newberg school board decision
This motion was not allowed to go to vote. But Brown added two new items, including one about Morelock. 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. After hearing from a fraction of. Citizens are encouraged to express their ideas, concerns and judgments through communication with District staff and Board members. It argues that the policy violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment guaranteeing free speech and the 14th Amendment, which guarantees due process and equal protection under the law. "He had a very personal approach and didn't just sit in his office and make decisions arbitrarily. 30 minutes have been allotted for public comments, with a two-minute limit per person. In the board packet for Tuesday's school board meeting, one agenda item was to address Morelock's response to a Newberg citizen's complaint about a sign in the window of a classroom at Dundee Elementary. Since the board meeting, elected officials around Oregon have responded to the firing with anger and concern for the districts future. School board zone map and written descriptions are available online: For questions contact Tabitha Renne at 503-554-5041. An Oregon school district voted Tuesday to ban Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ and other "political" signs, flags and articles of clothing from their campuses. This is an after-party of four members, so I say lets just vote get it over with. She added, Its going to be our community, staff and students who are left to fight this.. I assume that is because the state court had already enjoined enforcement of the school board policy that led to both of the lawsuits. The board discussion and vote to remove Morelock was tense. In May, the board named as its next superintendent, Stephen Phillips, who was put on leave amid an investigation in his most recent Oregon superintendent role and who resigned from another superintendent position after retweeting an offensive remark about people who enter the country illegally. If you looked at the agenda for Tuesdays Newberg school board meeting, youd have no idea the board was planning to fire Superintendent Joe Morelock. At Tuesdays meeting, Penner indicated she is disgusted over a vote that she suggested had already been decided weeks earlier by the conservative majority. 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 . Gov. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Board chair Dave Brown did not reply to a request for comment. The school boards vote to terminate their superintendent Tuesday night comes after months of local and national attention on their effort to ban what proponents deemed political symbols, as well as several racist incidents involving staff and students. The lawsuit was filed in August 2021 on behalf of four teachers and counselors: Jennifer Schneider, Andrew Gallagher, Katherine Villalobos and Sara Linnertz. A staff member at Mabel Rush Elementary School, identified as Lauren Pefferle, showed up to work this month dressed as Rosa Parks with her face darkened with dye to protest a vaccination mandate for all public school employees in Oregon. He referred to a packet given to board members in executive session, but not shared publicly, that had to do with Morelock. Robert Till, who is gay and a sophomore at Newberg High School, told the Associated Press that he is embarrassed to live in the city because of the ban. They cant discipline her or them for putting up a poster in violation of the policy.. The Newberg School Board has rescinded a controversial policy that banned staff from putting up political signs or displays in schools. I wish the entire board would join us in these efforts.. parents, moving secondary school schedules to trimesters, and changing start times to earlier for all ages. Plaintiffs seek a declaration that the district policy prohibiting plaintiff association members from hanging, posting, erecting or otherwise displaying any posters, signs, flags, banners, pictures or other digital or physical image that depicts support of opposition relation to a policy, quasi-political or controversial topic, violates plaintiffs guarantees under Article 1, Section 20 of the Oregon Constitution against vague laws that confer unbridled discretion, because such discretion creates the potential for unequal application of the law, and thus arbitrary or unequal treatment of individuals, the filing said. The Snapchat group sometimes specifically targets Black students. Late Tuesday night, the Newberg Education Association released a statement on the firing of Morelock: During tonights school board meeting, the 4 board majority fired Superintendent Joe Morelock for no cause. 714 East 6th St Support the news and programs youll rely on in 2023 and beyond! In September 2022 Yamhill County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Easterday struck down the Newberg school boards 2021 ban on political signs, declaring it a violation of the state constitutions guarantees of free speech. This is my senior year, and this ban would change everything, how I feel about being there. Published: Jan. 18, 2022, 8:41 p.m. An initial attempt by the Newberg school board to ban Black Lives Matter and Pride imagery was met with widespread protests in the city. Penner responded: "You know exactly why, Rebecca. Im an elected official and I support my neighbors. The Newberg School Board voted to terminate the contract of Superintendent Joe Morelock late Tuesday night, in a process that board director Brandy Penner, who voted against the firing,. 503-501-6035, Renee Powell 503-887-6447, Raquel Peregrino de Brito One is expected soon. Opponents of the ban, who have said the language specifically targeting groups of people was illegal, say the policy has helped embolden racists. The resolution outlining the no-cause firing was not included in the board packet for Tuesday's meeting. Electedin 2019 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. On Wednesday morning, KGW spoke to Heidi Pender, whose daughter is a freshman at Newberg High School. Shame on our school district for making decisions about these kids lives as if they really cared. Director Zone 4 The policy initially explicitly banned Pride and BLM symbols in all district buildings, but it was amended to broaden the language following a public outcry and concerns surrounding potential litigation. 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. If the school board had rescinded the policy back in August 2021, when we along with our Newberg community, spoke out publicly against the changes, and then again when we directly addressed the board on the matter warning them we would be forced to pursue legal action and finally when we served them with a tort claims notice, we could have saved hours of legal preparation and public funds, it said in the release. Cherice Boch (left) and her son Espen at a Newberg protest on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. 971-409-5792, Dave Brown In response to the reoccurring demonstrations against the School Board's decision, a group of counter-protesters who support the School Board's decision stood on the southeast side of the intersection. 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. 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They gathered at 4:15pm on Sept. 29 at the Newberg city centers flagpole where, fittingly, the citys major highway splits. The discussion of the superintendent began after 10 p.m., over the objections of those in the minority. The sign featured a rainbow, a heart, and the words "Be Known." I will do everything in my power to create an environment that makes all students feel safe and supported so they can learn and thrive, Shotts said. "That was her first reaction, grief," Pender said. Think about the students before your own opinions., Parent and local counselor Holly Hetrick says she attended the protest to show support for all her middle school and high school clients, her LGBTQ children and their friends. The specific dates can be found here. The ACLU has threatened to sue if the ban remains on the books, and its not clear how this new bans legalese will affect its prosecution. 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. [8], An elementary school employee of the district reported to work wearing blackface in "protest" of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. And the packet that we just received a couple of hours ago, while we were in a meeting, is certainly not sufficient time for me to review it and understand it.. However, this topic will be on the minds and tongues of many in Newberg and its greater community for some time. 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.
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