Wylie ISD Investigates Why Islam Group Handing Out Qurans at Wylie East

Marco Hunter-Lopez, president of Wylie East’s Republican Student Club, pushed the issue into the open after a viral video showed outside visitors from the group Why Islam setting up a table in a campus common area and handing out Qurans, pamphlets and hijabs during lunch at Wylie East High School in Wylie, Texas. TexasScorecard reported four adults set up what it described as a World Hijab Day table, and Marco told trustees “We deserve answers.”

District officials told a packed school board meeting on Feb. 17 that the visitors had checked in through the front office and been processed through the campus screening system, but a staff member failed to verify completion of the required guest‑speaker approval process. CBS reported the employee was placed on leave pending investigation, and TexasScorecard quoted Superintendent Kim Spicer as saying the unnamed staffer was placed on leave Feb. 3 during a “full investigation.”

Accounts vary on the materials and activities offered at the table. Dallasnews described Why Islam representatives giving henna tattoos, offering hijabs for students to try on and handing out Qurans and informational pamphlets during lunch Monday. CBS and WFAA similarly reported Qurans and pamphlets that some accounts said addressed “Understanding Shariah” or “Sharia law.” Wylie East student Camden Campbell told CBS, “When I found out, it was pretty shocking.”

Parents, students and political figures pressed trustees at the Feb. 17 meeting. Board President Bill Howard apologized to the community and told attendees, “We have a few things that we will take care of and adjust, but we're going to earn your trust back and I'm sorry that happened.” TexasScorecard reported trustees reviewed updated student club procedures at that meeting but “did not directly address accountability for anyone involved in the incident.”

Wylie ISD announced several policy changes aimed at preventing a repeat. CBS reported the district will replace its Guest Speaker form with a new Outside Visitor Approval Form to keep a tighter record of all visitors to clubs and organizations, and will require the club sponsor to meet visitors in the front office and escort them to and from meeting locations. April Cunningham, Wylie ISD communications director, told TexasScorecard the district’s investigation concluded, the unnamed staff member returned to work, and “disciplinary action has been taken,” though Cunningham did not provide details.

The incident has rippled beyond campus. Dallasnews noted conservative influencers and political figures seized on the video, with congressional candidate Paul Bondar posting, “This doesn’t feel fair, and it doesn’t feel right. This is a serious matter, and we are being actively attacked.” High School Young Republicans chairman Jacquez Jones said, “Parents send their kids to school with the presumption that they're going to get a good education. They don't expect to come home with a Quran or hijab on their head.” Civil‑rights advocate Mustafaa Carroll of CAIR pushed back, saying, “They don't proselytize and they don't press anybody to take anything; as long as it's student‑led, that's a whole different story.”

Questions remain about exact timing, the number and identity of visitors, whether the Muslim Student Association formally sponsored the table and whether any students who accepted materials had required parent permission on file. As trustees move forward with revised club rules and the district implements the Outside Visitor Approval Form, students such as Marco Hunter‑Lopez and parents at the Feb. 17 meeting continue to press Wylie ISD for records and clearer explanations.