Round Rock ISD Board Member Receives Threats, Racist Comments

ROUND ROCK, TX — Round Rock ISD has launched an investigation after a school board trustee received threatening and racist comments on his school board Facebook page last week.

The district has spoken out, condemning the comments as "vile" and confirming that district police have launched an investigation, according to KVUE.

The comments reportedly came after Trustee Jun Xiao defended the benefits of mask-wearing in schools in a board meeting on April 15. He defended these comments again on a Facebook post on April 16.

The hateful speech comments soon flooded his page on different social media posts.

Screenshots from his page show comments calling Dr. Xiao "the biggest fraud & the most dangerous ISD Trustee in Texas" and calling Asians a "treacherous lot." There were also threatening comments alluding to the violent character, Ramsay Bolton, in the "Game of Thrones" series.

Xiao has served as a trustee since 2020. He is a school and community volunteer and an advocate for STEM education at K-12 public schools. He holds a Ph.D. degree in computer science from Georgia Tech, according to his district page.

On April 20, the Austin Chinese-American Network (ACAN) and Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA) Austin Chapter said it was"horrified by the vicious personal attacks against Dr. Xiao on social media, particularly on Facebook" and said the attacks were "racially motivated, hateful, stereotyped, and suggest despicable violence."

"We cannot, and will not, let this kind of hateful attack go unanswered, under any circumstances, the organization said. "On behalf of AAPI organizations, we unequivocally condemn these racially motivated attacks, and the hateful and cowardly behavior of these individuals.

We demand that the RRISD Board of Trustees promptly issue a clear statement condemning such attacks against one of their own, and that the law enforcement authorities take appropriate actions against such suggestions of blatant violence."

Round Rock ISD's Acting Superintendent Dr. Daniel Presley said in a statement he was "appalled at threatening and racist comments" on Dr. Xiao's Facebook page.

"Had those comments been posted on any district social media account, those users would have immediately been blocked from any Round Rock ISD social media platforms," Presley said. "We stand with the Austin Chinese-American Network and the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Austin Chapter in condemning the attacks on Dr. Xiao, a dedicated School Board Trustee who devotes countless hours of his time to support Round Rock ISD."

Presley said he made it clear during a school board meeting on Thursday the district condemned the remarks.

"Due to the threatening nature of some of the comments, the Round Rock ISD Police Department is investigating," he said.

The board is also expected to pass a resolution in response to the hate speech in its May board meeting, according to Xiao.