q.   And it was being run through Armstrong Middle 
 03  School to be tested to see how the students responded?
 04      A.   I don't think that's exactly what they were 
 05  doing.  I think they first had to validate that it was 
 06  a good, strong educational program for students, 
 07  because I doubt very seriously they would have brought 
 08  that in just as testing.
 09      Q.   Well, how do you validate that it's a good, 
 10  strong educational program for students without testing 
 11  it?
 12      A.   That's Jim Wohlgehagen's responsibility.
 13      Q.   You don't know?
 14      A.   No.
 15      Q.   Okay.  Now, the format of your meeting was, is 
 16  that it was after hours?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   During non-curriculum time?
 19      A.   Yes.
 20      Q.   An invitation to parents to come to the 
 21  school?
 22      A.   Uh-huh.
 23      Q.   Correct?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   Subject matter of the program would be 
0083
 01  connected math?
 02      A.   Math, uh-huh.
 03      Q.   Okay.  Someone from the administration of the 
 04  school district would come to address the crowd?
 05      A.   With our department head.
 06      Q.   Okay.  And Dr. Wohlgehagen and Mr. Henry -- is 
 07  it Mr. or Ms Henry?
 08      A.   Ms. Henry, uh-huh.
 09      Q.   Ms. Henry -- Pat Henry would address the 
 10  parents about connected math?
 11      A.   Yes.
 12      Q.   And then after that was done, there would be 
 13  a -- you would break up into smaller groups and go talk 
 14  to the teachers?
 15      A.   Yes.
 16      Q.   And there would be further information about 
 17  connected math; is that right?
 18      A.   They would walk through a lesson.
 19      Q.   Okay.  So the parents would be invited to 
 20  come.  They'd park in the parking lots.  They'd ingress 
 21  through your hallways to you meeting room?
 22      A.   We -- all parents have to enter through the 
 23  front because of the security.  All the doors are 
 24  locked.
 25      Q.   Where did you conduct your meeting?
0084
 01      A.   In the cafeteria.
 02      Q.   Okay.  Were there materials available for the 
 03  parents to pick up, review, or take home that the 
 04  District had at those meetings?
 05      A.   No.
 06      Q.   Did the District ever put out any textbooks or 
 07  show any materials to any of the parents?
 08      A.   Not that I'm aware of.  Not at our campus.
 09      Q.   You never saw that?
 10      A.   I never saw that.
 11      Q.   Did Dr. Wohlgehagen ever bring any proposed 
 12  textbooks to any of the meetings?
 13      A.   I don't remember.
 14      Q.   Did you ever become aware that the Texas 
 15  Education Agency had reviewed some of the proposed 
 16  connected math textbooks and found them nonconforming 
 17  to the TEKS?
 18      A.   No.
 19      Q.   You never knew that?
 20      A.   No.
 21      Q.   No one ever told you that?
 22      A.   No.  
 23      Q.   Dr. Wohlgehagen never told you that?
 24      A.   No, not that I'm aware of.  Not that I can 
 25  remember.
0085
 01      Q.   Do you know -- 
 02      A.   If he did, I don't remember.
 03      Q.   You know what the TEKS are, don't you?
 04      A.   Yes.
 05      Q.   Those are very important, aren't they?
 06      A.   Yes.
 07      Q.   Would it surprise you that Dr. Wohlgehagen 
 08  would propose a textbook that was found by the TEA to 
 09  be nonconforming to the TEKS?
 10      A.   Yes.
 11      Q.   At any time during this controversy concerning 
 12  connected math, did you ever, at any point, from any 
 13  source, learn that there was a TEA report that found 
 14  that the textbook proposed by Dr. Wohlgehagen didn't 
 15  conform to the TEKS?
 16      A.   No.
 17      Q.   You never knew that?
 18      A.   No.
 19      Q.   Okay.  Did you ever learn any information from 
 20  any other school districts about their experience with 
 21  connected math?
