North Thurston ‘concerned educators’ upset that comments about race not read at meeting
The Concerned Educators for Racial Justice, a group of North Thurston Public Schools teachers who want the district to do more on issues of race and equity, particularly in light of a recent racist “Zoom bombing” last month, say they are disappointed their emailed letter was not read aloud during Tuesday’s school board meeting.
Not only was their letter not read, they say comments submitted by Black Student Union members also were not read at the meeting.
Although the school board is once again meeting in person, the board’s practice during the pandemic has been to read written comments aloud if they meet certain requirements, according to the district.
“There’s a general sense of disappointment in our district that leadership is not acting as if they understand their community and the needs of the community around racial equity,” said Yvonne Kunz, a member of the concerned educators group. She added: “By not reading the letters, they are not listening to their BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) students.”
Issues of race at North Thurston have been in the spotlight in recent weeks after an online Black Student Union meeting was “Zoom bombed” by intruders using racial slurs. The Black Student Union has representation from all three high schools in the district.
It appears the district’s decision to not the read the letters comes down to rules for public comment.
The letter from the concerned educators was not specifically signed by the teachers, and the emails from the students, although signed, did not have “public comment” in the subject line. Kunz said they were submitted before noon Tuesday, although the district says one of the letters arrived after its deadline.
“If a comment is anonymous or not associated with an identifiable person, we would not treat it as a public comment but someone at the superintendent’s office would read it,” district spokeswoman Courtney Schrieve said. “It is something we will clarify better for the future.
“We will make sure that all the emails are shared with the board members if they weren’t already included in the original email,” Schrieve added.
The concerned educators letter and emails from students were shared with The Olympian. All are strongly worded messages of concern about race and equity within the district.
“North Thurston Public Schools has a growing number of concerned educators that are asking for your support, advocacy, and action around equity in our district,” their letter reads. “It is our job as concerned educators to bring awareness to the perpetual racism that negatively impacts BIPOC and our community’s daily lives.
“We personally experience workplace hostility, racial abuse, and discrimination from our employer, our administrators, and our colleagues for the work we do to create safe, inclusive environments that serve all students, staff, and families.”
The following students and Black Student Union members also shared their emails with The Olympian. Here are some of their comments.
▪ Nanea Bunn, Timberline High School: “On many occasions, reports of racial discrimination have not been recorded correctly and far too many times the perpetrators of these issues are not held fully accountable. It’s time to protect victims of racial abuse rather than make excuses for their perpetrators. While I understand that these issues are not exclusive to NTPS, nor did they originate here, it is 100% your duty to educate yourselves and do better.”
▪ Laila Markland, River Ridge High School: “As a Black student of color, I’m tired of having to fight for my education to be humanized. We have been told that our education is one of the most important things to us and to take it seriously; all the while, the education system and the racist people and ideals within it are de-humanizing students of color and not taking us or our voices seriously.”
Three comments that were read aloud Tuesday expressed support for a Black Student Union proposal they call the 4-point program. The four points:
- Mandate Black history and ethnic studies education at all levels and in all content areas;
- Hire and retain more Black educators and support staff;
- End zero-tolerance discipline and invest in training students, staff, and families in restorative justice and peer mediation;
- Fund more counselors and services, instead of police.
Schrieve strongly defended the district’s work on race and equity.
“North Thurston Public Schools remains deeply committed to our work around equity and eliminating the barriers that perpetuate systemic inequities,” she said. “Our school board’s Equity Resolution (passed in September 2020) includes several key areas of focus, including hiring and retaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of our student body and developing Ethnic Studies K-12 for all classrooms.”
Tuesday’s gathering was the first regular board meeting since the Zoom bombing on March 25. Although the Zoom meeting was not mentioned, school board member Gretchen Maliska read a message at the meeting about the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the white Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd.
Her message also was shared district-wide.
“As a school district, we must acknowledge the emotional toll this has taken on our entire community — especially our BIPOC families and students. As a district we understand there are mixed feelings of sadness, relief, reflection, and anticipation. We also know the work for racial justice is not over and our Equity Resolution part of that work. We will continue to build spaces for conversation and healing. And stand behind our commitment to continue our work in changing policies and practices.Together we will continue our commitment to equity in education.”
This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
