Responding to Morelocks termination, Oregon House Democrats said theyll take action on Newberg in the next legislative session. Trevor DeHart Morelocks employment ends in 10 days, and the next school board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 23. The amended policy remains as a ban on all political or quasi-political signs displayed by teachers. I believe we should be able to express how we feel about certain topics without judgement from the school district. 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. Elected in May 2021 - Term expires 6/30/25 "He made sure he was in schools every week with kids interacting," she said. Board vacancies are filled through appointments made by a majority vote of the remaining board members, according to district policy. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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.". 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.. I continue to stand with parents, students of color, LGBTQ students, and all members of the community who have courageously continued to speak out against the school boards unacceptable actions. The school boards symbols policy also drew sharp comments from the Oregon State Board of Education, Oregon House Democrats, and the Oregon School Boards Association. 503-887-6447, Raquel Peregrino de Brito His mother says he told her White men were cha Sheryl Lee Ralph on her historic Super Bowl act: Its just really neat, Man who died after police used Taser had warned of heart issue, video shows, Memphis officer texted a photo of bloodied Tyre Nichols, records show, Harris, in funeral address, says Tyre Nichols should have been safe. The decision in suburban Portland follows a pair of recent racist incidents at Newberg Public Schools. Support the news and programs youll rely on in 2023 and beyond! "This is going to set our district back decades. pic.twitter.com/XqAevRkRB7. "That was her first reaction, grief," Pender said. Contacting a School Board Member The NEA said the boards decision to ban political symbols was unwarranted and ill-conceived, hence the settlement. 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. Two of those board members were elected . BREAKING: This morning, the Yamhill County Circuit Court concluded that Newberg School District's anti-display policy violates Article I, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution. The policy limiting the kinds of images or signs school employees can display on campus originally began as a ban passed by the school board in August of LGBTQIA+ and Black Lives Matters flags. 30 minutes have been allotted for public comments, with a two-minute limit per person. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Those protesting or . Penner pointed out the juxtaposition in the board majority pushing to make a decision on Morelock while putting off a decision on the rainbow sign. [5], There are seven school board members, each serving four-year terms. Why did you organize it? IE 11 is not supported. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). To get in touch with any Director, you may contact them directly or contact School Board Secretary at 503-554-5000 The entire Board can be reached at boardmembers@newberg.k12.or.us. "I feel like this is the nail in the coffin as far as her desire to stay and keep making change here," she said. Think about the lives it will really affect. Forms will also be available at the regular session board meetings. The Newberg Education Association, a union representing 280 educators and staff in the district, wrote in a statement that it is extremely disappointed over the decision from the conservative majority. Gunn then appealed Morelock's decision to the school board. We could have upheld the Newberg traditions of the past and collaborated together as a united team.. "Our children should not bear the brunt end of partisan politics meant to further divide. Penner said the decision will set the district back several years. Is Wakanda Forever too woke for Marvels own good? 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? In late September, the ban was amended following concerns about its legality after the ACLU threatened to sue the school board if it did not reconsider the policy. I assume that is because the state court had already enjoined enforcement of the school board policy that led to both of the lawsuits. That means the board cant enforce the policy against Shotts or, for that matter, anyone else. NEWBERG, Ore. (KOIN) The Newberg Education Association is suing the Newberg School District after the. Morelock has been the superintendent of Newberg School District since July 2018. Numerous school and district administrators also have resigned from the district. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Protests against the School Board decision take place on a weekly basis, though pro-BLM demonstrations in Newberg were first inspired over a year ago in the wake of the racial justice demands that were revitalized in 2020. There has been insufficient public comments, input, notification, and it is 10:30 at night on a school night, Penner said. Dr. Morelock has worked tirelessly on behalf of our students and staff. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). No final order has been made. Piros said she had to file public records requests just to access all of the information Smith was sharing with other board members in the conservative majority. And Im just very disappointed in this decision., Thanks Rebecca, Morelock told her. ", "Policies such as ESB are in place to ensure students feel welcome and safe while learning," he said. The sequence of events documented in the lawsuit matches the sequence outlined in an agenda summary ahead of the board's Nov. 9 meeting, in which the board was scheduled to hold a public hearing to consider whether to overturn Morelock's decision. She made remarks to a group of sixty in opposition to the recent ban on controversial symbols and imagery. 