 22                MR. ABERNATHY:  Wait a second.  Charles, 
 23  I let you go here.  What does this have to do with 
 24  First Amendment rights?
 25                MR. BUNDREN:  It's got a lot.
0086
 01                MR. ABERNATHY:  Well, you need to tell me 
 02  because I'm going to stop it here and I'll go ask for a 
 03  protective order because I don't get what this has got 
 04  to do.  If you can help me, then I'll -- 
 05                MR. BUNDREN:  Well, I'm not going to 
 06  disclose my theory of my case.
 07                MR. ABERNATHY:  Well, I'm not trying to 
 08  get you to do that.  
 09                MR. BUNDREN:  I think it has a lot to do 
 10  with it.  I'm not going to go -- 
 11                MR. ABERNATHY:  The connected math case 
 12  has been disposed of as of the time being.
 13                MR. BUNDREN:  There's a lot of 
 14  information that somebody in the District didn't let 
 15  the principals know.
 16                MR. ABERNATHY:  Okay.  
 17                MR. BUNDREN:  So -- 
 18                MR. ABERNATHY:  That's fine.  
 19                MR. BUNDREN:  And that information was 
 20  information that was available to the parents, which 
 21  was censored by the District, so -- what was my 
 22  question?
 23      Q.   Let me reask the question.  During this pilot 
 24  program before the Board of Trustees had actually 
 25  adopted connected math for full implementation, did you 
0087
 01  learn from any source any information from other school 
 02  districts in the country that had used connected math 
 03  and what their experience was?
 04      A.   Not that I can remember.
 05      Q.   Now, at some point, you understood that the 
 06  Board of Trustees were going to take a vote on 
 07  implementing connected math throughout the District?
 08      A.   My understanding is they would have open 
 09  meetings to have discussions about the math program and 
 10  that they would be visiting campuses.
 11      Q.   Are you using connected math today?
 12      A.   We follow our math program that the District 
 13  uses at Armstrong.
 14      Q.   Does that math program include connected math?
 15      A.   It's the math program that we're -- we're 
 16  following, but we use other resources dependent on what 
 17  the kids need.
 18      Q.   At some point, you had a conversation with 
 19  Mrs. Jenkins about her being -- or she asked you about 
 20  being appointed to some textbook committees; is that 
 21  correct?
 22      A.   Yes.
 23      Q.   Did she request that?
 24      A.   She called me and requested that.
 25      Q.   And how did you respond no her request?
0088
 01                MR. ABERNATHY:  We're not going to 
 02  discuss it anymore.  She's not going to answer the 
 03  question about textbooks.  That's been resolved.  If 
 04  that's a problem, then I'll go seek a protective order 
 05  and ask the Judge not to force her to go through this.  
 06  We'll bring her back if the case is remanded on that 
 07  issue.  You can depose her on those facts then.
 08      Q.   Do you refuse to answer that question?
 09                MR. ABERNATHY:  On the advice of counsel.
 10      A.   On the advice of the counsel.
 11                MR. BUNDREN:  I will tell you now, 
 12  Richard, that you don't have a right to instruct the 
 13  witness not to answer a question that does not involve 
 14  a privileged matter under the Rules.
 15                MR. ABERNATHY:  To seek -- 
 16                MR. BUNDREN:  Under the Rules, you don't 
 17  have a right to instruct anyone not to answer a 
 18  question that doesn't involve privilege.  You can 
 19  object to it, but you don't have a right to instruct 
 20  her not the answer the question.
 21                MR. ABERNATHY:  Fine.  We'll recess it 
 22  and I'll go seek a protective order and we'll come back 
 23  and decide if you can ask those questions.
 24                MR. BUNDREN:  I'm not going to recess the 
 25  deposition.  But I want -- 
0089
 01                MR. ABERNATHY:  I am on this question.
 02                MR. BUNDREN:  I want answers to my 
 03  questions.  And if you don't allow the witness to 
 04  answer the question, I'll seek a sanction from the 
 05  Court.
 06                MR. ABERNATHY:  That's fine.
 07                MR. BUNDREN:  I'm going to tell you that 
 08  now.
