Olympia School Board Erects Barriers to Prevent Parents From Speaking Out Against Talauna Reed and Radical Ideology in the Classroom
Surprise amendment to agenda moves public comment to end of meeting
January 12, 2023
The Olympia School Board made it clear they do not want parents speaking out against their appointment of radical activist Talauna Reed by taking multiple actions to stifle public comment and dissent.
In a unexpected amendment to the agenda, Scott Clifthorne moved to delay public comment until the end of the meeting calling it a distraction from the real work the board was there to do. This caused confusion and was a hardship for many of the speakers who had to stay past 9 pm to speak.
It is difficult not to see this as a transparent attempt at discouraging critical commentary. The attrition they hoped for did not happen, every single speaker on the agenda waited them out.
Two speakers were allowed during the normally scheduled public comment period as they were speaking directly to the main agenda item, declining enrollment and a resulting budget shortfall. When one began to speak about Reed, Darcy Huffman called her out of order, forcing her off the microphone to the dismay of the crowd.
A ten minute recess was called.
The speaker that was interrupted was Lorna Winger who said, “the district wants me to put [her 14 year old son] in a school that teaches him that if he is not comfortable with who he is . . . we’re going to teach him to be a girl.” She continued “they want me to put him into a classroom that allows a felon to come in . . . someone who degrades our law enforcement, who incites rioting.” For this, she got the gavel and was not allowed to make her point that this is why enrollment is declining, on topic per the rules.
BOARD REFUSES TO TAKE COMPLAINTS SERIOUSLY
Darcy Huffman addressed a petition with over 1200 signatures that was delivered at the December meeting demanding the resignation of the entire board due to loss of faith over the appointment of Reed. Huffman said this would be the last time the board would speak on this matter. They are refusing to do their duty as public servants by marginalizing a large group of concerned parents, employees and alumni.
Huffman said those who agree with the appointment are “many” though “they may not be in the room.” She stated, “in the end the decision was ours, we stand by it and the board will not resign.” She spoke to following state law and claims they did extensivet outreach to involve people in the process.
I will note, this reporter follows Olympia politics closely and I had no idea of the opening until Reed was selected. I saw no postings on any social media platforms, nor did other sources alert me to the opening. I question the effectiveness of their efforts to be inclusive when Huffman says there was “zero” opposition to Reed before her appointment.
Huffman states there was “plenty of time, almost two weeks, for interested parties to weigh in on our decision regarding any candidate.” She says since the appointment, the board has received “a barrage of comments, enough is enough” and that “as we turn our attention to the budget, we, I, will no longer respond to any comments regarding the appointment of Director Reed.”
Two weeks is not very long and does not take into account most of the people opposing the appointment still had trust the board would be competent. Parents were not aware of Reed’s criminal background, financial improprieties or conspiracy theories. Given the intense response to her appointment, stakeholders certainly would have been engaged had they had more information earlier.
The board’s poor decision shocked the OSD community and activated the response. That the board would overlook Reed’s controversial rhetoric regarding law enforcement, felony theft, assault and domestic violence convictions in order to promote their equity agenda was a wake up call for parents.
It is an insult for a public servant to refuse to care about constituent concerns. Shutting down dialog on an issue over a thousand people are upset about is arrogant and shows contempt for those they are supposed to be serving.
BOARD CELEBRATES ITSELF DESPITE MAJOR PROBLEMS
The meeting began with a self congratulatory celebration of the board. Superintendent Patrick Murphy read a proclamation in honor of School Board Recognition Month.
Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance, Jennifer Priddy gave a detailed analysis of upcoming enrollment and budget trends. OSD seems to be in crisis with a 33% shortfall for special education and 20% for transportation. At previous meetings, paraeducators spoke to low salaries and parents spoke to deficiencies with regard to buses.
Scott Clifthorne gave a passionate critique of Washington state’s funding of education. A survey of Washington residents finds Education one of the lowest priorities due to concerns about housing costs, inflation, homelessness and public safety. It should be noted that equity or racism did not even make the list despite all levels of state and local governments prioritizing the issue.
The largest decrease in student count was in elementary grades. As enrollment declines, so will budget. As students leave the district in increasing numbers, there will be a cascading effect in future years, mirroring the problems The Evergreen State College is facing. Those problems are similar, an ideologically driven subpar educational experience is not attractive.
