714 East 6th St Board members said they did not receive the documents until the executive session that evening. ", "Oregon school board drops ban on LGBTQ pride, Black Lives Matter and other symbols", "Oregon school worker suspended for showing up in blackface in apparent protest of vaccine mandate", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newberg_School_District&oldid=1134844881, This page was last edited on 21 January 2023, at 00:40. Those protesting or . To me its sad that were still doing this, because Ive been out here doing this since the 60s and we have to keep being on top of it., I would tell them to listen to the folks. "Just remember that from the darkest dark comes the brightest light. Unfortunately, a few school board members are forcing through these inappropriate, and possibly illegal, changes, which will have long-lasting consequences and threaten student safety. The Newberg Education Association, a union representing 280 educators and staff in the district, wrote in a statement that it is extremely disappointed over the decision from the conservative majority. "He made sure he was in schools every week with kids interacting," she said. Every student belongs in school, every student deserves to learn in a welcoming, and safe environment.". Screenshot taken from YouTube. Citizens are encouraged to express their ideas, concerns and judgments through communication with District staff and Board members. Director Zone 3 We wish you well, were so sorry, she said. An Oregon school district voted Tuesday to ban Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ and other "political" signs, flags and articles of clothing from their campuses. The settlement, according to a release from the Newberg Education Association, accomplished three things, primarily that the school board will not appeal the lower courts ruling that the ban be lifted; that the board will either add language to GBG recognizing the lower courts ruling or rescind the amendment entirely, which the board did at its Jan. 10 meeting; and that the board reimburse the union for a significant portion of the legal fees incurred from fighting this illegal amendment, the release said. Other lawsuits 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.. All meetings are open to the public, except for executive sessions as authorized by law. The quality of some of the stories that we heard should count more than just the number of emails that we received, said Pea, who was wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt and rainbow headband during the virtual meeting. In the matter of three months, four people have completely destroyed that.. The Newberg School Board is responsible for providing a quality educational program for about 5,000 District students. However, this topic will be on the minds and tongues of many in Newberg and its greater community for some time. Zone Name Term Ends 1 Trevor DeHart 2025 2 Shelley Kolb 2023 3 Ron Rilee 2023 4 Raquel Peregrino de . DISCLAIMER for All Communications with District Staff and Board Members: The Board believes that community participation in school affairs is essential if the school district and the community are to maintain mutual confidence and respect and work together to improve the quality of education for students. In a statement sent after the meeting, the Superintendent Cabinet of Newberg Public Schools said it is "shocked and dismayed that the Board would take this disruptive action in the middle of the school year.". We're so sorry. To get in touch with any Director, you may contact them directly or contact School Board Secretaryat 503-554-5000 The entire Board can be reached atboardmembers@newberg.k12.or.us. I tell people you can pretend to care but you cant pretend to show up. Controversy in Newberg persists after the recent Newberg School Board decision to ban both Black Lives Matter (BLM) flags, and Pride flags. A sign depicting a rainbow flag with a heart superimposed, along with the words Be Known, in Shotts classroom window at Dundee Elementary was the subject of the first complaint under the policy. On Thursday, Yamhill County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Easterday ruled that the policy is unconstitutional under Article 1, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of speech and the press. U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat whose district includes Newberg, weighed in with an emailed statement from the U.N. 30 minutes have been allotted for public comments, with a two-minute limit per person. Tue, January 18th 2022, 2:18 PM PST. Yale honors Black girl who was reported to police as she sprayed lanternfli Tyre Nichols videos join patchwork of violent police footage. The Newberg School Board's choice to ban BLM and Pride flags came following a shift in the Board's composition. 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. The lawsuit requested a jury trial, sought an injunction stopping enforcement of the boards directive and asked for a declaratory judgement from the bench admonishing the board for their actions. 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. At the time the complaint was filed, Shotts said both she, as a queer staff member, and students should be safe and supported. The firing is effective Nov. 19 and according to board member Brandy Penner, the district will continue to pay Morelock his salary and benefits for the next 12 months, in addition to paying the salary and benefits for the district's next superintendent. 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. I dont serve Black people, an attendant told her. If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. Everything will work out eventually OK," he said. The remaining board members have been involved in multiple lawsuits. The community blowback led the Newberg School Board to alter the language of the ban on Sept. 1, removing the specific mentions of Pride and BLM. 