 09                MR. ABERNATHY:  Okay.  I'm going to tell 
 10  you now that I'm going to seek a protective order.  I'm 
 11  going to recess the deposition now as to these 
 12  questions to seek a protective order to prevent you 
 13  from asking questions about a part of the lawsuit 
 14  that's already been resolved.
 15                MR. BUNDREN:  It has not been resolved 
 16  because it shows motive.  And I'm not going to get into 
 17  my explanation to you as to why I'm asking questions.
 18                MR. ABERNATHY:  Okay.  That part of the 
 19  lawsuit -- 
 20                MR. BUNDREN:  You can instruct her not to 
 21  answer because she's your client.  
 22                MR. ABERNATHY:  We're going to recess.  I 
 23  won't instruct her not to answer.  We'll just recess 
 24  it.  I'll go seek a protective order and we'll let the 
 25  Judge decide.
0090
 01                MR. BUNDREN:  All right.  I'm going to 
 02  ask some more questions.  And then you can instruct her 
 03  however you want to, but I'm just warning you that I 
 04  will seek a sanction because you can't instruct the 
 05  witness not to answer the question.
 06                MR. ABERNATHY:  Then I'll withdraw that.  
 07  We'll just recess it and I'll go seek a protective 
 08  order, which I have the right to do.
 09           So what my requests are, so we won't have to 
 10  have the fight is, can we go to the part that has to 
 11  do -- I mean, I know -- I understand your contention 
 12  that it relates, and I understand your contention that 
 13  you're not going to tell me how it relates.
 14                MR. BUNDREN:  I don't have to.
 15                MR. ABERNATHY:  Okay.  If that's your 
 16  position, that's fine.  I think I have the right to 
 17  assert -- to request the Court for a protective order 
 18  not to allow you to ask questions about this part of 
 19  the lawsuit.
 20           If there are other parts of the lawsuit we can 
 21  go to so we don't have to come back and do the rest of 
 22  it.  If the Judge says I've got to answer them, then 
 23  we'll answer them. 
 24                MR. BUNDREN:  I'm going to make my 
 25  record so we have the questions on the record so the 
0091
 01  Judge can look at those when we seek the sanctions and 
 02  when you seek your protective order because he needs to 
 03  know what I want to know so he can make a ruling on 
 04  that.
 05                MR. ABERNATHY:  Well, then I'm going to 
 06  recess it now because I'm not going to let you set me 
 07  up and say -- tell her not to answer the question when 
 08  all I just said -- look, let me go ask for a protective 
 09  order on this issue, and if the Judge says I have to 
 10  answer them, then we'll come back and give you the 
 11  information, Charles.
 12                MR. BUNDREN:  I'm not going to agree to 
 13  recess the deposition.  And I'm going to ask my 
 14  questions, and you can instruct her however you want to 
 15  instruct her and she can follow the instruction or not 
 16  follow it, but then the Court will know what the 
 17  Court's ruling on.  And the Court needs to know what 
 18  the Court is going to rule on.  I've only asked one 
 19  question that you've instructed her not to answer.  
 20                MR. ABERNATHY:  Well, I've withdrawn that 
 21  and I said I'm going to recess the deposition and seek 
 22  a protective order if you're going to continue to go 
 23  down there.
 24           If there's something else we can talk about 
 25  today that doesn't relate to that -- I mean, I'll say 
0092
 01  fine.  If you want to talk about the issue of the 
 02  textbook committee.  As to all those questions you ask
 03  about the textbook committee, let me go ask for a 
 04  protective order.  If you want to seek sanctions from 
 05  me seeking a protective order, that's fine -- or for 
 06  recessing the deposition on that issue, that's fine, 
 07  Charles.  There's no need to have this -- this fight 
 08  about it, I mean.
 09                (Exhibit No. 71 marked.)
 10      Q.   I'll ask you to look at Exhibit 71.
 11                THE WITNESS:  Can we take a break?
 12                MR. ABERNATHY:  Sure.  
 13                (Recess from 11:02 to 11:07 a.m.) 
 14      Q.   I'll hand you Exhibit 71.  Is this an 
 15  affidavit that you filed in this case?
