The move elicited suspicion by the three minority members of the . In late September, the ban was amended following concerns about its legality after the ACLU threatened to sue the school board if it did not reconsider the policy. Phone: (503) 554-5000, Fax: (503) 538-4374. The Snapchat group sometimes specifically targets Black students. The split between the boards majority and minority was clear, with members in the majority remaining quiet, and minority members repeatedly objecting to the speed of the conversation and pointing out the cost, financial and otherwise, of losing Morelock. [6], The Newberg School District made news headlines for voting to ban "political" symbols from school grounds, including Pride and Black Lives Matter imagery. It wasnt until the meeting started, more than a half hour past the original 7 p.m. start time, that board chair Dave Brown added an agenda item to discuss the superintendent. Shannon told the Oregonian that Pride flags and banners were to be included in the ban due to conversations he said he has had with a few Newberg families who dont agree with the gender ideology that flag represents.. Such a bold statement, and so were out here making ours., Charlie Gates, Newberg High School graduate, As a transgender Black man, I wanted to share some of my story and support the Black and LGBTQ community. Its just such a bold statement to make, said Sophia. In response to the reoccurring demonstrations against the School Board's decision, a group of counter-protesters who support the School Board's decision stood on the southeast side of the intersection. If the school board had rescinded the policy back in August 2021, when we along with our Newberg community, spoke out publicly against the changes, and then again when we directly addressed the board on the matter warning them we would be forced to pursue legal action and finally when we served them with a tort claims notice, we could have saved hours of legal preparation and public funds, it said in the release. Take action today! The Oregonian cited Morelock's contract, which the newspaper obtained through a public records request. At the end of the meeting, the resolution to fire Morelock passed, 4-3, with Brown, Shannon, Powell and DeHart voting in favor. Directors say they need more information before choosing; next round of interviews set for May 5. They will be losing resources out of their classrooms. Newberg, Oregon 97132. Shannon introduced in July the explicit ban in the classroom of political signs and flags, such as those with Pride and BLM symbols. I tell people you can pretend to care but you cant pretend to show up. The school board voted to ban Black Lives Matter and pride flags. Penner and Piros said the packet outlining the resolution to fire Morelock was not provided to board members until the executive meeting, hours before the board meeting, and so there was insufficient time to review the motion. "These symbols arent hurting anyone and I dont see why banning them is necessary," said Pea. This article was published more than1 year ago. Sept. 23, 2022 9:50 a.m. The news got the attention of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who visited with Newberg advocates while she was on vacation. To get in touch with any Director, you may contact them directly or contact School Board Secretary at 503-554-5000 The entire Board can be reached at boardmembers@newberg.k12.or.us. And Im just very disappointed in this decision., Thanks Rebecca, Morelock told her. And I feel like thats not being heard. Brown, the board chair, seemed unaware of the details of the complaint, despite its inclusion in the board packet. School board director and vice chair Brian Shannon, who voted for the measure and added the language about apparel, said the "main goal of this is to get political symbols and divisive symbols out of our schools so we can focus on the already difficult task of educating our students in the core subjects.". NEWBERG, Ore. (KOIN) The Newberg Education Association is suing the Newberg School District after the. They gathered at 4:15pm on Sept. 29 at the Newberg city centers flagpole where, fittingly, the citys major highway splits. This Oregon school-related article is a stub. I believe we should be able to express how we feel about certain topics without judgement from the school district. NEWBERG, Ore. A bitterly divided Newberg school board, which has been enveloped in controversy for the past few months over its decision to pass a policy limiting the kinds of images or signs . The Newberg Education Association gathered with community members ahead of the Newberg School Board vote on whether to ban Black Lives Matter and Pride flags at the school. Shotts asked the court to declare that the boards policy was unconstitutional and the court agreed, at least with respect to the free speech guarantee in Article I, Section 8, Crist said in an earlier story. ", Oregon school district parent: Students of color 'are under attack' at Newberg schools, the Newberg Public Schools board voted 4-3 to keep any sort of political signage out of schools. The Newberg school board is seen meeting over