That does make me a defiant outlier in the face of this board. We asked a few of the attendees why they turned out. Board delays decision on next Newberg school superintendent "Know that your integrity has spurred us to be faithful servers to our children and we wish you well. Oregon school board votes to ban Black Lives Matter, Pride signs from The board discussion and vote to remove Morelock was tense. Morelocks employment ends in 10 days, and the next school board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 23. Emails show Newberg school board chair rushing decision on interim The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against the Newberg School District and four members of the district's board of directors, challenging the district's . On the day before Thanksgiving, as Newberg school district staff scrambled to fulfill other duties after the firing of superintendent Joe Morelock, Newberg School Board chair Dave Brown. Board member Ines Pea also pointed out that students weren't given enough of a say in the decision, even though they and their parents have shared stories detailing discrimination and feeling unsafe. Numerous school and district administrators also have resigned from the district. The school board initially voted on Aug. 10 to ban those specific symbols in the classroom. Board of Directors Newberg School District board member Rebecca Piros said she can no longer work with people who she feels do not have the best interests of every student and every staff member at heart, KGW-TV reported . When the conservative majority of the Newberg school board voted in early November to oust the district's superintendent, board chairman Dave Brown advocated for an accelerated process to name Joe Morelock's successor by January. "That was her first reaction, grief," Pender said. 'Deal with it:' Newberg school board's conservative majority defends 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. 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. This is a tough one, Im not going to lie.. So why would they do that? 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. 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. Penner then asked Brown to adjourn the meeting, despite there being more items on the agenda, saying, "I don't think anything constructive will happen with this board again.". Smith, the lawyer, continued his involvement in the board meeting, directing Brown of the language to use in moving to terminate Morelocks employment. We are very disappointed in this decision.". Pride flags can literally save someones life, and youre just going to take that away?, Proud Boys supporter pleads guilty to threatening Sen. Rafael Warnock: Dead men cant pass laws, N.C. hospital system fires about 175 workers in one of the largest-ever mass terminations due to a vaccine mandate, Essential reporting from around the world, Oregon school board bans Pride and Black Lives Matter symbols in the classroom, Ukraine live briefing: Kyiv targeted by missiles; explosions in Russia derail train, damage power line, Philippine presidents White House visit reflects sharp upturn in ties, Eyeing China, Biden official floats a new Washington consensus, The deadly world of white-supremacist prison gangs. parents, moving secondary school schedules to trimesters, and changing start times to earlier for all ages. Responding to Morelocks termination, Oregon House Democrats said theyll take action on Newberg in the next legislative session. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Every student belongs in school, every student deserves to learn in a welcoming, and safe environment.". After hearing from a fraction of community members who have opinions on the subject, the Newberg Public Schools board voted 4-3 to keep any sort of political signage out of schools. Business meetings and work sessions are held at the Newberg School District Office, 714 East 6th Street, Newberg, Oregon. The district will have to pay Morelocks salary and benefits for the next 12 months, according to a reading of Morelocks contract during the meeting. At the start of the public meeting, the boards conservative 4-3 majority voted to add the superintendent discussion, seemingly based on what the board had talked about when they were behind closed doors. 714 East 6th St Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. But the board voted, again 4 to 3, to keep paying the attorney. If you were in my position and someone took your love and support and identity away how would you feel? "Newberg Public Schools Contact Information", "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Yamhill County, OR", "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Clackamas County, OR", "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Washington County, OR", "Count of homeless students in Oregon school districts, 2008-2009", "The Newberg school board issue: How did we get here? The new dynamic has allowed the conservative board members to pass motions that the previous board neither permitted nor passed. Elected in May 2021 - Term expires 6/30/25 She made remarks to a group of sixty in opposition to the recent ban on controversial symbols and imagery. Tue, January 18th 2022, 2:18 PM PST. But critics remain upset about what the adopted policy will mean for the school district. Office hours: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday-Friday Building doors are locked at this time, please ring doorbell for entrance. The lawsuit named the school district as well as Brown, Shannon, Powell and DeHart as defendants. During the meeting, staff members visibly shook their heads and teared up. On Sept. 1, Morelock said during a board meeting that he wouldn't uphold the ban because he'd been advised by district lawyers that it was illegal. Support the news and programs youll rely on in 2023 and beyond! 