Conservative group names 5 Greater Lansing school districts to … – Lansing State Journal

A conservative nonprofit organization is stirring up talk in Michigan and across the nation by naming some school boards to its “School Board Watchlist.”
That includes 60 districts in Michigan and five in Greater Lansing.
Turning Point USA compiled the watchlist for school districts across the nation to point out leadership who the organization claims supports “anti-American, radical, hateful, immoral, and racist teachings in their districts, such as Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, sexual/gender ideology, and more.”
Grand Ledge, East Lansing, Lansing, Holt and Okemos schools in the Greater Lansing region made the list, as did the Port Huron Area School District, Brighton Area Schools and a slew of school districts in metro Detroit including the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Grand Rapids Public Schools also made the list.
All of the named districts are in the Lower Peninsula.
Parents, teachers and board members in the Lansing area said the list highlights their districts’ measures to be inclusive and equitable.
“I don’t want to give these guys any more publicity, but to be honest, it’s kind of a badge of honor to be targeted by that,” said Mark Pontoni, East Lansing Education Association vice president and a social studies teacher. “It means you’re doing something right.
“We don’t see these things as a threat to anything besides the way things used to be.”
A spokesperson for Turning Point USA, Andrew Kolvet, took questions from the State Journal but did not respond for this story. Messages left with the Michigan State University chapter of the organization were not returned.
Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to bring conservative ideas to colleges. The organization has since promoted people to elect Republican candidates who side with former President Donald Trump in both primaries and general elections. In the fall, the MSU chapter hosted conservative commentator Candace Owens at the university for its Live Free tour.
Pontoni believed the district has been at the forefront of diversity and inclusion policies in the district.
Turning Point placed East Lansing on the list after the school board approved a resolution to urge state lawmakers to pass “common sense” gun laws weeks after a man shot and killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
It later lists East Lansing because of the district’s Sex Education Advisory Board‘s documents suggesting lesson plans about consent, sex education and gender identity.
Kath Edsall, president of the East Lansing Board of Education, doesn’t recall board meetings getting as tense as others she’s seen in the news. More intense meetings have happened with a handful of people against ELPS’s all-gender lavatories at all the schools, Black Lives Matter stance and the district’s transgender policy.
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Edsall hasn’t questioned her safety at meetings but does question the outrage some may express against what she says are inclusive practices by the district.
“There’s only so much I can do,” she said. “I can continue to support the kids in our district and work with some of the neighboring districts but nationally, yes, it’s horrifying that it’s happening.”
Pontoni recently had a discussion in his social studies class about how things people talk about openly has changed since he started teaching in 2005. He added one of the most active clubs at East Lansing High School is the gender equality club.
He’s not concerned about a mass of East Lansing residents following Turning Point USA’s call to heavily attend board meetings and urge the reversal of policies.
“There could be people that come to board meetings about it, but my guess is for every one of them, there’ll be 10 people that would fight for us to stay on our current path,” he said.
Grand Ledge Public Schools has experienced tense school board meetings because of former Superintendent Brian Metcalf’s social media comments regarding George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Metcalf wrote on Facebook comments that partially blamed Floyd for his own killing by police officers.
Recognizing the charged school environment, Lisa Storey’s does not want her grandchildren to attend the schools.
“For so long I hoped my grandchildren would also graduate from Grand Ledge as I did, but that all changed in the last couple of years. The district is going in a direction, that is not the school I have known,” she said in a Facebook comment. “I’m sad to say that my grandkids will not be going to Grand Ledge. We have all moved to better districts, I hope Grand Ledge corrects its path before it is too late.”
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Turning Point added Grand Ledge Schools to the list on Oct. 26 after parent Renee Hultberg sued the board for allegedly violating Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act, and parent Amber Redman filed a lawsuit against the district for allegedly violating Michigan’s Open Meetings Act.
“Grand Ledge continues to put students first and make sure that all students feel included, safe and they get the best learning experience they can,” said Melissa Mazzola, Grand Ledge Education Association co-president.
The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld Eaton County Circuit Court Judge Janice Cunningham’s dismissal of Redman’s lawsuit.
According to the Eaton County Clerk’s Office, Cunningham dismissed Hultberg’s lawsuit last summer after Grand Ledge Public Schools agreed to pay Hultberg $5,000 with no admission of liability and both parties reached a comprise.
“I think they want to try to silence the school district and make them to work basically to whitewash these issues, so that hopefully they go away but they’re not going away,” Nikki Thompson Frazier said.
She has children in the Lansing School District and said she is proud of steps the district has taken to create an equity plan and believed detractors are out of touch with what the community wants, versus what they may want for schools.
Turning Point USA has had Lansing on the list since 2020 after the board requested an equity audit on materials students learn from and to “review how Black history is taught in schools,” according to the website.
Thompson Frazier’s daughter collected and distributed books around area school districts that were either written by or focused on Black people. She doesn’t believe removing books from school libraries or curricula is worthwhile as children still will have questions about the topics.
“I think that (Turning Point USA) want to try to silence the school district and make them to work basically to whitewash these issues so that hopefully they go away, but they’re not going away,” she said.
Mary Gebara, Okemos Public Schools Board of Education president, said the district is on the luckier side of things, to not have many disruptive people at meetings, even during the district’s mascot change.
“We don’t have a lot of that here in Okemos,” she said. “We have a lot of very progressive and equity-driven families. We’re a diverse community and I think that has a lot to do with our success in rolling out these initiatives and actually bringing them to fruition.”
Okemos has been on the list since Nov. 4 for its equity plan that sought to create spaces for marginalized faculty and students, lesson plans on biases and systemic oppression.
Gebara said the board doesn’t have parents shouting at them in meetings or fears about their safety because of the community. She did admit it’s “disturbing” to see Okemos on the list and “have crazy people basically putting a target on you.”
A request for comment from Okemos Superintendent John Hood was not returned.
Edsall said that if a district created policies that would harm people of color or those in the LGBTQ community, it could result in families moving to more inclusive areas.
“Whether it’s at the school district or the state level, you make rules that harm families, why stick around? Why stay in your state,” she said. “Maybe that’s their ultimate goal, but it’s sad.”
Turning Point USA added Holt Public Schools to the list after the district’s Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Matt Morales sought to create private rooms only for people of color, and for the district’s equity and access team.
The school board said in a statement the district’s committed to “fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment” for everyone.
“Holt Public works consistently to create an atmosphere where students can freely express and share ideas in a constructive and civil manner,” the board said. “This is part of our mission to provide a quality learning environment that enhances the community’s social-emotional well-being and creates an inclusive atmosphere where all students can learn, grow and achieve. The district remains steadfast in its commitment to inspire all of our amazing students to positively impact their communities and the world.”  
Amy Bailey, a communications strategist with Byrum and Fisk Advocacy Community for represents the district, said officials wouldn’t comment beyond its statement.
A message was left with the Holt Education Association, the teachers’ union for the district.
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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.

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