Wylie East High School located at 3000 Wylie East Dr. in Wylie. Shot on Tuesday, March 11, 2014. (David Woo/The Dallas Morning News)
David Woo/Dallas Morning NewsThe principal of Wylie East High School resigned last week after months of backlash over the presence of a group at the school that promoted information on Islam.
Tiffany Doolan notified the district May 26 of her decision to step down, Wylie ISD said in a news release. The district referred to the event as a “procedural failure” but said the ensuing backlash has turned hostile.
In February, a group called Why Islam offered copies of the Quran and informational pamphlets during lunch at the high school. The group also offered henna and hijabs to try on.
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At the time, the district told The Dallas Morning News that a student club invited the organization and did not follow district protocols to bring in an outside group.
“From the beginning, the district acknowledged that the situation should never have occurred and that serious mistakes were made,” the district said last week.
Why Islam did not respond to an email message seeking comment.
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Conservative influencers and groups quickly shared videos. Many tied it to a broader narrative that alleges Muslims are imposing a system of beliefs and laws on American communities.
Republican politicians in Texas have increased engagement with anti-Muslim policies and politics in the past year. A “Sharia Free” caucus has formed in the Texas statehouse. A similar caucus in Congress was founded by Texas Republicans Chip Roy of Austin and Keith Self of McKinney.
Shariah is a moral and spiritual framework of belief that guides many Muslims.
In Texas, only about 2% of adults identify as Muslim, according to the PEW Research Religious Landscape Study. In Dallas-Fort Worth, that number is 1%.
Critics of the group’s presence at the high school have said a Christian organization would not have been allowed to distribute materials in school. In May, a group handed out Bibles outside of Wylie East High School on public property in response to the Why Islam group’s actions.
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The role of religion in public education has been a prominent debate in recent years, especially as Texas lawmakers in 2025 passed a law requiring all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.
April Cunningham, chief communications officer for Wylie ISD, said the district has since reviewed and updated procedures for student clubs and outside visitors.
Backlash grows ugly
In its statement Thursday, the district said “outside voices and national political narratives” have distorted facts since February and that Doolan became the subject of personal, targeted online harassment.
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“A procedural mistake should not result in months of harassment, intimidation, misinformation, profanity-laced phone calls and emails, or coordinated efforts to destroy an educator’s reputation and livelihood,” the statement said.
The district provided over a dozen examples of expletive and threatening voicemails, emails and texts sent to Doolan and other staff, which were reviewed by The News. Many messages included derogatory language toward Muslims and Islam. As recently as Saturday, an unknown number sent Doolan an expletive-filled text message calling her a misogynistic slur.
Doolan did not respond to a request for comment left at her voicemail and email.
A student at the high school, Marco Hunter-Lopez, testified before Congress in May about the event, saying he received threats after speaking out against the group’s presence and activities.
According to Cunningham, Doolan worked at Wylie ISD for 19 years. She was principal at Wylie East High School for six years.
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In a letter to parents following her resignation, provided by the district, Doolan said she spent the last several weeks praying and reflecting on what was best for her family.
“I know schools are not perfect because people are not perfect, and I certainly am not,” she wrote. “But I hope you know this – every decision I have ever made was rooted in care for students and in what I believed was best for kids.”