 16      A.   Yes.
 17      Q.   I want to question you about your statements 
 18  in paragraph 5, paragraph 6, and paragraph 7, 
 19  concerning your conversations with Ms. Brooks 
 20  concerning the textbook committee and concerning your 
 21  conversations with Veronica Jenkins concerning her 
 22  request that she be appointed to the textbook 
 23  committee.  Are you going to refuse to answer those 
 24  questions?
 25      A.   No.
0093
 01      Q.   Okay.  Let me then ask you about paragraph 5.  
 02  Mrs. Jenkins requested that she be appointed to the 
 03  parent textbook committee; is that correct?
 04      A.   Yes.
 05      Q.   What is the parent textbook committee?
 06      A.   At that time, I didn't really know.  I had 
 07  never appointed anyone, so I didn't know.
 08      Q.   What did you do to find out about the parent 
 09  textbook committee?
 10      A.   I called Marilyn Brooks.
 11      Q.   What did she tell you?
 12      A.   She said that the textbook committee is to 
 13  look at appropriateness of grade level, not content.
 14      Q.   Did Mrs. Jenkins tell you why she wanted to be 
 15  on the parent textbook committee?
 16      A.   I'm sure she did in our conversation.  I don't 
 17  recall what she said.
 18      Q.   Have you ever served on any textbook 
 19  committees for the District?
 20      A.   No.
 21      Q.   Are you aware that there is a textbook 
 22  committee?
 23      A.   I knew they had them, yes.
 24      Q.   Is there a difference between a parent 
 25  textbook committee and some other textbook committee in 
0094
 01  the District?
 02      A.   At that time, I didn't know, but I believe
 03  there's two different committees that meet.  And I 
 04  believe Mrs. Jenkins was the one that told me that.  I 
 05  don't recall exactly, but I think so.
 06      Q.   Do you know how textbooks that you're going to 
 07  use for teaching curriculum in the District are adopted 
 08  by the District?  Do you know the process for that?
 09      A.   I know that there's a committee that goes 
 10  through that process.  But, no, I don't know the exact 
 11  process of it.
 12      Q.   After Ms. Books -- did you ever tell 
 13  Mrs. Jenkins that you would agree to appoint her to the 
 14  parent textbook committee?
 15      A.   The way I stated that is, I didn't have a 
 16  problem with that; but since I didn't know the process 
 17  or the procedures, I would need to call and find out.
 18      Q.   And did you find out that principals of 
 19  schools do have the ability to appoint people?
 20      A.   I did then.
 21      Q.   Okay.  And what did you find out about the 
 22  process for the principal to make the appointment to 
 23  the parent textbook committee?
 24      A.   My understanding from Pat Ownby who called me, 
 25  she stated that principals can appoint parents to a 
0095
 01  textbook committee, and there's a form that has to be 
 02  filled out and submitted to the committee -- or the 
 03  person that's running the committee or in charge of the 
 04  committee.
 05      Q.   Did you fill out that form for Mrs. Jenkins?
 06      A.   No.
 07      Q.   What did you tell Mrs. Jenkins was the reason 
 08  you didn't fill out the form?
 09      A.   I said that I had spoken with Ms. Brooks and 
 10  that there were -- that in order to be on this textbook 
 11  committee, that this textbook committee was looking at 
 12  the appropriateness of the materials.
 13      Q.   Did Mrs. Jenkins tell you that she did not 
 14  want to be on the committee?
 15      A.   Did she tell me she didn't want to be on it?
 16      Q.   After you told her what the committee's 
 17  purpose was, did she tell you, I don't want to be on 
 18  that committee?
 19      A.   No, she didn't say that.
 20      Q.   Did she ever withdraw her request to you to 
 21  appoint her?
 22      A.   No.  
 23      Q.   But you declined to appoint her?
 24      A.   No, that's not what I said.
 25      Q.   Would you look at paragraph 7 of your 
0096
 01  affidavit.
 02      A.   Uh-huh.
 03      Q.   Did you state in your affidavit, I decline to 
 04  appoint her?
