Cypress Families For Public Schools
Did Indivisible Cypress form an activist group dedicated to CyFair ISD?
Read this blog first if you are not acquainted with the progressive Democrat and well-financed nationwide Indivisible movement and their role in CyFair ISD.
The Indivisible Movement emerged in 2017 as a counterforce to the Republican party and President Donald J. Trump. Following Trump's inauguration in January 2017, a local chapter named Indivisible Cypress was established in Cypress, Texas on February 9, 2017.
Julie Hinaman, who serves on the CyFair ISD board, became a member of Indivisible Cypress on February 12, 2017 following her involvement in the January 2017 Women's March in Houston. The Women's March is widely viewed as a progressive Democratic movement on the far left. Many members of Indivisible Cypress also belong to Cypress Families for Public Schools advocating for their beliefs in CyFair ISD schools. Bryan Henry, the founder of Cypress Families For Public Schools (CFPS), has been a member of Indivisible Cypress since November 3, 2019.
Frustrated with CyFair ISD school board members Bob Covey, Don Ryan, and John Ogletree losing their re-election campaign to conservative candidates, Bryan founded CFPS on November 4, 2021. Many vocal supporters of CFPS are associated with the Indivisible Movement and regularly attend CyFair ISD School Board meetings to promote their progressive ideals.
What are Bryan Henry's beliefs?
Bryan Henry favors Julie Hinaman, a member of the Cy-Fair ISD School Board.
Bryan Henry authored a book about public school boards and Christian Nationalists. He maintains a blog where he refers to conservative CyFair ISD board members as Christian Nationalists and Extremists.
Bryan Henry's group, Cypress Families for Public Schools, showed support for the book They Came For the Schools, addressing the topic of Christian Nationalism within school boards.
Cypress Families for Public Schools (CFPS) is a 501(c)(4) with a Board of Directors. Their founder, Bryan Henry, is Vice President.
President of CFPS, Lesley Guilmart, has been a member of Indivisible Cypress since 2019.
Lesley Guilmart's social media.
In regards to the new CyFair ISD library policy, Houston Press said Lesley Guilmart is most concerned about the requirement that all titles up for purchasing consideration be posted online 30 days before they are acquired.
This requirement is to provide transparency for the Cypress stakeholders who fund the library books through their taxes. In a June and August 2024 CyFair ISD board meeting, board member Julie Hinaman was the only no vote to the new library policy.
Houston Press reported that Cypress Families for Public Schools is non-partisan. Is this accurate?
Allison Fitzpatrick, the founder of Indivisible Cypress, believes that CFPS is thoroughly vetted and the administrators work to ensure the safety of its members.
In the comment above, Ryan Sandlin's mention of any of the 6 pertains to the six conservative members of the CyFair ISD school board. Those 6 conservative CyFair ISD board members, along with anyone who has a traceable connection to them, are prohibited from joining CFPS.
The only current CyFair ISD board member permitted in CFPS is CyFair ISD school board member Julie Hinaman. The six conservative CyFair ISD board members are Scott Henry, Natalie Blasingame, Justin Ray, Lucas Scanlon, Todd LeCompte and Christine Kalmbach.
Cristina Mejia, former Board of Director member of CFPS, says Extremists are not part of Cypress Families For Public Schools because CFISD staff is part of the group. Cristina Mejia is also a member of Indivisible Cypress. Video clip below.
Jen Williams, Secretary of CFPS, emphasizes they do our very best to vet each person who attempts to join. She cautions that individuals who do not align with their beliefs may still manage to gain access.
Do the following members share the beliefs of CFPS? Have they undergone vetting? Do they endorse Julie Hinaman and oppose the six extremist board members?
Video clip featuring some members of the CFPS exclusive list.
Frequent discussions within CFPS revolve around the topic of book banning. Many members express strong opposition towards House Bill 900 (HB900), which is designed to safeguard minors from accessing sexually explicit reading materials in public school libraries.
Supporters of HB900, which aims to protect children from inappropriate sexual content in school library literature, are frequently branded by members of CFPS as White Christian Nationalists, Christian Nationalists, Extremists, or Book Banners.
Since the CyFair ISD student was under 18 at the time of the following posts, their legal name and profile picture have been blocked.
Several Books Under Fire meetings have been organized by Cypress Families For Public Schools, where everyone, including children, and all ages are invited. Their banned book meetings they call Books Under Fire consist of Flamer, Lawn Boy, Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Glass Castle, The Hate U Give and The Bluest Eye.
These book titles have been featured nationwide in many media outlets as being pornographic and unsuitable for minors, especially in public school libraries.
Picture of the CyFair ISD student ambassador leading a CFPS Books under Fire meeting. Face and name tag are covered.
Video Clip from a recent meeting.
Julie Hinaman and her husband Alan are currently members of Cypress Families For Public Schools.
Alan Hinaman is frequently vocal in CFPS.