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. The Newberg school board is seen meeting over Zoom on Nov. 9, 2021. Board Vice-Chair, Director Zone 7 A resident of Dundee submitted the complaint Sept. 30, saying the sign amounted to a gay pride poster and should be removed immediately. Appointed in 2022 -Term expires 6/30/23 Regular business meetings are currently scheduled for the second Tuesday with work sessions being held on the fourth Tuesday. In a statement shared Thursday, the Oregon legislatures Black, Indigenous, People of Color Caucus said the boards decisions threaten Newbergs economic vitality. The group also said it will take action in the next legislative session. "These symbols arent hurting anyone and I dont see why banning them is necessary," said Pea. In August the Newberg school board voted to ban pride and Black Lives Matter, and any broadly political signs, clothing, and other items. The two agenda items were pushed to a meeting later in August. Our human rights arent political, period. Responding to Morelocks termination, Oregon House Democrats said theyll take action on Newberg in the next legislative session. Appointed in 2022 - Term expires 6/30/23 NEWBERG Two members of the Newberg School Board announced their resignations at a meeting earlier this week, citing controversial board decisions in the past year. "The fact that a person cannot run for school board in Newberg without having his or her life ripped apart is an absolute tragedy for our community and we ask every candidate in the race for school board to condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms." Emails to Brown seeking comment on Wolfer's withdrawal went unanswered by press time. . 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. I always tell people you can pretend to care but you cant pretend to show up, said Herrera. The dissenting board members said the move to fire Morelock, coupled with litigation over the controversial political symbols ban, could have a grave financial impact on the district. Newbergs board isnt the first in Oregon to terminate its superintendent this year. In one of them, a staff member showed up for work in blackface in an apparent protest of the districts coronavirus vaccine mandate for employees and was subsequently fired. 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 boards 2021 ban on BLM, Pride and other political symbols in classrooms was unconstitutional. This move is yet another example of a board majority bringing instability to our schools. I feel like this has been on your agenda since Day 1, since the two new board members were voted on. 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.". 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. Find Your . IE 11 is not supported. He was hired as the permanent Superintendent beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. Neither the school board nor Newberg Public Schools Superintendent Joe Morelock immediately responded to requests for comment early Wednesday. 503-501-6035, Renee Powell There has been insufficient public comments, input, notification, and it is 10:30 at night on a school night, Penner said. The ACLU celebrated the ruling in a tweet Thursday, saying they await the courts final order. 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. My mom, in the 50s and 60s, fought for Black rights. NEWBERG, Ore. (KOIN) The Newberg Education Association is suing the Newberg School District after the. parents, moving secondary school schedules to trimesters, and changing start times to earlier for all ages. The initial board conversations about the policy centered around banning Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ Pride flags. I wont be able to enforce it as it is until weve gone through a bunch of legal review, he said. Forms will also be available at the regular session board meetings. I am proudly defiant of this boards illegal and immoral actions.. The Newberg School Board usually meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. The board voted to table that item during Tuesday's meeting. Their place is to teach the approved curriculum, and thats all this policy does, is ensure thats happening in our schools.. Superintendent Joe Morelock said he will have to meet with the district's lawyers before enforcing the ban. The policy bans employees from displaying controversial or political signs or symbols. The superintendents cabinet of administrators issued a statement after the sudden vote saying it was shocked and dismayed. The group cited what they considered positive examples of Morelocks leadership, including his work turning the districts finances around, creating a safety net of over $9 million. Removing Superintendent Morelock from his post is part of a troubling national trend of extremist school boards ousting experienced, valuable school leaders, which is detrimental to the students they are supposed to serve, Bonamici wrote. Were going to move forward.. The main office is located at 714 E. Sixth Street in Newberg. This is a tough one, Im not going to lie.. Two of those board members were elected this past May. Sign up to get important news and culture from around the Northwest, delivered to your inbox six days a week. Controversy in Newberg persists after the recent Newberg School Board decision to ban both Black Lives Matter (BLM) flags, and Pride flags. It argued that the boards ban introduced as an amendment to board policy GBG in July 2021 by vice-chairman Brian Shannon and approved by chairman Dave Brown and directors Renee Powell and Trevor DeHart was so vague and overbroad it could impact teachers abilities to work in the district. The decision comes a few months after a judge sided. Cherice Boch (left) and her son Espen at a Newberg protest on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. There are seven school board members, each serving four-year terms. Since the board meeting, elected officials around Oregon have responded to the firing with anger and concern for the districts future. Two of those board members were elected . ", "Policies such as ESB are in place to ensure students feel welcome and safe while learning," he said. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Symbols of hate and symbols of love do not go together, and they never shouldve been lumped together in the first place., Ashley Pea, a Newberg student, said she came to the protest because the school board didnt listen to enough students before making their decision on Aug. 10. Why dont they? These counter-protesters noted they simply wanted to voice their support for the ban. The Wednesday protest failed to prevent the Board from adopting a more general, legalese-styled ban, as it more broadly bans political, or controversial materials, rather than the BLM or Pride flags specifically.
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