 05      A.   I didn't say to her, I decline to appoint you.  
 06  I thought that's what you were saying I said.
 07      Q.   I'm sorry.
 08      A.   I'm sorry.  I just basically -- what I said to 
 09  her was that this committee was charged with looking at 
 10  the appropriateness of the material.  If there are bad 
 11  pictures in there, if there's slang, if there's cuss 
 12  words, that kind of thing, and it didn't address the 
 13  content, which I thought that was really what she was 
 14  after.
 15      Q.   But she never told you after you explained 
 16  that to her that she wanted to withdraw her request, 
 17  did she?
 18      A.   We didn't discuss it any further.
 19      Q.   You just declined to appoint her at that 
 20  point?
 21      A.   I didn't decline.  I never did anything.  I 
 22  didn't decline.  I didn't tell her.  I just didn't -- I 
 23  didn't put her on because I didn't think that that was 
 24  what she was after.  
 25      Q.   Well, your affidavit says in paragraph 7, I 
0097
 01  declined to appoint her.
 02      A.   Right.  And I didn't tell her that.  I just 
 03  didn't -- in order for me to -- I didn't fill out the 
 04  textbook committee -- and maybe that was the wrong term 
 05  for me to use -- but basically I didn't appoint her 
 06  because I didn't think that's what she was after.  I 
 07  mean, there was no malicious intent or anything else.
 08      Q.   Let me ask you to look at Exhibit 28.
 09      A.   28?
 10      Q.   Yes.  This is a petition for addition of a 
 11  specific academic 6th grade math classes at Armstrong 
 12  Middle School for the year 1999-2000.  Have you seen 
 13  this before?
 14      A.   No.
 15      Q.   Is this similar to the parents' petition that 
 16  you said -- you said you saw earlier?
 17      A.   No.
 18      Q.   This does relate to your school, does it not?
 19      A.   I mean, it has my school's name on it, but 
 20  that's all that I see.
 21      Q.   And it has the address -- 
 22      A.   I'm sorry, and our address.
 23      Q.   3805 Timberline, is that your address?
 24      A.   That's correct.
 25      Q.   And it makes a request for a specific textbook
0098
 01  and course of study, the Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Division, 
 02  Mathematics?  
 03      A.   Can I read this?
 04      Q.   Sure.
 05      A.   Thanks. (Witness reviews documents.)  Okay. 
 06      Q.   Now, it makes a specific request for a 
 07  specific course of study or textbook; is that right?
 08      A.   A textbook, yes.
 09      Q.   All right.  And did you know that one of these 
 10  was circulating?
 11      A.   No, I didn't.  I know that -- no, I didn't.
 12      Q.   I'll ask you if you'd look at Exhibit 29.  
 13  Exhibit 29 is a flier on American Youth Soccer 
 14  Organization.  And I asked you earlier about fliers 
 15  that you sent home with the children in their backpacks 
 16  from the middle school.  Is this an example of a type 
 17  of flier that would be sent home?
 18      A.   It's hard to answer.  I mean, they're all so 
 19  different.  I mean, they're different across the board 
 20  but, I mean, it could look like that.  It could look 
 21  differently.
 22      Q.   This flier announces a registration for youth 
 23  soccer sponsored by the American Youth Soccer 
 24  Organization.  Have you heard of the American Youth 
 25  Soccer Organization?
0099
 01      A.   Yes.
 02      Q.   Do you distribute fliers on their 
 03  registrations?
 04      A.   I don't recall that at my campus.
 05      Q.   Let's look at the next one.  The next one is 
 06  Exhibit 30.  This is a Girl Scout recruitment night.  
 07  Have you ever distributed fliers at your campus on Girl 
 08  Scout recruitment or Girl Scout information?
 09      A.   Probably, but I don't remember what it looks 
 10  like.
 11      Q.   Exhibit 31 is the Plano Baseball Association 
 12  and Plano Girls Softball Association.  Have you ever 
 13  distributed fliers --
 14      A.   Yes.
 15      Q.   -- on this?
 16      A.   Yes.
 17      Q.   Okay.  
 18      A.   Maybe not this particular one, but --
 19      Q.   I understand.
 20      A.   -- of that organization.
 21      Q.   Okay.  But you have distributed fliers for the 
 22  Plano Baseball Association and Plano Girls Softball 
 23  Association?
 24      A.   Yes.
 25      Q.   And when you distribute these fliers on these 
0100
 01  registrations or announcements of upcoming seasons, do 
 02  these typically go home with the children in their 
 03  overnight backpacks?
