Dear ROPnet,
In Josephine County, human dignity organizers have been dealing with school board members who hide under a veil of supporting inclusion while really trying to put bubble gum in the gears. Since democracy requires well-informed community members who participate in the democratic process, we want to take some time to unpack the sneaky language they are using!
A few years ago, we shared about the I Affirm campaign’s powerful work to support trans students and oppose the I Resolve campaign. Now the school board’s new leadership is trying to adapt to our success while still getting their way. And they are doing this with very misleading messaging. Is your community facing something similar? Check it out!
This Facebook post is from a current school board member, Nathan Seable:
I was very surprised and pleased to receive the Shalom Award from the Center for Human Equality for my contribution to drafting the District 7 School Board Resolution 2324-02 “Cultivating Inclusion and Empowerment.” It passed with a 7-0 vote.
Resolution 2324-02 communicates the Board’s desire for all students to be empowered with resources catered to their needs, and for the district to continually evaluate programs for relevancy. It also promotes a culture that values individuality, civility, and common humanity despite differences. It asks our educators to instill optimism in our students and hope for themselves despite hardships they may encounter.
I also consider it a proactive document. As the years go by, things will happen in our community and the world that strain the social fabric and present conflict. The Resolution can act as a guide to help inform our decisions, reactions, and tone in such circumstances.
Sounds exciting right!? Here’s what passing Resolution 2324-02 actually did:
- Repealed the 2021 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policy and replaced it with a statement with much less specificity
- Removed language stating specific identity categories that might cause someone to be discriminated against
- Removed language around specific initiatives to overcome racism and other forms of oppression ingrained in the current public school system
This new resolution replaced strong statements in the EDI policy with lukewarm ones. Here is a side-by-side comparison:
| 2021: Equity Diversity and Inclusion Policy | 2024: Resolution 2324-02 |
| “We are committed to actively interrupting systemic racism and eliminating inequities in our education system.” | “We pledge to strive for an inclusive, equitable, empowering, transparent, accountable, and unifying environment for all members of our community.” |
| “…promote educational practices about the alleviation of racial and ethnic injustice…” | “…educational content concerning controversial and complex topics will incorporate a diverse range of sources and perspectives and be presented with professional neutrality.” |
As Desmond Tutu, an internationally recognized anti-apartheid and human rights activist said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
Without Josephine County leaders paying close attention to their school board, these covert changes may never have been noticed by folks outside of the schoolhouse. Does your group attend local board meetings for schools, libraries, city council or county commission? Are you seeing similar attempts to use the language of inclusion to hide behind a neutrality that leads to reinforcing racism? How are you responding? New school board members are typically sworn in in July. Do you have any new school board members starting this summer?
Let us know what’s happening in your community by replying to this email!
Warmly,
Emma and the ROP Team
