In case you missed the USD 383 School Board Meeting last week, you can read a summary here.
Basically, CRT activists are acting so obnoxious because they want to deter other, more reasonable people from showing up and speaking, and they wanted to make a spectacle at the last meeting to potentially give the board a “reason” to remove time for public comments in future. Pretty gross stuff all around.
Regardless, any attempts made by the board to limit the public’s ability to attend meetings will not be well-received by the Manhattan Community, especially since the reason for last week’s disturbance was caused by one of their most ardent supporters, Kim Zito (Chair of the Riley County Democrats), who used the time allocated for “Citizen Concerns” to berate fellow community members. She received explicit approval from Board President, Jurdene Coleman, despite rule #5 listed on the citizen concerns form.
Yes, you read that correctly. The school board president actually encouraged a community member to berate another community member for three minutes, and the rest of the board (with the exception of Darell Edie) sat idly by, as usual. These are the same people who want to tell you how to teach your children how to be “good humans.”
Rather than consider denying the community access to school board meetings because of the predictable actions of one known political agitator, the more respectable thing the board should do is simply enforce Rule #5. They should also add a rule about not speaking out of turn since Zito and her friends cannot seem to simply listen to others. Like typical bullies, they jeer when others are finishing their remarks. Lastly, a rule needs to be added that prohibits discrimination against religious people. Most of our current board members cannot seem to wrap their minds around why speaking disparagingly about religious community members during the meetings (and encouraging others to do so) does not exactly scream “respect” or “inclusion.”
It is truly sad that activists, both on and off the school board, want to waste our community’s time and resources on critical race theory and public spectacles when the data clearly shows that students of all backgrounds are falling behind in our district. Administrators are distracted, teachers are not effectively teaching essential skills, and students are suffering. This is tragic, and it must be addressed and corrected. Thankfully, you have the chance to elect new board members who are determined to do that.
It is abundantly clear that our school systems need more accountability, not less, and that now more than ever, parents need to be able to get involved as easily and consistently as possible. With that in mind, please make emails and calls to the board TODAY letting them know your concerns about the way they handled the last meeting and how they can improve and request a response. You can find their contact information here: https://www.usd383.org/district/board-of-education/contact-us. As always, be direct and respectful. Unnecessary rudeness just gives them a reason to complain about how they are being treated rather than forcing them to address the ways they have treated others.
Also, the next board meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday, July 7th, at 6:30 pm in the Robinson Education Center (2031 Poyntz Avenue). It would be an excellent time to show up and (respectfully, unlike others) let the board know your concerns in person. Show up by 6:15 pm, bring this filled-out form with you, and turn it in. You get three minutes to speak up on behalf of your children and fellow community members.
It is beyond time to start holding leaders in the public school system accountable, so please do your part this week! It will make a difference.