 04      A.   Yes.
 05      Q.   That's the way you typically do it?
 06      A.   Yes -- no, that's incorrect.  I'm sorry.  What 
 07  we're told usually is to post them.  Usually there's 
 08  one flier, and we post them.  I can't think of 
 09  anything -- and there probably are some, but I can't 
 10  think of any right now -- that are enough for all of 
 11  ours kids on our campus.
 12           These -- usually we only get a handful of 
 13  these, and we post them.  There's a bulletin board that 
 14  we have public information on that bulletin board.
 15      Q.   And if somebody -- if a parent or a student 
 16  wanted to get a copy of one of these, they could come 
 17  to the office and pick it up?
 18      A.   If we had them.
 19      Q.   Okay.  If you had enough of them, you'd send 
 20  them out in fliers to the kids?
 21      A.   Not unless it said specifically from 
 22  communications to do that.
 23      Q.   Would it surprise you if there were parents 
 24  who are going to testify that these do come home in the 
 25  backpacks, would it?
0101
 01      A.   Not at middle school, they don't.  We don't 
 02  pay for the printing to do it.
 03      Q.   How about PSA, Exhibit 31?  Is that the type 
 04  of flier that would be -- 
 05      A.   Posted.
 06      Q.   -- posted or distributed?
 07      A.   It probably would look something similar to 
 08  that.
 09      Q.   How about Exhibit 33 at your school?  Indian 
 10  Guides, Indian Princess, is this the type of flier? 
 11      A.   I've never seen that one.
 12      Q.   Do you know who the YMCA is?
 13      A.   Yes.
 14      Q.   Have you ever posted or distributed materials 
 15  that they have printed?
 16      A.   I don't remember.  We do lots of different 
 17  ones.  I couldn't tell you specifically.  Sometimes I 
 18  know what they are and am familiar with the 
 19  organization.  Sometimes they're ones I haven't seen 
 20  before.
 21      Q.   The next one is Exhibit 34.  That's the first 
 22  annual punt, pass, and kick contest sponsored by the 
 23  Plano East Quarterback Club.  Have you ever seen a 
 24  flier like this before?
 25      A.   I don't recall seeing this.
0102
 01      Q.   Do you keep at your school any kind of a 
 02  register indicating the fliers that you have posted?
 03      A.   We started that this year.
 04      Q.   Why?
 05      A.   Because sometimes someone would ask something, 
 06  and I couldn't recall if we did it.  So now I can go 
 07  back and look to see what went home and -- we don't 
 08  keep the ones that post.  But if it's anything we send 
 09  home that we're asked to send home with the students or 
 10  anything that we as a school send home, just so I can 
 11  reference it.
 12      Q.   What types of things do you send home?
 13      A.   Just school stuff, like fliers on meetings, if 
 14  a team wants us to send their newsletter, you know, to 
 15  their kids.
 16      Q.   A team being?
 17      A.   The team of teachers.
 18      Q.   Okay.
 19      A.   That type of thing, newsletters, progress 
 20  reports.
 21      Q.   Exhibit 35 is a Little Caesars Pizza Kit.  And 
 22  it has a notation on the side, Armstrong Middle School.
 23      A.   Yes.  This is a fund-raiser.  We sold this at 
 24  open house as a fund-raiser.
 25      Q.   And do those fliers go home to the kids?
0103
 01      A.   The teachers sent them home with their 
 02  students.  
 03      Q.   Okay.  
 04      A.   Because it's a school sponsored fund-raiser.
 05      Q.   Exhibit No. 36 is a Market Insurance Company 
 06  Youth -- American Youth student and sports insurance.  
 07  Have you ever seen this before?
 08      A.   Our sports, I believe, go through athletics, 
 09  so I don't recall seeing this.