Who else is a member of this group CFPS? Indivisible Leader and progressive Democrat House Representative Jon Rosenthal and his Chief of Staff, Odus Evbagharu. Odus is the former chair for the Harris County Democrat Party. Jon and Odus are also members of Indivisible Cypress.
Jon Rosenthal, a House Representative, was endorsed by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Barack Obama. Jon Rosenthal is an Indivisible Movement leader who founded an Indivisible group in Texas Congressional District 7.
Odus Evbagharu stated on his public profile Never Having Voted for a White Man for President. Odus also called for the resignation of CyFair ISD board member Scott Henry due to his racist attitude while he was Harris County Democratic Party Chair.
Jon and Odus publicly endorsed Julie Hinaman for CyFair ISD school board, and she has contributed to their campaign funds. That information is in the first blog. Jon Rosenthal is also endorsed by Planned Parenthood and CyFair AFT. CyFair AFT is a union that supports CyFair ISD staff.
CyFair AFT, endorsed Julie Hinaman and her candidates for CyFair ISD school board.
Pictures from public accounts belonging to CyFair AFT.
There was a disagreement in CFPS about Nikki Cowart and claims of her donating 40,000 books through CyFairAFT to CyFair ISD. Diane Downing Garland comments, If Nikki Cowart and/or AFT gave CFISD 40,000 books in 2019 to the libraries, I would know about it. I was responsible for them during that time and the donations would have gone through my office. Video below.
Here is an official House Resolution easily found via an internet search written by Democrat House Representative Jon Rosenthal, officially recognizing President of CyFair AFT Nikki Cowart for her donation of 40,000 books to CyFair ISD by partnering with First Books.
Jon Rosenthal post thanking the President of CyFair AFT for bringing 40,000 books into CyFair ISD's Title 1 schools from First Book on March 7, 2019. CyFair ISD has a similar post saying, free books to students through First Book.
The post below says, Cy-Fair AFT union is partnering with First Book in order to bring almost 50,000 brand new books to CFISD this summer. This post is from April 6, 2018.
Is this 90,000 books donated total, or a reference to the 40,000 in March 2019?
On First Book's website they advertise, increasing diversity and promoting inclusion among children's books and literature. First Book's X account reveals what FirstBook advertises to schools beginning in 2016.
First Book reposted: Randi Weingarten, President of AFT Union, states @AFTUnion and @FirstBook are working hard to provide kids with the books they need to grow.
Posts from AFT Union and their TexasAFT and CyFairAFT.
Picture from TexasAFT website.
Picture from Harris County Democrat Party website.
President of CyFair AFT, Nikki Cowart, is a member of Cypress Families for Public Schools.
President of CFPS Lesley Guilmart is shown in this photo with Tara Cummings, House Representative Jon Rosenthal, and his Chief of Staff, Odus Evbagharu. All of them are active members of Indivisible Cypress and CFPS.
While working for progressive Democrat House Representative Jon Rosenthal, Ryan Irving, a member of Indivisible Cypress, served on the Board of Directors for CFPS. He made two unsuccessful runs for CyFair ISD school board.
Ryan Irving believes, these 6 trustees are doing is slowly but surely dismantling our district. Ryan thanks Julie Hinaman for being the lone voice that truly represents public education. Bob Covey, mentioned by Ryan above, previously served on the CyFair ISD school board but lost his re-election bid according to Houston Landing. The article also mentions Bob Covey supported the ALL4CFISD candidates. Full article.
Miya Dock, a member of Indivisible Cypress, also serves as Communications Director for CFPS.
Miya Dock social.
Miya Dock greets new members and expresses gratitude to those who contribute to the organization's cause.
Denise Braun inquired in the previous comments if the listed new members have been checked. Have the members below been checked as well? Video clip featuring more members in the exclusive CFPS.
There are numerous posts and events from Cypress Families for Public Schools supporting Julie Hinaman and her candidates (ALL4CFISD) for the CyFair ISD School Board.
The founder and VP of CFPS, Bryan Henry, said, ALL4CFISD just requested that I make an appeal for volunteers, and I do what they tell me!
Within Cypress Families for Public Schools, numerous critical posts can be found targeting the conservative six CyFair ISD board members, as well as some individuals connected to them.
Video clip of Julie Hinaman receiving email encouragement as she is the only CyFair ISD school board member endorsed by by CFPS for aligning with their beliefs regarding the school district.
Here is a video clip of another email campaign launched in support of Julie Hinaman. There are no email campaigns in support of the other current CyFair ISD board members; instead, there are posts and comments expressing disapproval of their conservative views and decisions.
Here is a third email campaign supporting Julie Hinaman after she voted no again to the new library policy at the August 12, 2024 board meeting.
Members are in favor of having PRIDE flags in CyFair ISD classrooms but are against displaying the historic US national motto, In God We Trust, on a classroom wall.
Indivisible Texas Schools, a part of the larger Indivisible Movement across the country, also isn't a fan of the national motto In God We Trust in classrooms. This historic motto is on all US currency, is the motto for Florida, a line in the Star Spangled banner, is on several state license plates and on many public buildings across the nation. Wikipedia states this about the National Motto, Secular and atheist organizations, such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Freedom From Religion Foundation, as well as The Satanic Temple members, have all opposed inclusion of such motto. Full article.
