Sean Heatley has pulled out of the Frisco ISD board of trustees Place 4 race, but his name will remain on the ballot in the November election, according to the district.
Heatley cited his decision to not participate in the Nov. 3 election due to "personal family health issues and a work reassignment," he said in an email to Community Impact Newspaper and on his social media accounts.
"If you know me, you know this is a gut-wrenching decision, but one that must be made to honor the ... [role] of a trustee and to ensure the elected official of choice has the full capacity to focus on keeping Frisco an amazing place and support the staff, students and parents of this great community," he said in the email.
The school board election was originally scheduled for May but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The district had posted a certificate of Heatley's withdrawal on its election website Sept. 23, FISD assistant director of communications Meghan Cone said in an email. But after consulting with the Texas Secretary of State's office, Cone said FISD removed the certificate since the deadline to withdraw from the race has passed. Heatley will remain on the ballot as a result, she said.
"If he receives the most votes, we anticipate that he will decline to take office, creating a vacancy on the board," Cone said.
If a vacancy occurs, FISD's remaining board members may fill the seat by appointment until the next trustee election or order a special election to fill the vacancy, according to board policy.
The three remaining candidates running for the Place 4 seat are Muni Janagarajan, Dynette A. Davis and Amit Kalra.
Early voting will run from Oct. 13-30. Election Day is Nov. 3.
