FORNEY (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Some students at North Forney High School walked out of class on Friday.

It was over the resignation of a teacher who says she quit because of the way the school district handled her sexual harassment complaint.

Raising their fists and marching through the hallways, some students at North Forney High School staged a walkout Friday, calling for justice for CJ.

CJ is Carolyn Jordon, who surprised her students and fellow teachers when she made the decision earlier this week to quit the job she loved.

"I really wanted to be a teacher, because I discovered a passion for helping teenagers specifically," Jordon said.

It was Jordon's first job in teaching.

But behind the smile, outside classroom and away from the students she loved, Jordon says the last six months were a nightmare.

"It was extremely harmful, it's hard for me to open up a lot," she said. "This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

The 25-year-old says she was subjected to sexual harassment from a fellow teacher and documented the messages.

"He started small with inappropriate comments then it progressed more into asking for hugs," she said. "I had to push him back and then eventually escalated to a point that I felt so uncomfortable I broke down in front of a couple of administrators."

Forney ISD investigated and told us that "Multiple female employees, including Ms. Jordon, provided information about inappropriate comments made by a male employee. The district promptly initiated an investigation into those reports and the male employee resigned..."

But that wasn't the end of it.

Jordon felt betrayed for coming forward because the district's Title IX coordinator determined that what happened to her and other teachers did not rise to the level of sexual harassment.

"There would have been a thorough investigation of both sides and there would've been a public report available," she said. "He can go on and just keep harassing women at every job he goes to but if there's a Title IX report, at least maybe there's a possibility that more people will know and he can't hurt more people."

Forney ISD says it's investigation "...was immediately reported to the Texas Education Agency to ensure that his behaviors will not be continued at another school district."

Jordon says that only applies to school jobs in Texas and believes Forney ISD is more worried about protecting its image.

She also says in recent weeks she's felt retaliation.

"I had like three different administrators come up and tell me how to submit a letter of resignation, they gave me a deadline as to when I had to dye my hair," Jordon said.

So this week, Jordon decided to resign.

Even though her former students continue to support her, she says the experience has left her disillusioned and unsure about a future in teaching.

"I was pursuing my certification after this, I've just lost so much faith in especially the school system here."

J.D. Miles

J.D. Miles is an award-winning reporter who has been covering North Texas for CBS 11 since 1996.

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FORNEY, Texas — The Forney Independent School District (ISD) says over $100 million in bond savings have paved the way for additional "equitable" facilities improvements to Forney and North Forney High Schools.

"With intentional design of shared and multipurpose spaces across several facilities, the 2019 bond construction projects were over $100 million under budget," read a statement, in part, from Forney ISD. "In addition to including an additional elementary school (Dewberry Elementary), this cost savings has allowed our district to finish out all of the long-term equitable master planned projects by the end of 2024."

Among those long-term master-planned projects are major renovations at North Forney High School's turf football field which would convert it into a stadium with press box similar in size and capacity to City Bank Stadium at Forney High School.

During a presentation on Monday night, Superintendent Dr. Justin Terry says a full competition gym will also be constructed at North Forney High School, to mirror the competition gym at Forney High School.

"Due to the 2019 bond facilities coming under budget, we were able to complete these projects with the savings and faster than anticipated," says Terry.

"When we think back to our high school experience, it probably looked different from today," stated the district. "But those core memories of Friday Night Lights, a band concert, UIL contest, hanging with your friends at lunch, FFA shows and so much more are what we remember as a part of that experience. Our students need the chance to experience each unique high school culture, whether you’re a Jackrabbit or Falcon, with unlimited opportunities in equitable facilities."

Among the projects highlighted in a facilities update provided to the Forney ISD Board of Trustees on Monday were the completions of the Welding & Fabrication Center at Forney High School, The Local restaurant at Forney High School, and the Animal Science Center, Show Ring, and Barn at North Forney High School — facilities designed to accommodate both Forney and North Forney High School students.