Staff and programs will face cuts. The robotics club had a dozen students speak at the December meeting in defense of a valuable program slated for cuts, ending a twenty year investment with proven results.
The decline in enrollment is being blamed on housing costs, not policy, an assertion that does not hold up to scrutiny particularly as population in the area grows. The crowd laughed loudly when the board said private schools and homeschooling were not the reason for lower enrollment.
OSD PRIORITIZING IDEOLOGY OVER EDUCATION
Many of the speakers made to wait until the end of the meeting specifically discussed why parents are leaving the district, the theme of the evening. There is a profound sense of alienation, disappointment, and betrayal. There is also anger, especially at being ignored.
Lorana Hoopes is a former teacher who left the district in 2019 for a private school, taking her children as well. She says parents rejected remote learning during COVID and want a quality education free of indoctrination. She said the private school she now works at is thriving, with a wait list.
Hoopes spoke of being “villified and bullied” for being Christian, also witnessing kids marginalized for their faith, labeled “hateful bigots.” This assertion that was denied by ORLA Student Representative Ru’ya Russell who stated she did not see Christians being ostracized, saying the opposite was true, she was called “a witch and unholy.”
14K students in Washington state have turned to homeschooling because their needs are not being met by public schools, according to Hoopes who says there is “a silent majority you no longer listen to.”
She reported two other areas of concern, one that students are not allowed to opt out of Pride month activities, even if it conflicts with their faith. Hoopes also said a student reported her because when teaching Martin Luther King’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail, she asked how King’s beliefs influenced his actions. Despite it being a a question included on the teaching guide, Hoopes was reprimanded.
Simone U. Grant, a parent, spoke of low test scores that are not “achievements of the highest standards.” She said there is a “growing wave of wariness, suspiction and resentment that OSD is not prioritizing our children’s education.” She says the board’s “tunnel vision on their own agenda is concerning” and she does not want “social commentary foisted on [her] kids.”
Calling herself a “customer of the district,” Chastity Walck shared concerns about safety in schools and the need for SROs due to “drugs, vandalism and violence [being] rampant at Olympia High School.” She said there is unfair treatment when it comes to bullying. Walck believes SROs are an “opportunity for students and others to build long lasting relationshops with law enforcement [who are] positive members of our community.”
Another community member, Teresa M. Staal-Cowley said dissenting employees of the district are “afraid of getting harassed, losing their jobs, they don’t want to be named.” She said parents are “terrified” and “they do not want their children being taught what they are being taught.” She called the board “a shame to this community.”
Melinda McGill, a teacher for fifteen years said she was “not a political person.” She said we should all agree in good faith that we want the best for students. For McGill, Reed is “not the example I want for my kids, it’s not appropriate, not OK,” referencing Reed’s radical Fuck The Police rhetoric. McGill stated, “if I were to post a video saying Fuck the Police, I would expect to not have a job tomorrow.”
Claiming “systemic issues in schools,” Grace A. Bedford, a concerned parent went on to say, “you don’t care about our students, you don’t care about our families and this is why you have lost our trust.”
BOARD RESPONDS TO SPEAKERS (OR NOT)
Board PresidentMaria Flores spoke about her concerned about LBGTQ+ students feeling accepted but did not address the exclusion of Christians.
Her comments may have been directed at Barbara Forbes, an early childhood educator who once again spoke against gender ideology and the medicalization of gender dysphoria. She believes in the reality of biological sex and wants an end to “mass experimentation on and sterilization of youth who are cognitively incapable of providing informed consent.” She wanted to know why schools are “promoting this ideology . . . because it is going to ruin children’s lives.”
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SEGREGATION
Centennial Elementary is hosting segregated BIPOC affinity groups for 4th and 5th graders where there is special treatment at lunchtime. Here is what parents are reporting:
Here is what Washington state law has to say about discrimination based on race. This practice has been found to be illegal in other districts.
QUESTIONS ABOUT BOUNDARIES
Some parents have been questioning the board changing the boundaries of the districts shortly before the appointment of Talauna Reed. It just so happened that the lines changed to include Reed’s residence, possibly to ensure her appointment. FOIA requests havebeen filed but they are not expected for several months, apparently the district has been overwhelmed.
