Once Again Olympia School Board Censors Public Comment

Exclusive: Paul Thompson's speech that was too dangerous for you to hear

As reported previously, the Olympia School Board is doing everything it can to shut down public comment, including censoring speakers. The meeting on Thursday night was ended early rather than allow two speakers to continue.

What are they so afraid of?

Apparently, one is not allowed to criticize Board Director Talauna Reed, who is a felon convicted on assault, theft and other financial crimes. As soon as speaker Paul Thompson referenced her, he was called out of order and not allowed to continue. For saying, “when a person with a long criminal record and anti-police views is appointed to the school board apparently without even a background check we know we’ve got a problem.”

The board had a problem with the following speaker who has had complaints over how the principal of Hansen Elementary handled his wife, a teacher, breastfeeding. We will never know the exact charges because he nor his wife has been allowed to speak.

In the interest of free speech, I am publishing Mr. Thompson’s speech which related to decliniong enrollment. Previously in the evening, Alesha Perkins presented the board w a survey stating the number one reason students and staff are leaving the district has to do with political indoctrination.

I was provided with a written transcript of Thomp[son’s remarks, it may variy slightly from the spoken speech. He did call them cowards three times before being cut off, which is not reflected in the text.

BLM poster seen at Reeves Middle School sowing gender confusion in children. This is a lie. It is a denial of sexual dimorphism, a religious claim, akin to creationism, and should not be taught in school. This leads to the medicalization of children’s natural angst over their sex.

PAUL THOMPSON’S SPEECH

DECLINING ENROLLMENT                                                                                    

I would like to briefly address the issue of declining enrollment and the devastating effect it is having on the school district’s budget.

Although the board does seem mystified as to the actual causes of this declining enrollment, many of us believe the primary cause is crystal clear and that the board, as well as the superintendent, are in denial as to the reality of the situation.

Let me be clear about my assertion. Most of us believe that the primary cause of people fleeing the district, and that’s literally what many are doing , is the total and absolute politicization of the school board, the office of superintendent, and the executive staff.

This has the effect of alienating droves of people who don’t find themselves in alignment with the radical ideologies coming from this segment of American politics.

It’s been glaringly apparent for many of us observers over the last several years that the entire school board, the superintendent and the executive staff, are living in an ideological bubble that is dominated by novel and extreme dogmatic views.

And the problem with this is the vast majority of people in the district don’t live in that bubble.

This essentially leads to the disenfranchising thousands of families who do not wish to have their children subjected to what they consider to be objectionable political indoctrination.

And this is wrong.

Public schools have always been intended to be for all of the people regardless of their political views.

But, as an example, when the word equity is used 25 times per board meeting but the word excellence is frowned upon as being systemically racist, we know we’e got a problem.                               

And when a person with a long criminal record and anti-police views is appointed to the school board apparently without even a background check we know we’ve got a problem.

[CALLED OUT OF ORDER HERE]

And when a poster in a middle school classroom, in this district, has a picture of a biological male with a beard dressed in female clothing and says, “Everyone has the right to choose their own gender by listening to their own heart and mind. Everyone gets to choose whether they are a girl or a boy or both or neither or something else. And no one else gets to choose for them” we know we’ve got a problem.

Basic common sense tells any reasonable person that there’s something seriously wrong with that in a middle school classroom.

As I mentioned in a previous meeting my dad spent 35 years in the real estate business here. I worked with him for a few of those. He told me when people moved to Olympia the first thing they often requested was to be in the Olympia Schools because the schools had a reputation as being the best in the region.

A friend recently told me of a family who built their dream home in the district partially for that reason but sold it and bought a home in a neighboring district because they no longer trusted this school district with their children’s education.

It’s obvious. We’ve got a problem.

May I suggest that it’s time to come out of denial and face up to the fact that if the school board, the superintendent and the entire school district continue to be dominated by far left political dogmas, declining enrollment will be an ever present reality as will budget deficits. It’s unavoidable.

And so I implore you to try and find some middle ground.

Please consider making a change in your approach to the citizens of this district many of whom disagree with you.

 Stop disenfranchising thousands of people who refuse to accept or believe in what they consider to be radical, political extremism.

It’s the only way to reverse declining enrollment and therefore to avoid a perpetual budget crisis.

I thank you for your time.

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.