St. Stephen Presbyterian Day School offered the only nursery program Leslie Ramirez’s 5-year-old daughter looked forward to attending.
The program was “one of those gems of a school that people don’t know about unless you get the word of mouth,” Ramirez said. Even though their neighborhood elementary offers free pre-K, Ramirez chose to continue their family tradition by keeping her daughter in the day school.
The school, based in southwest Fort Worth, offered classes to children whether or not their families were members of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church. But as of Nov. 2, all activities at the day school came to a halt.
In late October, school and church leadership terminated the program’s director, and a mass resignation of teachers followed shortly after, according to emails church/school officials sent to families that were shared with the Fort Worth Report.
In a matter of days, leadership announced operations at the beloved school were “suspended indefinitely,” church/school officials told the Report in a Nov. 6 statement.
Ramirez is one of many parents now voicing concerns and frustrations over the changes and lack of communication with parents.
“Starting from the very beginning, it was messy,” Ramirez said.
Leadership change sparks confusion
St. Stephen Presbyterian Day School terminated Lauren Ferguson as director on Oct. 29.
Ferguson led the school since 2019. She was a crisis counselor in the Birdville school district for eight years before joining the day school, according to her bio on the school website that is now removed.
Ferguson was expected to step down from her position in May 2026, according to church leadership meeting notes from an Oct. 5 meeting that were shared with the Report.
Ferguson did not respond to the Report’s request for comment.
Marcie Ellen Duplantis, director of Christian formation for the church and oversees the director, sent an email Oct. 29 notifying parents that Ferguson would “no longer be serving as the Director of our Day School.” Duplantis wrote she would oversee operations in the interim.
“Please know that this transition will not impact your child’s classroom experience or the loving environment our teachers provide each day,” Duplantis wrote in the Oct. 29 email that was later shared with the Report.
Some parents received the email and others — like Ramirez — didn’t. She and other parents aren’t sure why. School officials later apologized to families noting that they used the most updated email list they had.
The next day, two teachers resigned from the school. One of them was Sonia Behrens, a “Bumblebee” teacher who worked with 1 and 2 year olds and taught at the school for 22 years.
Ferguson was a parent volunteer at the school before she became its director.
Over the years, parents continued to choose the school because of the trust and tight knit culture fostered by the teachers and Ferguson, Behrens said.
Behrens didn’t elaborate on why she resigned other than to say she did so with “great consideration” of the children who would be impacted.
“I did what I felt was the right thing to do, and sometimes it is harder to do the right thing than the wrong thing,” Behrens said.
Samantha Reece had her third child in the day school program and looked forward to her youngest experiencing the same traditions, receiving a memory book of photos as she grew up in the program.
“It’s really sad that all of that was taken away from our children, all of that was taken away from the parents,” Reece said.
St. Stephen Presbyterian Church on Nov. 7, 2025. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Parents voice concern, frustration with leadership
The governing body of the church, called the Session, said the Day School Board was to meet with parents on Nov. 2 but then sent a message canceling “due to the immediate resignation of a significant number” of day school teachers, according to an email that was shared with the Report.
“In addition, the Session of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church has chosen to suspend operations of the Day School immediately. This suspension is for an indefinite period,” the email read, adding that tuition payments made for November would be refunded.
The school had capacity for 10 teachers and up to 57 students, according to the school’s parent handbook. The program had five classes ranging from its “Roly Poly Room” for infants to its “Bumblebee” class for 1 year olds to the “Firefly” group for 4 and 5 year olds.
Some parents spoke with several church board members, according to a recording of the meeting shared with the Report.
During the hour-and-a-half meeting, parents made it clear that they were not there to blame the teachers for resigning, according to the recording. Instead, they voiced their frustration with leadership.
Parents asked why Ferguson was terminated and whether the process violated any bylaws or procedures in place.
Bill Curtis, moderator for the church’s personnel committee who introduced himself in the meeting, is heard on the recording telling parents he couldn’t get into the specifics of the matter but Ferguson’s termination did not involve the safety of the children or anything illegal.
Curtis did not respond to the Report’s request for comment. Duplantis and the Rev. Elizabeth Callender of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church were not present at the Nov. 2 meeting.
Parents restart enrollment process elsewhere
The Report reached out to Callender and Duplantis for clarification on why the school let go of Ferguson and future plans for the school.
Callender shared a statement with the Report Nov. 6 written by the governing body of the church.
The Session wrote it extends “deep compassion and gratitude to all who contributed to the success and spirit of our Day School over the years.” The statement added that it “affirms and supports” Duplantis for her “dedication and integrity throughout this difficult process, as well as all church staff for their love and care for the children and families they have faithfully served.”
Jessica Rhodes’ daughter had been going to day school for two years. Looking at her memory book, she pointed at photos of her friends and told her mom she missed them, Rhodes said.
“It just breaks my heart, because I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know if you’re going to get to see them again,” she said. “I don’t know where you’re going.’”
Families are scrambling to find a new preschool for their children.
“Parents put so much time into researching schools and touring schools and making choices about where they’re going to go,” Ramirez said. “We don’t do that in four days’ time. We do that over the course of months because many people work, and they don’t have the luxury of time to do that kind of research again.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
Editor’s note: Bill Curtis is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. Janna Franzwa Canard is a copy editor for the Fort Worth Report and former assistant director and teacher at St. Stephen Presbyterian Day School. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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