POSSIBLE MISUSE OF DISTRICT EMAIL SYSTEM
Brendon Chertok, principal of Garfield Elementary forwarded an email to all OSD employees, urging them to go to the board meeting to support Talauna Reed. He cited the Democratic Party vetting of Reed as sufficient evidence of her fitness to serve. He went on to slander the community by saying the “tone and the content of this group opposed to her placement is hateful and disrespectful.”
It does not appear to have worked. The crowd was at least two thirds critical of the board. No speakers defended Reed or the board.
CORRECTION: Someone posted on social media that the notification was only sent to employees of Garfield Elementary not the whole district.
TALAUNA REED IN HER OWN WORDS
Talauna Reed was interviewed by the Olympia Standard podcast, along with Maria Flores. It can be found here. She says she is looking forward to working closely with students. Parents report she has visited at least four high school classes and an elementary school class.
Linnea Comstock reminded the board of the policies the district has around controversial speakers. They must be approved by the principal, opposing viewpoints must be presented and alternative assignments made available for students who want to opt out.
In the Olympia Standard inteview Reed vows to “leave no child behind.” This contrasts with a video made during her 2021 City Council campaign where she expressed anti-white prejudice, saying ”white people had a head start, I don’t feel sorry for you if you are poor.” She continued, “if this is a contest . . . let us go past you.” The clip can be viewed here.
Approximately 30% of the districts students are low income. Over 60% of are white.
How will Reed advocate for these children if that is what she truly believes. If she doesn’t believe it, she intentionally used rhetoric designed to increase racial tenstions, not unity which should be the goal in Olympia schools.
With the appointment of Talauna Reed and the subsequent tone deaf way the board has responded, it has demonstrated a lack of competence as well as cultural competency. Their refusal to reflect on their actions in an honest way is stubborn and arrogant. They lack the humility to acknowledge there is merit to community concerns.
The manner in which tonight’s meeting was handled demonstrates how little the board cares about both the people they employ and the people they serve. Their blind allegience to agenda, at all costs, against all opposition, reflects an institutional capture that certainly does not value diversity of thought.
If the board truly believes concerned community members are a distraction from their work, they do not deserve to sit on the dais. The board brought this controversy on themselves by either failing to do due diligence or ignoring numerous red flags regarding Reed. They compounded the problem by a refusal to even discuss the issue further.
What is surprising to many is that they actually see Reed’s criminal background as an asset. Had Reed been more forthright in addressing concerns it would have shown strength of character and a willingness to be transparent. She has had every opportunity to explain her situation.
Reed has talked a lot about restorative justice, but has she made amends to any of the people she has victimized?
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST OF CLIPS FROM THE MEETING HERE.
FOR FURTHER READING ON THE TALAUNA REED CONTROVERSY
This article is a compendium of primary sourced including numerous videos of Talauna Reed in her own words. WARNING: The content is NSFW and may be disturbing to some viewers, especially materials related to Antifa’s Miguel Lofland.
In another article, found here, I discuss Reed’s criminal history in depth, including screenshots from her 90 page background check.
Despite the conspiracy theory lies and her criminal history, Reed was recently appointed to the Olympia School Board. Here is a report from the December board meeting.
I have playlists of speakers on my YouTube channel from the November and December school board meetings.
Katie Daviscourt of Rebel News interviewed parents in December, here is her reporting.
My reporting on the investigation and conspiracy theories regarding Yvonne McDonald can be found here.
You can find Reed’s rhetoric around the death of McDonald on the Justice 4 Yvonne website. There is also a Facebook page.
The full investigation into the death of Yvonne McDonald can be accessed here. This document was not made public and could previously only be accessed by FOIA.
The City of Olympia Talking Points About the Yvonne McDonald investigation can be found here.
The itemized invoice for the investigation totalled approximately $35K and can be found here.
The Antifa News Network zine on Yvonne McDonald can be found here. This was shared by Reed signalling her approval. Reed has worked closely with the author Miguel Lofland. This zine covers many of the main points of the conspiracy theory and the tone of the rhetoric employed by activists.
Candace Mercer is an artist/writer/activist based in Olympia, WA. She has written on homeless response and political violence in the PNW. In 2021, she ran for Olympia City Council. Her art can be found at candio.com.
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