Frisco ISD alerts parents about a subpoena for private student and parent info in a murder trial.
FRISCO, Texas — Nearly a year before trial, any new developments in the Frisco murder case involving Karmelo Anthony remain procedural. Anthony is accused of fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf during a district track meet in April.
Frisco ISD sent a letter to parents Thursday, revealing that the court issued a subpoena for private student and parent information. The subpoena asks for students’ names, date of birth, address, parents’ names, and contact information. By all accounts, subpoenas are a standard procedure before trial.
According to the district, they’re legally required to notify families under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
FERPA protects student records, but those protections can be overridden by a court order. Attorney Ramez Shamieh, who is not involved in the case and is not giving legal advice, says parents still have legal options.
“Now it’s up to the parents if they want to object to the subpoena to protect their child,” said attorney Ramez Shamieh of Shamieh Law..
A lot depends on the language of the subpoena. “The more overly broad it is, the more courts are going to want to limit the information,” he added.
Shamieh says parents can challenge the subpoena based on issues like relevance, scope, procedural defects, or confidentiality.
Watt Lesley Black Jr., a professor of education at SMU, says broad subpoenas like this are unusual.
“Typically, when you get a subpoena, it’s for one kid’s record,” Black explained. “It’s not for everybody that could have been at a football game or a track meet.”
It’s unclear how many families received the letter, but it could be in the hundreds. Black says parents may be wondering why these records are being requested.
“I might wanna know more why they want to see the records, and why they think they’re relevant and so I can certainly understand why a parent would have concerns about this request,” Black said.
Parents should also know that objecting to a subpoena doesn’t prevent them from being called to testify later through a separate subpoena. Both experts tell WFAA that while they understand parents want to be cautious, it is also imperative for students or staff who were witnesses to participate to ensure justice..
“Next June is a snap away,” Shamieh said. “It takes time to get information if people object to these subpoenas and especially if a lot of parents object to them… It’s going to take time to get these issues before the court.”
Frisco ISD is asking parents who want to challenge the release of information to notify the district of any motions. Records are set to be released by the district on July 29.
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