A new petition is rippling through Fort Worth’s arts charter school community this week, with parents and neighborhood residents demanding that Cheryl Bean step down as chair of the Texas Center for Arts + Academics board. Their move follows the circulation of screenshots from several of Bean’s social media posts, including an AI-generated illustration that critics say leaned on racial stereotypes. The posts were later deleted, but parents say together they form a pattern that has shaken their trust in school leadership. Bean, who won the Republican primary for Texas House District 94 in March, is now under fire both as a charter-school leader and as a political candidate.
What petitioners are asking for
The petition, created July 5, urges the TCAA board to demand Bean’s immediate resignation as board chair and from the board entirely. It also calls for the organization to adopt clearer standards for how leaders communicate in public spaces, including on social media. The petition text and screenshots of the posts are hosted on Change.org, which showed several hundred verified signatures as of Saturday.
The post that lit the fuse
One of the posts that touched off the uproar appeared July 1 and used an AI-generated image of WNBA player Sophie Cunningham and her Indiana Fever teammates styled after the famous “Washington Crossing the Delaware” painting. Commenters quickly flagged that, in the illustration, only the Black players were shown wearing floaties. The image was removed by 11:30 a.m. on July 1, according to reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Bean’s roles and political campaign
Bean is listed as chair of the TCAA board on the organization’s website. The nonprofit oversees Texas School of the Arts and Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts. She is also the Republican nominee for Texas House District 94, having secured the nomination in the March primary, according to Tarrant County election returns and candidate filings.
Her response to families
After concerns began spreading among parents, Superintendent Anika Perkins sent a message to families that included a statement attributed to Bean. In that statement, Bean said the post “has been removed” and that the original goal was to highlight “female athletes standing strong,” not to offend anyone. The message, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, also quoted Bean saying that she and her team “did not see the floaties” when the image was posted. She added that she believes “racism in any form has no place in our society” and said she regrets the oversight.
More posts under the microscope
Parents backing the petition included screenshots of several other posts and comments they say are linked to Bean. Among them, according to the petition materials, is an image that appears to show a plane labeled “Mandami,” and a “Too Funny” comment beneath a meme about Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Petition organizers argue that, taken together, the examples show a pattern of judgment that they see as incompatible with leading a public charter school system. The petition asks the board to either accept Bean’s resignation or remove her in line with the organization’s policies, according to documents posted on Change.org.
What the board can do next
Under TCAA’s bylaws, the board has the authority to remove any director “for just cause” through a majority vote at a regular or special meeting. The bylaws also state that a director may resign by submitting written or electronic notice, effective when it is received. In practice, that means if Bean chooses not to step aside on her own, the board could convene and vote on whether to remove her under its governing rules, as detailed in documents from Texas Center for Arts + Academics.
For now, families and community members say they are waiting to see whether TCAA’s leaders invoke those rules or whether Bean exits voluntarily. Either way, they are signaling that they will be watching the board’s next move very closely.