Additionally, serving both campus students, the Opportunity Central: The OC campus is expected to open in 2023-24. The OC is a career and college preparatory campus, in partnership with Dallas Colleges and Texas Tech University.

At the time of the opening of The OC, Forney ISD also expects to open 9th Grade Centers at both high school campuses in the Fall of 2023.

"Freshman are entering high school with more opportunities than ever before," Terry said in introducing the 9th Grade Centers. "And, its important to start them out on the right track.

These 9th Grade Centers will be separate buildings for all Freshman students, connected to the main campus via walkways, with a goal to create small-group atmospheres where the district hopes to build meaningful relationships while teaching students to be successful as they transition to high school.

Each 9th Grade Center will have its own and separate pick-up and drop-off areas, flexible learning spaces for small groups, their own cafeteria, and a library the district dubs, the Hub.

"What makes the Forney ISD 9th Grade Centers so unique from other districts is that its located on the same property as the main 10th through 12th grade campus," continued Terry. "And, that way we're connected always by a walkway. This allows our 9th grade students to be successful but still interact with the Fine Arts and our Athletics, and extra-curricular opportunities. They will stay connected as Jackrabbits and Falcons from their freshman year to their senior year."

"In addition to the 9th Grade Centers, there are also several other construction projects that are underway at both Forney and North Forney High Schools as part of the equitable master plan expansion and the site developments that were approved earlier this year," stated Terry.

The district provided the following development construction projects recently completed, ongoing, and planned (Additionally, readers can view a Forney ISD video highlighting the facilities, here: https://youtu.be/SAMKpo9CY-0) :

Forney High School

North Forney High School

Construction estimates for each project were not released by the district during Monday's meeting or in an announcement Wednesday.

Welcome back to “On the Agenda,” a column from Dallas Business Journal that digs into city and county agendas and additional public meeting documents tied to North Texas to scout out new developments, corporate relocations, economic incentives and other items that might impact the business community. Tips for “On the Agenda” can be emailed to either me, twells@bizjournals.com, or to my colleague, Spencer Brewer, sbrewer@bizjournals.com, who covers the western side of the Metroplex.

Forney City Council threw its support behind an effort to request and secure state funds to construct a replacement facility in place of Terrell State Hospital during a meeting on Tuesday evening.

The support letter, an item submitted by Forney's city manager intended to be sent to State Senator Bob Hall and Forney's Representative Keith Bell, raises concerns about the aging buildings and the growing needs of the hospital that services 31 counties.

The support letter cites a 2004 physical assessment revealing that 76 percent of the campus business were in critical or poor condition. This situation has led to exorbitant expenses related to high maintenance and energy expenses, according to the letter.

A 2014 CannonDesign Report on all state hospitals recommended the replacement of the hospital, the letter said.

Significant financial costs burden the 288-bed hospital due to the inefficient 160-acre campus design, which was started in 1885.

During Tuesday's city council meeting, Dr. Mark Messer, superintendent and medical director of Terrell State Hospital, illustrated the abundant need for additional beds at the public psychiatric hospital. That includes efforts to create more mental health resources, including competency restoration, for the more than 2,000 waiting patients to be treated in local jails.

Maximum security patients, for instance, are waiting more than a year to find a bed in the state, for instance, Dr. Messer said. For non-maximum security, hundreds are on the waiting list just for Terrell, "so they linger" in the jail for months on minimal charges for sometimes more time than they would have received to merely serve their time.

The support letter states that the current layout necessitates additional staffing and supplies, resulting in unnecessary operational costs.

Terrell State Hospital provides customized in-patient psychiatric services for adult, child, and geriatric patients and a specialized unit for veterans.

The hospital has a rich history of serving individuals with mental illness, tracing back to its establishment in 1885, emphasizing the importance of continued funding to preserve its legacy.

The motion was passed unanimously to sign the support letter by the Forney.

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FORNEY, Texas — With the signing of a lease in downtown Forney, Forney Brewing Company owner and brewer Eric Britton says he plans to bring a unique line of brews and equally impressive first-of-its-kind restaurant concept to Kaufman County.

The man behind the vision, Britton, left behind his corporate oil & gas career in 2016 and, with 10 years of home brewing experience under his belt, set out to open his own brewery.

Since then, Britton flew through the ranks at the Texas Ale Project from volunteer, to packaging tech, to lead brewer and cellarman. In 2018, in hopes of broadening his experience in the craft brew industry, he took a job at the Manhattan Project Beer Company as a brewer and production specialist — helping take their production from 1,200 barrels to 10,000.

By mid-2024, conservatively, Britton hopes to fulfill that goal with Forney Brewing Company after signing a lease with the Forney Economic Development Corporation late last month.

Britton tells inForney.com he will tap into something the entire family can enjoy with his new brewery-restaurant concept — great craft beers with a modest introductory spread of brewed-on-site lights and darks, Hazy IPAs, West Coast IPAs, blondes, pilsners, stouts, lagers, aged barrels, and seasonal and promotional releases throughout the year, among others.

Equally impressive will be a first-of-its-kind in Kaufman County — an "elevated" brew-pub atmosphere and experience featuring a blend of pub favorites, some Texas BBQ flair, mouth-watering smashburgers, and more from a menu crafted by an on-staff executive chef.

Britton says the food will be as much a focal point, and as critical to the Forney Brewing Company, as its craft beer options. Blending the two will be a wall of glass between the dining area and a full view of the brewing processes and equipment.

"We are excited to welcome Forney Brewing to downtown!" Forney Economic Development Corporation Director Lynn Spencer tells inForney.com. "We are thrilled to have them as part of the community, and we can't wait to see what delicious brews they have in store for us."

"We look forward to this new addition to Main Street and will continue working with the Forney City Council to bring more retailers and restaurants to downtown," she said.

In the coming months, Britton says plans will be drawn up for their newly signed location, at 203 East Main Street, which will need to be presented to the Forney Planning and Zoning Commission. With those approvals, Forney Brewing Company is full-steam ahead, creating a new destination dining and brewery location in the heart of downtown Forney.

Follow Forney Brewing Company on Facebook for the latest on their project, here.

Tom Thumb has disclosed plans to the state to build its first store in fast-growing Forney.

The grocery retailer, which is owned by Albertsons, has filed documents for plans to build a 63,000-square-foot store at the intersection of FM741 and FM548. The location is an empty field near Forney High School.

The company hasn’t responded to a request for details but said on the planning documents that it would open in February 2025. A developer made a presentation to Forney’s City Council three years ago about plans to include a Tom Thumb store in a project with apartments.

Kroger and Albertsons are in the process of trying to persuade government regulators to approve their intentions to merge their U.S. grocery operations. The overlap in stores in several markets, including Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth, is a major concern and could derail the companies’ plans. In the meantime, Kroger and Albertsons, which in addition to Tom Thumb also owns local Market Street stores, are moving ahead with each company’s remodeling and expansion plans.

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Kroger built one of its first D-FW Marketplace stores in Forney in 2015. The store is 124,000 square feet and was merchandised to compete with the Walmart store that was already in Forney. Walmart last year kicked off the remodeling of 50 local stores with renovations at its Forney store.

Both stores are on U.S. Highway 80, which has become more congested with traffic as Forney and Kaufman County population growth rates have led North Texas.

H-E-B has purchased land in Forney, and while it was aggressively moving forward early last year and the city approved plans in March 2022, H-E-B hasn’t disclosed a timeline for that site. It has moved ahead with groundbreakings in Tarrant County in Mansfield and in Fort Worth’s Alliance development.

Forney approved H-E-B’s initial plans to build a 121,050-square-foot store on 15.4 acres east of FM548 and FM1641.

Twitter: @MariaHalkias

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