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.. Penner and Piros said the packet outlining the resolution to fire Morelock was not provided to board members until the executive meeting, hours before the board meeting, and so there was insufficient time to review the motion. One of the board members, Renee Powell, said in an email to OPB that she was not aware of hearing and had nothing to report at this time. No one else from the board had gotten back to OPB by the time of publication. Penner and Piros spoke out against the resolution and the board's four members who were in support of it. "Anti-free speech, anti-free expression, anti-safety. The Oregonian confirmed that the district will pay Morelock $175,000 over the next 12 months, cover his health insurance and pay $5,000 into an annuity on his behalf. Love is love, everybody has the right to choose. Man shot by Salem police officer was person of interest in police car shootings, 'I am sorry': Shemia Fagan ends consulting side job with cannabis company, Portland temperatures soaring after weeks of near-record rainfall, Newberg teachers union sues over 'political images' ban in schools, Newberg school board votes to ban teachers from displaying BLM, Pride symbols in classrooms, Dozens in Newberg rally against hate amid ban on political signs. It is exclusive to this particular case, though, and doesnt apply to the other lawsuits that have been filed against the district and the school board, of which there are many. The four conservative members of the board voted, 4-3, to fire Superintendent Joe Morelock at the end of Tuesday night's school board meeting. abruptly firing former Newberg superintendent Joe Morelock without cause, he board named as its next superintendent, Stephen Phillips. Shannon introduced in July the explicit ban in the classroom of political signs and flags, such as those with Pride and BLM symbols. [1], It is mostly in Yamhill County, where it serves the cities of Newberg and Dundee. Pender said she doesn't know how the school district will handle the financial ramifications of the firing. Newberg School Board loses 2 more members over recent controversies NEWBERG An Oregon school board has banned educators from displaying Black Lives Matter and gay pride symbols, prompting a torrent of recriminations and threats to boycott the town and . [3][4], In the 2009 school year, the district had 156 students classified as homeless by the Department of Education, or 3.0% of students in the district. ", Penner said the move to fire Morelock would have "rippling effects for months and years to come. Im so in awe at how many people are here because my experience wasnt the best so seeing everyone so gung-ho about it is heartwarming.. 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. ACLU sues Newberg school district, the latest of multiple lawsuits Think about the lives it will really affect. The board voted to adjourn the meeting, but not before Piros addressed Morelock. Comments submitted via email, that are intended to be read aloud by the superintendent (or designee), need to be sent to publiccomment@newberg.k12.or.us no later than 4:00 pm the Monday prior to regular session. It makes me feel unsafe in my district and like Im not being heard., I would ask them how can you do that to your kids, your community? Board Chair, Director Zone 6 The school board voted to ban Black Lives Matter and pride flags. Oregon school board ban on anti-racist, LGBT signs draws ire A conservative majority now exists on the Board, after the local group "Save our Schools . I wont be able to enforce it as it is until weve gone through a bunch of legal review, he said. Phone: (503) 554-5000, Fax: (503) 538-4374. At a demonstration Sunday, BLM supporters protesting the school boards policy clashed with some members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that has endorsed violence, according to the Portland Tribune. Regular business meetings are currently scheduled for the second Tuesday with work sessions being held on the fourth Tuesday. Pender said when Morelock was hired, she felt like there was hope for the first time that the school district was headed in a better direction. The decision in suburban Portland follows a pair of recent racist incidents at Newberg Public Schools. Newberg School District (29J) is a public school district headquartered in Newberg in the U.S. state of Oregon. He said in the Tuesday evening meeting that the policy championed and adopted by him and his conservative colleagues is very straightforward and shouldnt be controversial., We dont pay our teachers to push their political views on our students. It's a huge hit to our school district," she said. Meetings and Agendas Policies Programs and Services Student Success Act School Board Internal Staff Directory Strategic Plan Superintendent; Schools Welcome to our schools. The remaining board members have been involved in multiple lawsuits. 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.". Easterday granted a summary judgment in the case of teacher Chelsea Shotts vs. the district and the four conservative members of the board. Joe Morelock last November, two board members faced recall elections in January, and since last year, dozens of staff members have resigned from the district, including several district administrators and principals from six of the districts 10 schools. The move elicited suspicion by the three minority members of the . The board voted to table that item during Tuesday's meeting. Everything will work out eventually OK," he said. "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. Morelock determined it was a slogan for George Fox University and not a political symbol. OPBs critical reporting and inspiring programs are made possible by the power of member support. The board also voted Tuesday on whether to retain lawyer Tyler Smith, an outside attorney they initially hired at the end of August. Just stop the hate. I feel like this has been on your agenda since Day 1, since the two new board members were voted on. 30 minutes have been allotted for public comments, with a two-minute limit per person. Maybe it's nothing to you as a white privileged male, but it's a really big deal to a lot of our community, a lot of our staff, and a lot of our students.. Facing an ending fund balance of less than $500,000 on a $51 million General Fund Budget, Dr. Morelocks fiscal responsibility and his work to rebuild trust steadied the district.
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