Zoom on Nov. 9, 2021. I dont believe this is political, its about human beings. Zone Name Term Ends 1 Trevor DeHart 2025 2 Shelley Kolb 2023 3 Ron Rilee 2023 4 Raquel Peregrino de . Newberg is a town of 23,000 situated 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Portland. I went to NHS and graduated in 2015 and I knew I was gay but didnt have the support to say anything then. It makes me feel unsafe in my district and like Im not being heard., I would ask them how can you do that to your kids, your community? And the packet that we just received a couple of hours ago, while we were in a meeting, is certainly not sufficient time for me to review it and understand it.. On Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, who is the Chair of the Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, released the following statement about the firing of Morelock: The action of the Newberg School Board in firing Superintendent Joe Morelock is wrong for students, wrong for educators, and wrong for the Newberg community. Mailing Address for the Board Board vacancies are filled through appointments made by a majority vote of the remaining board members, according to district policy. These symbols arent hurting anyone and I dont see why banning them is necessary., Siblings Charlie (left) and Sophia Gates attended to protest because as Black students they say their voices are being silenced. Climate Conference in Glasgow, connecting Newberg with trouble and conflict facing school boards across the country. This is my senior year, and this ban would change everything, how I feel about being there. Shannon and Smith, the lawyer, both interjected to remind Brown that he could not deny the motion to wait, but then the motion failed anyway. They knew or should have known that their actions were unlawful under both the Oregon and federal constitutions., The lawsuit also alleged that the school board violated teachers 14th Amendment rights to due process and equal protection by adopting a directive that is vague and overbroad in its scope, leaving association members without guidance as to what speech is prohibited and potentially a violation of district policy leading to potential discipline by the district and/or or their licensing through the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. PORTLAND, Ore. ( Pamplin Media Group) The union that represents the nearly 300 teachers in the Newberg School District is heralding a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed the school. Heres what that means. If youre shopping for a new purse, check out these luxurious bags that look quite high-end, but cost less than $100. Board member Brian Shannon urged the board to vote instead for the newly-revised ban described above, and move on from the controversy. Board Member Penner chastised Shannon for his disregard of the importance of this issue: Thats a ridiculous attempt at trying to pretend that this is nothing. "This feels so draconian this feels so anti-everything," one board member said. Ashley Pea, a Newberg student, said she came to the protest because the school board didn't listen to enough students before making their decision on Aug. 10. Gunn then appealed Morelock's decision to the school board. Im an elected official and I support my neighbors. As an elected official you want to listen to understand their perspective and put yourself in the shoes of a gay person or trans person. After hearing from a fraction of community members who have opinions on the subject, the Newberg Public Schools board voted 4-3 to keep any sort of political signage out of schools. School board zone map and written descriptions are available online: For questions contact Tabitha Renne at 503-554-5041. What the district has done is unacceptable. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Under new business, we are discussing the superintendent, said board chair Dave Brown. They expressed their support for Morelock, saying he guided the school district through a financial crisis and rebuilt relationships in the community. The boards decision comes at a time when Newberg, a city of 25,000 in Oregons wine country, has been embroiled in state and national culture wars over free speech, racism and vaccinations. I wanna ask why? He referred to a packet given to board members in executive session, but not shared publicly, that had to do with Morelock. These demonstrations have been coordinated by a group called Newberg Rejects White Supremacy, which can be found through the Instagram handle, @newbergrejectswhitesupremacy. NEWBERG SCHOOL DISTRICT|714 E. 6TH ST. NEWBERG, OREGON 97132|(503) 554-5000. Meetings and Agendas Policies Programs and Services Student Success Act School Board Internal Staff Directory Strategic Plan Superintendent; Schools Welcome to our schools. "You're a bigger man than I am," Piros said and started to cry, as Penner put her hand over her mouth. The disputes in the Newberg School Board have come as schools nationwide have become rife with arguments over vaccine and mask mandates, how racism is addressed in teaching, instruction related to sexuality and gender-neutral bathrooms. We