Earlier Crabgrass posting examined some aspects of the Becker confrontation, along with notice of the Board's Policy 471, proposed and tabled earlier this year, and apparently left tabled. The communications plan was passed by the Board after which it became the subject of the litigation, not the proposed Policy 471. SC Times also reported.
The union withdrew its suit over the communications policy after the Board's rescinding it. Strib Aug. 24 reporting -
The board met in a closed session Tuesday to discuss the pending litigation with legal counsel and, after reopening the meeting, voted unanimously to rescind the policy.
The lawsuit, filed Aug. 18 in Sherburne County District Court, states the communication plan violates the free speech provision of the state constitution, as well as several state laws, because it bans teachers from saying anything that is not positive about the district to the public.
The local teachers union, Becker Education Association, announced Wednesday it will withdraw the lawsuit, but stated in a release it "retains the right to refile if the board adopts a similarly problematic policy."
"We're relieved. The Becker community deserves to hear the unfiltered truth from classroom educators about what's happening in our schools, both the successes and things we need to improve," said Jason Baune, one of the co-presidents of the local union. "Becker teachers hope to work with the school board in the future to provide students the best education possible."
When the board approved the communication plan on May 2, School Board Chair Mark Swanson said people should understand "this is the first generation of this communication plan and we'll continue to look for further improvements."
But the local teachers union, as well as the state teachers union Education Minnesota, said the policy went too far and was a "gag order" on teachers.
Swanson said Tuesday he supports revising the plan to implement in the future.
"We're disappointed that we've had to go through this adversarial process in working through that communication plan," he said. "We're also disappointed, as we stated in the district's statement to the media, that the lawsuit misconstrues the purpose and the effect of the district plan, as well as the goals and objectives that were stated on May 2."
Superintendent Jeremy Schmidt declined to comment Wednesday on the communication plan or lawsuit. But when describing the plan at the May board meeting, he said the goal of the policy was to set guidelines for communication inside and outside the district, as well as standardize the district's branding with use of the bulldog emblem and e-mail signatures.
Related Strib reporting, March and April of this year, in chrono order, "Becker students protest as anti-LGBT group presents to school board - Inviting the Child Protection League to speak was "careless and reckless," a student said," and "Two Becker school board members resign following anti-LGBTQ presentation - One cited the students' lack of respect at the meeting as a reason for resigning in the middle of her term."
Child Protection League (CPL) is a Republican-infiltrated whack job operation complete with a pair of pseudo-expert out of state event talkers whose online characterizations call to mind at Crabgrass the duke and the dauphin in Huck Finn. But that, of course, is wholly subjective.
Julie Quist (having ties back to Michele Bachmann days and ways) was the speaker CPL sent to Becker, the step which drew vocal protest as she spoke.
CPL's homepage (https://cplaction.com/) from its first text is illustrative of its gravitas. After images of attractive children, it speaks -
You get the drift. Marxist - Oh my, Marxism in our American Great Again school thing!!! Vax deniers.
It is not rocket science to foresee a train wreck when you pick the wrong train engineer and crew. Whack job invitations by cogent School Board members can be anticipated to end badly. Whoever boosted CPL to the Becker Board and Superintendent as credible should be confronted and chastised.
UPDATE -
Ten years ago is not that long a time, yet with Bachmann faded into current obscurity- did she take an Omerta oath to escape the Congressional ethics inquiry - it seems old history. However, the hate and scare approach lives on. For background, MJ, here and here, both 2011 items. In that intervening time DOMA fell and marriage equality has gained majority support among voters. The hate agenda has paled. But that does not stop vile agenda mongering, and a school board stoking the flames by going vile is difficult to accept as anything other than imprudent.