Do you remember in Countdown 5 when I said Todd Vesely just typed numbers into a spreadsheet to put BMHS enrollment at 878 – 1 student shy of the cutoff for 4A, Div 1? Richard Penland then changed a few numbers to make total enrollment 876 – 3 students shy of the cutoff?
Todd Vesely was the Executive Director of Athletics for the entire FWISD. Richard Penland was (and still is) the Principal of BMHS.
I also stated there is no actual list of student names that add up to either of their numbers. Here are the numbers they bounced back-and-forth and then submitted to the UIL…
| As of Oct 29, 2021… | Vesely’s Numbers | Penland’s Numbers |
| Grade09 (Class of 2025) | 264 | 266 |
| Grade10 (Class of 2024) | 242 | 240 |
| Grade11 (Class of 2023) | 202 | 199 |
| Grade12 (Class of 2022) | 170 | 171 |
| Total | 878 | 876 |
Life is filled with coincidental ironies. The undoing of Todd Vesely and Richard Penland starts with the 2021/2022 BMHS Yearbook – titled, “FOR THE record.”
“FOR THE record” – There are 186 pictures of seniors in the 2021/2022 BMHS yearbook.
“FOR THE record” – Senior photos are taken in a timeframe that spans the UIL Snapshot day.
“FOR THE record” – On Wed, November 1, 2023 I submitted two more Open Records Requests.
One request was, “A list of students who graduated from Benbrook Middle-High School in the 2021/2022 school year showing enrollment dates and graduation dates for each student.”
The other request was, “A copy of the bulletin for the 2021/2022 commencement ceremony for Benbrook Middle-High School including the list of student names.”
I qualified each request with the request that if student names must be redacted for FERPA that the first initial of the last name be left visible.
I understand that cheating is a way of life in FWISD. The adults, by their actions, are sending a message to the kids: “lie, cheat, break the law… and above all… act in a way that your word is meaningless and you have no integrity. Do whatever it takes to win and stuff your pockets with money.”
How high does the Culture of Conflict go in FWISD?
Stick around!
Folks… All kidding aside, I’m not asking you to be spectators with your bucket of popcorn. I’m asking you to get involved. These are YOUR children who are being educated in an ethically compromised environment. The complete lack of ethics is pervasive at all levels of FWISD. Yes, this issue goes higher than Todd Vesely. It is also wider than just the principal and a few coaches at BMHS. I believe Every Single Coach at BMHS… Every Single Administrator at BMHS… and quite possible Every Single Teacher at BMHS knew Richard Penland lied to the UIL.
And they said nothing – because the Culture of Conflict would have crushed their career.
If you had a student graduate from BMHS in 2022 please look at their transcript and post a comment with the Class Size that is shown in the Class Rank field. If you don’t have the transcript, you might still be able to log in to Focus and go to the Grades section and get the same info.
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