Advertisement in CFPS for a student workshop with StudentsEngaged.org and the Indivisible Movement.
Images from an account of StudentsEngaged.org show House Representative Jon Rosenthal in a post. They also express opposition to HB900.
Here are two advertisements in CFPS for Indivisible TX-24 workshops. Indivisible TX-24 is a branch of the nationwide Indivisible Movement.
Many members of Indivisible Cypress are actively participating in CFPS, and the pictures below provide just a glimpse of the extensive list. Lori Ice is an Admin of Indivisible Cypress and a founding member of Cypress Families for Public Schools.
Another Admin of Indivisible Cypress is Debra Vaello. She is also a founding member of CFPS.
Admin of Indivisible Cypress Dawn Seiffert is a founding member of CFPS.
Members from Indivisible Cypress help shape the narrative within Cypress Families for Public Schools.
Julie Grone Strother is a member of Indivisible Cypress, Cypress Families for Public Schools and Harris County Democratic Party (HCDP) Precinct Chairs.
Kay-Cee Thompson Cruzen is a member of Indivisible Cypress, Cypress Families for Public Schools and Harris County Democratic Party (HCDP) Precinct Chairs.
Kristina Shawn is affiliated with Indivisible Cypress and Cypress Families for Public Schools.
Based on Kristina's social media, she has expressed opposition multiple times to the conservative policies in CyFair ISD. She is a Harris County Democratic Party Precinct Chair.
More members of Indivisible Cypress and Cypress Families for Public Schools.
Chase West, who is affiliated with Indivisible Cypress and CFPS, is campaigning as a Democratic for House Representative 132, challenging the incumbent Mike Schofield. He is actively engaging with CFPS, Indivisible Cypress, and various local Democratic groups to promote his campaign. He admires Jon Rosenthal and Julie Hinaman.
A quick look at the X account of Chase West, a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives, exposes his beliefs.
Chase West spoke recently at a CyFair ISD school board meeting. He is pictured with Nikki Cowart, President of CyFair AFT outside of the board meeting, promoting his campaign.
Chase West shares his public support for CyFair ISD board member Julie Hinaman.
Julie Hinaman appears unsupportive towards current Republican House Representative Mike Schofield. Is she voting for Chase West instead? If Chase West wins his election this November 2024, he can influence CyFair ISD and help House Representative Jon Rosenthal and school board member Julie Hinaman with their plans for CyFair ISD.
There are many other members in Indivisible Cypress who also influence CFPS by sharing posts and comments. The following list is not exhaustive, but rather a representation of many members.
CFPS is preparing for the upcoming 2025 CyFair ISD school board election. They have no plans to support conservative board members seeking re-election. Comments from their group outline their strategy to defeat the conservative incumbents or any conservative candidates. Members of CFPS seem determined to take over the CyFair ISD school board with their beliefs.
A common theme is to use social media and local news outlets to convey the message that conservative school members are undesirable, their decisions are incorrect, and that Julie Hinaman is the best board member.
Video clips of more campaign planning for 2025 CyFair ISD school board election.
Cypress Families for Public Schools is collecting data against the six conservative board members while promoting progressive CyFair ISD board member Julie Hinaman.
Video clip below.
CFPS hosted their 3rd Annual Back to School Bash at Creekwood Grill. Bryan Henry is excited he has books on global warming, climate change and evolution for the big event.
Julie Hinaman and her candidates campaigned at Creekwood Grill and Po's Ice House@Creekwood Grill.
Mark McShaffry and Brian Sandel co-own Creekwood Grill. Mark McShaffry owns Backyard Grill and Backyard Catering. Mark and Brian are both members of CFPS.
Mark McShaffry and Brian Sandel donated to Julie Hinaman's ALL4CFISD campaign. Members of Indivisible Cypress and CFPS also donated to the ALL4CFISD campaign.
Brian Sandel donations to ALL4CFISD campaign.
8/15/2023 $1400.Â
9/7/2023 $1300.
9/30/2023 $200.
Mark McShaffry donations to ALL4CFISD campaign.
8/15/2023 $1500.
10/13/2023 $375.
11/4/2023 $1000.
Campaign Reports for ALL4CFISD:
At the 8/8/2022 and 8/7/2023 CyFair ISD Regular Board meeting, board member Julie Hinaman voted in favor of the approval of a list of Restaurant-Catering and Delivery Services vendors for CyFair ISD to purchase from, which included Backyard Grill owned by Mark McShaffry.
During the 6/17/2024 CyFair ISD Regular Board meeting, board member Julie Hinaman voted in favor of Creekwood Grill, owned by Brian Sandel and Mark McShaffry, to be a restaurant vendor for CyFair ISD.
Are Creekwood Grill and Backyard Grill the only CyFair ISD vendors Julie Hinaman is associated with? Is it et