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 school board and district are already the target of a lawsuit filed earlier this month by the Newberg Education Association. Mailing Address for the Board Board of Directors Newberg School District 29J 714 East 6th St Newberg, Oregon 97132 Defendants and their agents acted under color or authority of state law, the lawsuit continued. On Thursday, Yamhill County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Easterday ruled that the policy is unconstitutional under Article 1, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of speech and the press. As a mentor, I always tell folks to put yourself in the others position and then see what you think, I dont know what happened to empathy, but its taken a hit the last few years. Following the vote, Piros spoke again, addressing the four board members who voted to fire Morelock. The ban was passed in early August, and garnered a great deal of opposition from other board members, community members, and the state at-large. After voicing strong objection to the move, the board's other three members, Rebecca Piros, Brandy Penner and Ines Pea, voted against. Board member Brandy Penner countered that the top five performing schools in the state had diversity coordinators and diversity statements, while the districts that were struggling educationally have a "lack of anything to do with equity. 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. The two agenda items were pushed to a meeting later in August. NEWBERG, Ore. When the Newberg School District Board of Directors voted 4-3 to fire former Superintendent Joe Morelock without cause on Nov. 9, multiple dissenting board members. Amanda Boothby, a 2015 Newberg High School graduate, organized Tuesdays demonstration. Navigating a global pandemic with immense challenges, Dr. Morelocks leadership has been demonstrated in the low turnover of building and district leadership, and the hiring of excellent new teachers and staff who more closely reflect our student body. He was hired as the permanent Superintendent beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. The remaining board members have been involved in multiple lawsuits. Morelock determined it was a slogan for George Fox University and not a political symbol. 503-476-2636, Shelley Kolb Those in favor did not explain their decision. Time is set aside at the business meeting for public comment. The case, filed by the ACLU of Oregon on behalf of Newberg school employee Chelsea Shotts in December 2021, challenges a policy approved by the school board last year. It wasnt until the meeting started, more than a half hour past the original 7 p.m. start time, that board chair Dave Brown added an agenda item to discuss the superintendent. Prior to the public meeting, the board met in executive session, away from the public. 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. Newberg School District (29J) is a public school district headquartered in Newberg in the U.S. state of Oregon. My daughter wears rainbow pajamas all the time, Shannon said. Director Zone 2 Screenshot taken from YouTube. Appointed in 2022 - Term expires 6/30/23 Newberg is a town of 23,000 situated 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Portland. The Oregon Legislatures Black, Indigenous and People of Color caucus condemned the move and the American Civil Liberties Union told The Newberg Graphic the ban is likely unconstitutional. Our human rights arent political, period. PORTLAND, Ore. ( Portland Tribune) Newberg has been in the news a lot lately. The boards decision comes at a time when Newberg, a city of 25,000 in Oregons wine country, has been embroiled in state and national culture wars over free speech, racism and vaccinations. The board will later decide what counts as "political," but Pride flags and BLM messages were repeatedly referenced during the meeting. 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. [7] This ban ended in 2023. Newberg school board votes to fire superintendent, no cause given. We asked a few of the attendees why they turned out. On that agenda: consulting with lawyers and discussing employee dismissals or disciplinary matters. The disputes in the Newberg School Board have come as schools nationwide have become rife with arguments over vaccine and mask mandates, how racism is addressed in teaching, instruction related to sexuality and gender-neutral bathrooms. Piros concluded the meeting by addressing Morelock. Group showed footage of fatal Breonna Taylor raid at restaurant event, dine BLM co-founders cousin dies after police repeatedly use Taser, video shows, Bidens marijuana policy may change attitudes toward immigrants. An Oregon school district voted Tuesday to ban Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ and other "political" signs, flags and articles of clothing from their campuses. The employee was terminated from her position. But Brown added two new items, including one about Morelock. "My child is LGBTQ and so now I'm out here fighting for their rights and their voice. I dont believe this is political, its about human beings. The lawsuit named the school district as well as Brown, Shannon, Powell and DeHart as defendants. At the end of the meeting, the resolution to fire Morelock passed, 4-3, with Brown, Shannon, Powell and DeHart voting in favor. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. DISCLAIMER for All Communications with District Staff and Board Members: The Board believes that community participation in school affairs is essential if the school district and the community are to maintain mutual confidence and respect and work together to improve the quality of education for students. 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. The policy was denounced by the boards three liberal members, who accused the conservative majority of passing a measure that the community does not want. Board members Brandy Penner and Rebecca Piros, both in the boards three-member minority, said the sign was not political, especially coming from George Fox, a private Christian university in Newberg. The Oregonian cited Morelock's contract, which the newspaper obtained through a public records request. The board is also expected to discuss challenging the state's mask mandate at their next meeting. She announced her decision at a board meeting Tuesday night, citing a "toxic work environment." Brian Shannon, the Newberg School Boards vice chairman, introduced the measure over the summer. PORTLAND, Ore. (Pamplin Media Group) The union that represents the nearly 300 teachers in the Newberg School District is heralding a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed the school boards 2021 ban on BLM, Pride and other political symbols in classrooms was unconstitutional. 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. The lawsuit, first filed in Yamhill County Circuit Court by the Portland law firm Bennett Hartman, was advanced to U.S. District Court in Portland in December 2021 as a civil rights case.
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