Steve Kron
Sartell
The past two Sartell-St. Stephen school board meetings have become a rally for a few educators who feel they have come under attack by parents and the newly-elected school board members.
However, I cannot shake the dismaying reality that this is in truth a show of support for a district that got caught providing pornographic novels to students. Purchase orders have clearly shown the pornographic book “Him,” and many more with similar graphic sexual content, were specifically ordered by a small group of teachers. WHY? The answer to that question is still needed! Should the newly-seated board have suppressed the concerns of parents and community members that were brought forth to the superintendent and board members prior to the Jan. 23rd meeting? NO!
Superintendent Jeff Ridlehoover reluctantly admitted he failed to communicate action steps to board member Scott Wenshau for a full 11 days after Wenshau notified him constituents were raising concerns about a pornographic book. So constituents acted decisively. At the Jan. 23 school board meeting, despite advanced warning, Ridlehoover amazingly appeared unmoved, unprepared and uninformed. Additionally, he has since admitted the same process for the public to appeal a book he emailed to Wenshau as his only reply to his concerns had been entirely ignored by the district and that classroom library books were not properly vetted. Strong executive leadership and proper enforcement of policy could have avoided the public spectacle that resulted.
Thanks to strong parent pushback and firm leadership by our school board, including the newly-seated members, the open purchase order has been closed and a proper vetting process is now in place. This has been a tumultuous time for our community. But is it book banning? NO. It is the removal of inappropriate age-and-content material that never belonged in an educational setting in the first place. Is it an attack on teachers? NO. Saying so is mere deflection. Proclaiming the difficult truth that purchase orders have shown the books were specifically ordered is not an attack, it’s simply the truth. The question remains: Why?