cannot let this group of 4 impose their own political agenda, erode our rights, and strip our support of our students. I will do everything in my power to create an environment that makes all students feel safe and supported so they can learn and thrive, Shotts said. The Yamhill County Circuit Court has made a decision in a case filed last year by a Newberg teacher against the school district and four members of the school. Elected in 2019 - Term expires 6/30/23 Contacting a School Board Member You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. As pressure mounted, the four conservative members voted to hire a. Penner pointed out the juxtaposition in the board majority pushing to make a decision on Morelock while putting off a decision on the rainbow sign. State Rep. Ricki Ruiz said he was "disappointed by the actions taken from Newberg School Directors to ban pride and BLM flags from schools, and their attempts to roll back on anti-racist school policies such as the Every Student Belongs policy. Navigating a global pandemic with immense challenges, Dr. Morelocks leadership has been demonstrated in the low turnover of building and district leadership, and the hiring of excellent new teachers and staff who more closely reflect our student body. parents, moving secondary school schedules to trimesters, and changing start times to earlier for all ages. Penner then asked Brown to adjourn the meeting, despite there being more items on the agenda, saying, "I don't think anything constructive will happen with this board again.". Following the vote, Piros spoke again, addressing the four board members who voted to fire Morelock. Why did you organize it? We asked a few of the attendees why they turned out. At least one student at Newberg High School has been linked to a Snapchat group called Slave Trade, the Graphic reported, where teenagers nationwide share racist, homophobic and violent messages. Recently, The Newberg Graphic has reported on two different lawsuits that involve the ongoing feud between the conservative majority of the Newberg public schools board and the sinister mafia-esque group called Newberg Equity in Education, which as I have previously reported, is a splinter cell of Progressive Yamhill AKA Save Yamhill County PAC AKA Yamhill County Democrats, led by Lynette Shaw . Public comments are scheduled for regular session board meetings only. Attempts to gain comment from the author of the board policy amendment, Shannon, for his thoughts on the settlement were unsuccessful by press time Saturday. She said her daughter cried when she told her. Support the news and programs youll rely on in 2023 and beyond! 503-888-6365, Brian Shannon One of the board members, Renee Powell, said in an email to OPB that she was not aware of hearing and had nothing to report at this time. No one else from the board had gotten back to OPB by the time of publication. "Anti-free speech, anti-free expression, anti-safety. The Board hires the superintendent, who is responsible to carry out Board policies, provide educational leadership and manage the District's budget and staff. Those in favor did not explain their decision. Thomas Crist, a Portland attorney who filed a friend of the court brief in the case on behalf of the plaintiffs, concurred with his cohort from the legal community. "He made sure he was in schools every week with kids interacting," she said. 408-472-4257, RonRilee We are just destroying one another, Powell said. The ruling validates our claims and assertions, the NEA release said. Our human rights arent political, period. In Newberg, four of the seven board members voted to fire Morelock, who was under contract through June 2024. The Oregon Legislatures Black, Indigenous and People of Color caucus condemned the move and the American Civil Liberties Union told The Newberg Graphic the ban is likely unconstitutional. The settlement, rendered in December, means the court case will not go forward. We are supposed to be here for all children and to make all children feel safe and welcome, and by lifting one group or several groups over another, thats not welcoming and safe.. Oregon school worker suspended for showing up in blackface in apparent protest of vaccine mandate. On behalf of Dr. Morelock and the work he has begun, we will continue to fight for safe, stable learning environments for our students. Business meetings and work sessions are held at the Newberg School District Office, 714 East 6th Street, Newberg, Oregon. The remaining board members have been involved in multiple lawsuits. The policy limiting the kinds of images or signs school employees can display on campus originally began as a ban passed by the school board in August of LGBTQIA+ and Black Lives Matters flags. Shotts, a special education teacher in a Newberg elementary school, filed the lawsuit with the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union and a Portland law firm in late 2021, challenging the boards policy restricting political, quasi-political or controversial displays, including Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ flags.
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