 10      Q.   Exhibit 39 is a Paperboard recycling program.  
 11  This is a paperboard recycling program.  Have you ever 
 12  seen something like this go through the school system?
 13      A.   Well, we have -- 
 14      Q.   At your school, I mean?
 15      A.   We just started this year a recycling program.  
 16  And I believe the District approved BFI to help us with 
 17  that.
 18      Q.   BFI is a-- 
 19      A.   They're the ones who put out the canisters.
 20      Q.   They're a trash collection private company?
 21      A.   And I'm not exactly sure that's the name of 
 22  it, but they're going to help with recycling. 
 23      Q.   Okay.  And so you would put out an 
 24  announcement about that to the students?
 25      A.   The students participate in helping with that 
0104
 01  program.
 02      Q.   This indicates that there is a box -- it's 
 03  just an example -- there's a box in the back of the 
 04  comments.  Now, do you have a place at your school 
 05  where you encourage kids to bring things to school to 
 06  recycle?
 07      A.   We have one in our parking lot.
 08      Q.   Did you send out a flier to the parents 
 09  through the students?
 10      A.   A newsletter.
 11      Q.   Through a newsletter?
 12      A.   It's in the newsletter, PTA newsletter.
 13      Q.   All right.  So then the PTA newsletter was 
 14  distributed to the parents?
 15      A.   Yes.
 16      Q.   Through your fliers -- through your take-home 
 17  packs?
 18      A.   No.  They're either mailed or the kids take 
 19  them home.  If it's the three-week one, the kids take 
 20  them home.  That's a team newsletter.  If it's PTA, 
 21  they get mailed home.
 22      Q.   So you use the kids from time to time to take 
 23  information and fliers home to the parents about what's 
 24  happening?
 25      A.   If it's school related usually.  Like if it's 
0105
 01  something from our campus, for instance, team 
 02  newsletter, report cards, three-week reports, that kind 
 03  of thing.
 04      Q.   But the newsletter for your Parent-Teacher 
 05  Association included information about BFI's recycling 
 06  program?
 07      A.   Or the recycling.  And that gets mailed from 
 08  the PTA.
 09      Q.   Exhibit 43 is a fire prevention poster 
 10  contest.  Do you ever see anything like that?
 11      A.   Yes.  That came through communications.
 12      Q.   And did you distribute that to the parents 
 13  through the students?
 14      A.   No.  I gave it to the art teacher and asked if 
 15  they wanted to participate.  They do it every year.
 16      Q.   Exhibit 44 is an announcement of The Classics, 
 17  a nonprofit arts education organization offering 
 18  children fun and exciting art and theater classes that 
 19  nurture creative and encourage self-expression.  Have 
 20  you ever seen this before?
 21      A.   I don't recall seeing this.
 22      Q.   45 is Plano ISD Six Flag tickets. 
 23      A.   I think communications sent something out with 
 24  Six Flags, but I don't know if it was this particular 
 25  one.  I just know that anything through communications 
0106
 01  they send us, we send out.
 02      Q.   Okay.  How would you send it out?
 03      A.   It depends on how they tell us to send it out.  
 04  We follow their directives.
 05      Q.   So sometimes they'll tell you to post it and 
 06  sometimes they'll tell you to distribute it to the 
 07  students?
 08      A.   Yes -- yes, it depends.
 09      Q.   Now, if you're going to distribute fliers to 
 10  the students for them to take home, how is the actual 
 11  distribution done at Armstrong?
 12      A.   Let's say we're sending a flier to -- 
 13  regarding our math meeting home.  We would send it out 
 14  through advisory, per the number of students they have 
 15  in their advisory class.
 16      Q.   Is that like homeroom?
 17      A.   Yes.
 18      Q.   Is it last period of the day or -- 
 19      A.   No.  It's different for each grade level.
 20      Q.   So you'd reach each student in their advisory 
 21  period?
 22      A.   Correct.
 23      Q.   And they would be handed that information to 
 24  take home to their parents?
 25      A.   Yes.
0107
 01      Q.   So the student actually transports the flier 
 02  from the school to the home for the parents to review?
