O’FALLON, Mo. — More than 100 people packed into a Francis Howell school board meeting room on Thursday to oppose proposed policies that critics claim would infringe on First Amendment rights.
Seven new policies are under consideration by the Francis Howell board, including one that would allow any district resident to challenge learning materials for “appropriatenessâ€; one that would bar discussions of gender identity without parent approval; and another that would subject district employees to discipline if they help manage campaigns for school board candidates — and ban the common practice of campaigning at events held on district property.
Speakers at Thursday night’s board meeting largely lambasted the policies and claimed they were proof of further politicization in the school district.
“It has become increasingly clear that your political agendas influence our rights and education rather than our welfare,†rising junior Harper Schneider told the board.
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Before the meeting, about 40 people gathered outside the district’s central office holding signs that urged board members not to advance the policies.
“They’re stepping on the rights of a multitude of people because they think their way is the right way,†Angela Wheelehan, a seventh-grade teacher at Barnwell Middle School, said in an interview.
But board members say the proposals are in their early stages and are likely to change.
“These are first reads,†Randy Cook said in a phone interview with the Post-Dispatch on Wednesday.
Cook wrote most of the policies but was traveling and not present for Thursday’s meeting.
“I have no expectation that they’ll pass in their current form,†he said.
Thursday marked the latest example of cultural debates that have embroiled the district since the pandemic. The board, which holds a 5-2 majority of members elected by a conservative PAC, has voted to rescind an anti-racism resolution, edited Black studies courses to rid them of so-called social justice standards and considered a policy that would require transgender students to use bathrooms that match their gender assigned at birth.
Similar — and often identical — issues have popped up in other school districts nationwide as conservative-led PACs inject millions into school-board races, seeking to weaken what they see as a in public schools. That includes Wentzville School District in St. Charles County, which earlier this year passed a transgender bathroom policy similar to the one that was considered by Francis Howell.
“This isn’t a culture war. It’s a war against the Constitutional rights to read and learn, and have free speech in schools,†said Erin Shelter, a volunteer for Francis Howell’s two newest board members, who won their races in April against candidates who ran on conservative platforms.
‘Appropriateness’ questioned
Of particular concern among teachers at Thursday’s meeting was the policy that would allow any district resident or employee to challenge learning resources, including books. A complaint would jump-start a lengthy process involving an appointed nine-member board, and would immediately trigger the removal of the material in question until a decision is made on whether it’s “appropriate.â€
“What if I complain I don’t like any of the books in the library?†asked Carolie Owens, one of the board’s two newly elected members. “So immediately, nobody can read those books? That doesn’t sound like America to me.â€
Another policy would require the board to approve all library purchases and bar “explicit†descriptions of sexual conduct, which critics argued was too broad.
Asked Wednesday what would be considered explicit, Cook said, “Hopefully common sense would prevail there.â€
Cook said he assumes libraries in the district don’t have explicit material but “this goes to some of the concerns that our communities have had about our school libraries. Putting some of that in policy, whether or not something’s actually in there or not, I think it helps build some trust in the community to just put it in there in writing. That way, everyone understands what isn’t allowed.â€
Parents who said their children identified as LGBTQ also criticized the board for the policy that would require district employees to notify parents if a student wanted to discuss gender.
“What this does is create a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ students,†Robert Fischer, spokesperson for statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization PROMO, said in an interview.
In response to the policies, PROMO bought space on digital billboards on Interstate 64 in St. Charles County that reads, “St. Charles, BE LOUD! BE PROUD!†The billboards will run through Saturday, Fischer said.
Only one speaker spoke in favor of the board’s conservative majority: Adriana Kuhn, one of the candidates who lost in April’s election.
Kuhn used much of her allotted three minutes to criticize Steven Blair, her former opponent who questioned the board’s decision to scrap an educational video platform this month over claims it pushes “social agendas.â€
“Steven Blair campaigned on not having politics in Francis Howell, yet he is the first director I’ve seen use our school board meeting as a platform for politics,†Kuhn said to scoffs from the crowd.
Union pushback
Thursday’s meeting was initially slated to include other issues.
On Wednesday, the board removed four proposals from the meeting agenda after Francis Howell’s teachers union, FHEA, filed a grievance against the board.
FHEA alleged the board violated an agreement that says board policy cannot be changed without prior notice and input from the union.
“They want to avoid a lawsuit,†FHEA President Anita Kuehner told the Post-Dispatch.
Board President Adam Bertrand wrote on Facebook Wednesday that the policies were pulled to allow FHEA negotiators to provide feedback prior to any formal action.
“We respect our commitments, and importantly those with our bargaining units,†Bertrand wrote.
Some of those proposals pulled from Thursday’s agendas were the ones teachers described as the most egregious.
One that involved “neutrality and balance†in the classroom would have barred employees from publicly displaying posters and flags — with U.S. and Missouri flags as exceptions — related to politics or “social policy issues.†Teachers viewed it as a direct attempt to rid district buildings of Pride flags, but Bertrand said Tuesday it would be up to administrators to decide what displays would fall under the policy’s scope.
Another policy discussed sexual misconduct and grooming, but one bullet point in the policy drew particular concern from teachers. It said only guidance or counseling staff could “encourage students to confide their personal or family problems and/or relationships.â€
Kuehner questioned if that meant students could no longer confide in teachers.
“They’re tying the hands of teachers who just want to support their students,†Kuehner said.
It’s unclear when the board will vote on the seven new policies, or if the four others will return after union input. Board members on Thursday briefly discussed when they’d read the proposals again but did not settle on a date.
Owens, one of the new board members, said Thursday was a “real breakthrough†as it seemed the whole board, which for the past two years has been staunchly divided, seemed open to discussion.
“I think, before, people felt like they were opposing forces,†Owens said in an interview. “But if we can learn what we agree on, then we’re going to become more unified and can move the district forward.â€