DUMMERSTON-The controversy over political banners hung inside library windows of the Dummerston School has prompted multi-meeting discussions by the Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Board, but any next step is currently on pause.
Board member Eva Nolan said she noticed the banners, one each for presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, on Sept. 5 as she drove by the school.
She then called WSESD Board Chair Deborah Stanford about her "concern for BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and people of color] students."
The banners were originally hung against windows and visible from outside the building and have since been moved.
At the WSESD board's Sept. 10 meeting, Stanford said she appreciated the political banners had been moved or taken down, but that "nevertheless, as the board chair of the district, I must acknowledge the harm that has been done to our community."
Stanford said she contacted Superintendent Mark Speno about the banners after Nolan called her. She said she, too, was concerned "that these optics placed the elementary school in a potentially dangerous spotlight."
The chair said the next day, Sept. 6, she spoke with Principal Julianne Eagan and Speno together.
"I was repeatedly told that this represents an excellent educational opportunity, as we are engaged in a national election," Stanford said. "My role, as an elected board member, is not to question curriculum. Once again, I made it clear that my concern was with the optics as individuals drove past the school."
She also said she made a request - "a simple one" - that the banners be placed elsewhere other than in the windows.
"I was told this request would not be honored," Stanford said, adding she was invited to meet with the teacher who hung the banners for coursework, but declined as it would be inappropriate for her, "as an elected board member," to engage in conversation with a teacher about curriculum.
At the Sept. 10 meeting, Dummerston resident and vocal former board member Jodi Normandeau also said the banners should be removed from public sight.
"At least put them where they can't be seen by every nut case that drives by, and we have a lot of them," she said.
Speno responded that he believed the teacher "had good intentions" and the banners were part of an instruction about the election and election process.
"I don't want to be defensive, but we did not make a decision as we closed that phone call. What we shared was we would share that concern with the teacher at the school," he said.
He added that he understood the points raised, but that "as educators, it is our role to teach current events and to teach from the middle."
"I do think this is a very focused issue, having to do with campaign banners and not having to do with curriculum at all," Stanford said after considering a moment. "And I am concerned for the passage of time. And it is not just about one campaign banner; it is about all campaign banners."
And then things got more complicated.
Dummerston Leadership Council requests WSESD self-review
At the Sept. 10 meeting, Michelle Luetjen Green, Dummerston resident and member of the Dummerston Leadership Council, said she felt like "this is an opportunity to work closely with staff to work with Leadership Councils and […] make a decision together that feels safest for everyone."
Soon after, the Dummerston Leadership Council met and wrote to Stanford and the WSESD board.
The council members noted that they believe "all parties involved had good intentions and were acting based on what they thought was best for the students in our school," and that "we feel that policy and procedure are important in ensuring equity and democratic process."
"As such, we met to examine WSESD School Board policies, code of ethics, school district policies, and open meeting law as they pertain to the actions of the WSESD school board and the discussion held under the topic of 'public comment' at the Sept. 10 WSESD Board meeting."
The council members said they "determined there is evidence of policy and procedure violations and that the violations caused harm to the Dummerston School community" and asked the school board to "complete a similar examination internally and create a plan of accountability and to restore trust."
"This will allow us to move forward together to continue the important work on behalf of our students and our school," they wrote.
Disclosing the Dummerston Council's message publicly at the WSESD Board's Sept. 24 meeting, Stanford made a statement in which she said her concern "has always been for the safety of everyone in that building, students and adults."
"This has never been about curriculum, never about the use of banners as a teaching tool, never about the removal of said banners. Those issues are out of my lane as an elected board director. My focus was and is on the safety of our students," Stanford said.
"On Sept. 5, I responded by following protocol: a board member communicates with the board chair, and a board chair communicates directly with the superintendent," she continued. "For me, as an elected board member and the current board chair, to have acted in any other way would have been a dereliction of my duty.
"My primary responsibility is to always work to ensure the safety of students in the entire district. I responded appropriately," Stanford said.
Stanford went on to say that although violations are referenced in the letter, "the expression of concerns is so extraordinarily broad that I am in doubt of how to address these unnamed concerns."
"It's not often, but I am truly speechless," she said.
Lana Dever, a former board member and Brattleboro resident, spoke passionately about the issue and its impact, calling it "an issue of safety that affects us all."
"I am exhausted when I hear us constantly referring to people of color and forgetting that these issues affect all the marginalized communities," she said. "I have heard both personally and otherwise this language that is directed at marginalized individuals and especially women of color when they are in positions of leadership."
Dever said she had "never heard 'open meeting violation' more times in my life than when I served on the school board. I never heard it when a white man speaks. Isn't that funny?"
She suggested folks refresh their knowledge of the open meeting law on the WSESD website.
Moving on
"I appreciate all of the comments that were shared tonight," Speno said, noting children are exposed to current events through different news channels, social media, and conversations with parents and peers, and that they have questions.
"I believe it is our role to help our children to become critical thinkers […] to make decisions for themselves. I also believe we need to give our educators the grace to do this work," the superintendent continued.
Speno said that "at the end of the day, disagreements, conflict, misunderstandings - it's normal. It's going to happen," and he added that it is educators' responsibility to focus on making a safe environment in which to discuss these issues and questions and "help our students navigate a very complex world."
Stanford also said she had spoken with the school district's attorney, Pietro Lynn, and "realized" her statement at the Sept. 10 meeting hadn't "been consistent" with the spirit of Open Meeting Law, but "had not violated the law."
Her intent, she said, "was to establish context and timeframes. No action was planned." Nor was any action taken.
"In all other respects, my actions and words have been determined to be compliant with Open Meeting Law," Stanford said, adding Lynn determined she had not violated the code of conduct or district policies.
Saying, "I would like to move forward," Stanford moved that the superintendent "look at the matter and report back to the board and take any action needed to resolve the issue."
WSESD representative Shaun Murphy of Guilford then said he'd "be more comfortable with more specificity."
Stanford pondered a few moments, clearly considering her next words.
"The complexity of this communication, the complexity of the strong feelings that have been expressed, and I could reference remarks made by various individuals in this room […] I can't define it more than that," she ultimately said.
"I don't think there are 'sides' to this topic, I think there are misunderstandings and perspectives that vary," said Speno, acknowledging that the group had "put a lot of energy into this topic."
"We have done our due diligence; we have had these discussions, we've provided space for people to share […] and I think it's time for us to move forward, to turn the page," he said.
WSESD Board Member Ruby McAdoo suggested that rather than put a bigger review in the hands of the superintendent, the information might be handled by the Policy and Amendment Committee.
A subsequent friendly amendment to do so was not seconded.
"I believe it implored the board to be self-reflective," added McAdoo of the Dummerston Leadership Council's letter.
Ultimately, a motion to table the motion to ask the superintendent to take up the issue passed with six votes to do so, with one vote against (Tim Maciel) and two abstentions (Stanford and Nolan).
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.