 03      A.   Yes.
 04      Q.   And 46 you said you haven't ever seen before.  
 05  Look at Exhibit 63, if you would.  Have you ever seen 
 06  this e-mail before?
 07      A.   Just when we met with -- after the lawsuit was 
 08  filed, we got information on the lawsuit.  It was in 
 09  that packet that they sent all of us.
 10      Q.   Who was your cluster assistant superintendent?
 11      A.   Jeff Bailey.
 12      Q.   Okay.  Do you ever receive any e-mails from 
 13  Mr. Bailey?
 14      A.   Do I?
 15      Q.   Yes.
 16      A.   Yes.
 17      Q.   Is the e-mail system at the District a way in 
 18  which the administrators of the District can quickly 
 19  communicate with the principals?
 20      A.   If they read their e-mails.
 21      Q.   Do you read yours?
 22      A.   Yes.
 23      Q.   It's intended to be a communication device, 
 24  isn't it?
 25      A.   Yes.
0108
 01      Q.   Do you get from time to time updated 
 02  information from Mr. Bailey concerning what's happening 
 03  on the campuses?
 04      A.   I'm not sure I understand.  My campus or other 
 05  campuses?  
 06      Q.   Well, if there's some updated information that 
 07  you need to get from Mr. Bailey about something that's 
 08  going on that he's learned about, would he sometimes 
 09  communicate with you that way?
 10      A.   Usually if it's something important, we're 
 11  going to hear in person from him.  He doesn't like to 
 12  put stuff like that -- and he's a communicator.  He 
 13  likes to verbally communicate with us directly.
 14                MR. BUNDREN:  Let's take a short break.   
 15                (Recess from 11:26 to 11:31 a.m.) 
 16                MR. BUNDREN:  Thank you.  I have no 
 17  further questions.  
 18                (Deposition concluded at 11:31 a.m.) 
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0110
 01      I, DONELLA GREEN, have read the foregoing 
 02  deposition and hereby affix my signature that same is 
 03  true and correct, except as noted above.  
 04
 05
 06
 07                            ---------------------------- 
 08                            DONELLA GREEN 
 09
 10  THE STATE OF --------------------- )
 11  COUNTY OF ------------------------ )
 12
 12
 13      Before me, -----------------------------------, 
 13  personally appeared DONELLA GREEN, known to me (or 
 14  proved to me under oath or through -------------------) 
 14  (description of identity card or other document) to be 
 15  the person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing 
 15  instrument and acknowledged to me that they executed 
 16  the same for purposes and consideration therein 
 16  expressed.
 17
 17      Given under my hand and seal of office this
 18
 18  --------- day of ---------------------, -------.
 19
 19
 20
 20                            ---------------------------- 
 21                            NOTARY PUBLIC IN AND FOR
 21                            THE STATE OF ----------------
 22
 22
 23
 23
 24
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 25
 25
0111
 01  STATE OF TEXAS     *
 02  COUNTY OF DALLAS   *
 03      This is to certify that I, Sunny Schaen, Certified 
 04  Shorthand Reporter in and for the State of Texas, 
 05  certify that the foregoing deposition of DONELLA GREEN, 
 06  was reported stenographically by me at the time and 
 07  place indicated, said witness having been placed under 
 08  oath by me, and that the deposition is a true record of 
 09  the testimony given by the witness.
 10      I further certify that I am neither counsel for nor 
 11  related to any party in this cause and am not 
 12  financially interested in its outcome.
 13      Given under my hand of office on this the 13th day 
 14  of October, 2000.
 15
 16
 16
 17                            ----------------------------
 17                            Sunny Schaen, Texas CSR 3638
 18                            Expiration Date:  12/31/01
 18
 19                            JANIS ROGERS & ASSOCIATES
 19                            1545 West Mockingbird Lane
 20                            Suite 1032
 20                            Dallas, Texas  75235
 21                            Tel. No. 214/631-2655
 21
 22
 22
 23
 23  Taxable cost of original charged to Plaintiffs 
 24  Celia J. Chiu, et al.,
 24  Atty:  Mr. William Charles Bundren:  $----------------
 25
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