Issues such as bullying/harassment (including but not limited to racism and homophobia), educational indoctrination and K-5 curriculum changes were among the topics of discussion and frustration voiced by a large crowd of teachers, parents and students at a fiery Wentzville School District board meeting Thursday Oct. 19 at Peine Ridge Elementary.
Various educators and parents spoke directly to the school board and said they feel that their concerns are falling on deaf ears. This issue is having many wonder if the board is really listening: is this thing really on?
Some educators are pushing the motive that parents shouldn’t get a say in what is taught in schools.
“FYI-that’s called homeschooling,” said Brandy Volling, resident parent and teacher in the WSD.
Parents like Lindi Williford oppose this thought.
“Education does not exist to compete with the family’s values, their morals, or their religious beliefs,” Williford said. “What I heard tonight from some of our teachers is that ‘if you don’t like that it might, then you need to leave.’ Yikes.”
Bowling further explained that parents have been trying to censor what students are learning in schools.
“Yet in the past few months, many of you (board members) feel that you know better than our highly educated staff, and have made it your mission to dismantle what we have worked hard to build,” Volling said.
In the beginning of the open session, WSD School Board Director David Lewis set the tone when he addressed the crowd.
“Just because you have a belief doesn’t mean that all other beliefs are wrong, and vice versa,” Lewis said.
Parent John Weber was concerned about the pressures being put on teachers.
“The message we have heard from the board is ‘let the parents parent,’” Weber said. “But it seems that the ultimate goal is to overreach into every aspect of our schools until our educators or micromanage to the point of burnout. The majority [of parents] want this board to let the teachers teach. It is what we hired them to do, please take your political agendas elsewhere and help our teachers and students.”
One concern many teachers attended the meeting was in regards to the push of board members wanting to pass the a new ELA curriculum for K-5 learning. Teachers stated the board decision should be delayed so they can have more time to learn how to use it.
“I feel the board is not doing their due diligence, the board is failing to subject matter experts,” said Joyce Powell, a Reading Interventionist at Prairie View Elementary.
The vote at the end of the regulatory board meeting was that the District will be pushing back the release of the new English Curriculum for K-5 learning, finally listening to educators’ voices.
ELA Content Leader for the Wentzville District, Jennifer McBride spoke about two district policies. She had concerns surrounding several revised policies that went through a first reading at the September meeting. Namely policies 6242: Religious and Controversial Issues and 6310: School Libraries.
McBride said that the revision to policy 6242 added vague language about what and when deemed controversial or sensitive topics can be discussed.
“This policy undermines the professionalism our teachers demonstrate when discussing such topics in their classrooms. More concerningly though, is the fact that this policy does not address what topics are considered controversial or sensitive or who’s responsible for determining such topics,” McBride said. “You are failing our students, you are failing to allow educators to prepare [students] for the diverse and ever-changing world and life outside of K-12 public education.”
Tamara King, a Holt parent, spoke on behalf of those experiencing racial discrimination in the Wentzville School District, giving a voice to those who couldn’t speak up or attend the meeting.
“You all are doing nothing, but instead you would like to twirl in your chair, and you would like to play with your hair,” King said out the district’s board members for their inattentiveness and disrespectfulness.
“I told you guys to think differently, to actually utilize the words that you used to actually stand by the rules and the guidelines that are set by the district and respond to your parents because we count.”
“[The Wentzville School District] sends us an email for every single thing, if my daughter goes 15 cents negative on that lunch account, I got 12 emails and three calls. But you can’t send me an email stating that there was a child verbally accosted on the school bus. You can’t send me an email that these kids are being verbally assaulted and racially discriminated against every single day.”
Through technical difficulties, the nearly five-hour long meeting was split into two parts. Below you can find each part:
