Chair Heidemann, members of the
board, and Superintendent Carlson:
My name is Julie Blaha and I am
president of Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota, our local teachers union.
At the public work session of
September 9th, members of this board questioned the judgment of our
high school media specialists. Specifically, the board members criticized the
choice of “Eleanor & Park” for the summer community reading program called,
Rock the Book, which for our high school students.
Those comments by members of this
board were reported by the local paper. National Public Radio has subsequently
reported the story on its website.
Our library media specialists were
shocked to see their work disparaged.
They followed every policy set by
this board.
They went above and beyond their
required duties to encourage students to read.
They recommended a book that has been
widely praised for its high quality and relevance to teens.
And most bewildering of all, was that
a board that prides itself on collaboration, would make snap judgments (like
declaring the book age inapporiopriate in the paper before completing the book
challenge process) without talking with media specialists themselves, or even
reading the book.
If the board members had read the
book, they would know that it’s a story about two students who fall in love,
make the right choices and beat the odds. They rise above bullies, poverty and
domestic abuse.
To ignore that is to ignore a
powerful, positive message for every teen who ever felt awkward or isolated in
high school. As Linda
Holmes wrote for N-P-R, focusing only on the profanity of bullies and abusers,
“makes the act of telling a story about rising above misery a miserable thing.”
A deeper concern in our community is
that the reaction by the board harkens back to issues surrounding LGBT bullying
in our district.
About four years ago, we came to you concerned
that district policies created a chilling atmosphere regarding LGBT issues in
our classrooms. Some of you questioned, or flat out dismissed, our assertion
that teachers were unsure if they would be supported for standing up for LGBT
students. Some of you wondered what kinds of specific school board actions
could cause that kind of atmosphere.
Well, this is the kind of thing we
were talking about.
Knee jerk reactions to complaints
cause a chilling effect that stifles creativity, innovation and student
engagement.
We need to know that our school board
can stand up for us when we exercise good professional judgment. At minimum, we
need to know that you will at least talk with us before making decisions.
If you won’t stand up for us, it is
harder for us to stand up for our students.
Before you make any further decisions
on this topic, I hope you will talk with the professionals working directly
with our students.
Beyond that, it is clear that we need
further discussion on how we as professionals use our judgment. We look forward
to working with you so that you can understand the work we do.
Julie Blaha
President, Anoka Hennepin
Education Minnesota
Email: julie.blaha@educationminnesota.org
