Last night’s meeting welcomed our new student Board Representatives and I look forward to getting to know each of them better over the school year.
We also approved the appointment of Dr. Cheryl James-Ward as our new Superintendent with a start date of November 1. The vote was 3-1 with Trustee Young voting against the appointment. I am thrilled that Dr. Ward will be at the helm and feel we are very lucky that a person of her caliber is joining the District. I hope everyone will take the time to welcome her as she settles in.
I’ve thanked ISI Lucile Lynch many times publicly and privately for the stellar job she’s done for the last five months. I can’t imagine how anyone could have done better. Some were quite skeptical of her appointment, as she doesn’t have teaching or superintendent experience. But what she does have, in ample amounts, is leadership qualities, an analytical mind, and a demeanor that always remains professional. Thank you again, Lucile, for the 1,000th time!
We also said goodbye to Joanne Schultz, Executive Assistant, who has been with the District for 36 years. She will be missed and certainly deserves our thanks as she enters a new chapter in life.
Now, let’s get to what you really want to know. Why was Agenda item 10F, CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF REVISED BOARD POLICY 6144 CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES removed from the agenda? This is the agenda item most people commonly refer to as the CRT (Critical Race Theory) item.
I first saw this at my pre-board prep meeting with District staff (no other Board Trustees present) on Tuesday, and since then I received a lot of input from the community.
Uniquely, since I've been on this Board, this is the only time I have been contacted by all of our principals and assistant principals on a Board Agenda Item, and I agree with them that we aren't teaching CRT and have no plans to begin teaching CRT.
Here is an excerpt from the letter that was sent to the Board, signed by all of the Principals and Assistant Principals:
“On behalf of our community of students, staff, and families, we as Principals in a district we love and are honored to serve, feel compelled to communicate regarding Item 10f on tonight’s board agenda.
We believe that existing BP 6144 [Controversial Issues] is well-crafted and has helped us to navigate numerous controversial issues over the years. It has stood the test of time well, and does not need revision.
We believe bullet points 3 and 7 more than satisfactorily address concerns regarding Critical Race Theory and any other potentially controversial topic.
Our students have expressed concern and confusion about this proposed action.
Tonight, our new student board representatives are being welcomed and sworn in, and they will be able to vote on action items. They deserve to be adequately prepared and educated about these items to make an informed vote, in the same way you are as voting representatives.
Our staff members are also confused about the ramifications and implications of this proposed language beyond CRT specifically.
This issue deserves more time, collaboration, and deliberation.”
This is Board Policy 6144 (referenced the letter from the Principals and others):
“The Governing Board recognizes that the district's educational program may sometimes include instruction related to controversial issues that may arouse strong reactions based on personal values and beliefs, political philosophy, culture, religion, or other influences. Instruction concerning such topics shall be relevant to the adopted course of study and curricular goals and should be designed to develop students' critical thinking skills, ability to discriminate between fact and opinion, respect for others, and understanding and tolerance of diverse points of view. The Board expects administrators and teachers to exercise professional judgment when deciding whether or not a particular issue is suitable for study or discussion. They shall consult with the Superintendent or designee as necessary to determine the appropriateness of the subject matter, guest speakers, and/or related instructional materials or resources.”
Guideline 3 states: In the classroom, teachers act on behalf of the district and are expected to follow the adopted curriculum. In leading or guiding class discussions about issues that may be controversial, a teacher may not advocate his/her personal opinion or viewpoint. When necessary, the Superintendent or designee may instruct teachers to refrain from sharing personal views in the classroom on controversial topics.
Guideline 7 states: The instruction shall not reflect adversely upon persons because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, religion, or any other basis prohibited by law.
As we heard from Bryan Marcus at the September 30th meeting, we aren't teaching CRT and no one is suggesting that we do. A screenshot from Bryan’s report is below:
So for those reasons, and the fact that I wanted this meeting to focus on welcoming our new student board representatives and the fantastic news of appointing the esteemed Dr. Cheryl James-Ward as our next Superintendent, I moved that the Agenda be modified to remove item 10F.
The vote was unanimous at 4-0 to amend the Agenda.
Again, CRT is NOT taught in our District and there are NO plans to teach CRT and I believe that CRT is not appropriate for our middle or high schoolers.