Killeen ISD Dispute Over Principal Resignation Following Student’s Tragic Death

Killeen, Texas — Killeen Independent School District (KISD) Superintendent Jo Ann Fey sought to terminate Smith Middle School Principal Fred Lilly during a special school board meeting on Thursday, but the board did not approve the proposal. Following the meeting, Lilly stated he resigned, asserting he had committed no wrongdoing.

Killeen ISD released a clarification Friday after KXXV, a Waco-based ABC affiliate, reported that Lilly had not resigned as the board convened. The meeting was primarily focused on discussing Lilly’s employment following a March incident in which a 14-year-old student was fatally stabbed by a classmate at Smith Middle School.

The board met in closed session for approximately two hours before reconvening in open session. Board President Brett Williams announced the trustees were informed of Lilly’s resignation, resulting in the agenda item concerning his termination becoming irrelevant.

However, by Friday morning, controversy surrounding the events escalated. KXXV reported that Lilly had communicated rejecting KISD’s proposal to resign earlier that Thursday evening. “Dr. Lilly confirmed to me that he did not, in fact, resign,” posted reporter Josh Crawford on Facebook shortly after the meeting.

In response to the confusion, KISD provided a statement at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, detailing that Lilly had indeed submitted a resignation letter dated March 28, effective at the end of the 2024-25 school year. The letter expressed Lilly’s intent to resign due to the emotional toll from the tragedy.

KISD’s statement also conveyed that it was aware of the media confusion regarding his resignation, assuring that Lilly’s resignation was formally acknowledged. “The Superintendent’s recommendation was that the contract be terminated for good cause,” the statement read. “Ultimately, the determination was made that Mr. Lilly would not be returning as principal of Roy J. Smith Middle School this school year.”

In his resignation letter, Lilly expressed the need to focus on his mental health following the incident. “I need time to deal with the unfortunate tragedy that occurred on March 10th,” he wrote. However, the exact reasons behind the board’s initial consideration to terminate his contract remain unclear, as no specific allegations were publicly disclosed against Lilly.

In subsequent communications, KISD confirmed that Lilly would continue to receive his salary of $7,687.50 per month through the end of June 2025, despite not returning as principal. “His annual salary is $92,250,” KISD stated. Additionally, when asked why these details were not clarified during the board meeting, KISD did not provide a response.

With the questioning around existing safety protocols at Smith Middle School following the tragic incident, KISD continues to face scrutiny regarding how the situation has been managed. Fey has previously indicated that the weapon detection system on the day of the tragedy was non-operational and an investigation is underway to discern the reasons why.

On Friday afternoon, Lilly issued a statement reiterating his position. He asserted that KISD’s characterization of his resignation as voluntary was misleading. “Dr. Lilly did communicate that he was unwilling to resign without a retraction of the negative public statements by the superintendent,” the statement outlined. He expressed disappointment that the focus has shifted from ensuring student safety to the controversies surrounding his resignation and termination.