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Emotions high during Alpena Public Schools Board of Education meeting

News Photo by Crystal Nelson Alpena Public Schools Parent Michelle Smith addresses the Alpena Public Schools Board of Education meeting Monday in the Gerry Ludwig Boardroom at Central Office.

ALPENA — A standing room crowd addressed the Alpena Public Schools Board of Education during a meeting on Monday where students, parents, and community members weighed in on what they believe should be taught or allowed in schools.

Emotions ran high during the meeting, as more than a dozen people addressed the board on issues such as critical race theory, vaccinations, and masking in schools.

Citizens have voiced their concerns to the board over the last several meetings, but Monday’s crowd was larger, more diverse, and more vocal.

Many people came to the meeting with homemade signs, with slogans such as “education not indoctrination,” “transgender rights equal human rights,” “school boards work for parents not government,” “climate change is real,” and “keep all our children safe in school.”

APS parent Jason Pardike, who has addressed the board at previous board meetings, said he loves all people and does not personally care whether a person is transgender or not. However, Pardike said he does not want to see mixed genders in school locker rooms.

News Photo by Crystal Nelson It was standing room only for parents and community members who attended the Alpena Public Schools Board of Education meeting Monday in the Gerry Ludwig Boardroom at Central Office.

“I do care about the idea that children are put in situations where they might be in a dangerous situation and they might have to confront situations that they’re not equipped to handle at that age,” he said.

Parent Michelle Smith told the board she started a petition to unmask kids, which received 1,123 signatures, and thanked the board for not requiring masks for the upcoming school year.

Smith also said she doesn’t want critical race theory taught to her children in school. When a topic becomes so heated, she said, maybe it shouldn’t be taught in school. She said it should be a parent’s choice whether their child is taught critical race theory.

“I won’t allow my kids to learn critical race theory,” she said. “I think the school should keep it basic. We should be teaching our kids math, English, history, you know the way it’s always been done.”

Parent Molly Stepanski said she has a master’s degree in education and it terrified her to hear someone say the simpler we keep it at school, the better.

“How are we going to prepare our kids for going out into the world and dealing with what’s actually happening?” she said.

Stepanski also said it’s time to get back to recognizing that science isn’t political.

Newly elected school board president Ned Heath spoke up multiple times to remind community members to wait until a person was done speaking before they cheered or applauded. He also stopped Stepanski’s public comment to address the public as they interrupted her as she was speaking.

“I don’t care what side of this you’re on. If you don’t want to respect the person who’s talking you can leave,” he said.

Elaine Stenger said she heard a lot of people saying they researched critical race theory during the meeting and said then they know it’s only taught in graduate school and not in undergraduate college, high schools, or elementary schools.

“It seems to me that we could ease a lot of people’s minds here, and in the community, if the Board of Education could simply say, we don’t teach that it’s not appropriate for elementary school or high school, it’s something that’s taught in graduate school, where people who are getting their masters getting their PhDs, choose to take those kinds of classes,” she said. “To me, that would end the discussion.”

The board of education did not address parent’s concerns, as it is the board’s policy not to respond during public comment.

Superintendent Dave Rabbideau plans to address parent concerns during a community town hall meeting scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Aug. 3 in Alpena High School’s large commons.

The board also completed several tasks required at the beginning of the fiscal year, including officer elections. Ned Heath was voted president of the board, Stacey Parr was re-elected vice president, and Gordon Snow was named treasurer. The board also set its calendar, with meetings to be held on the third Monday of each month.

Lorie Kneeshaw will remain board secretary for the year. Lansing-based Thrun Law Firm will continue to represent the district in legal matters, while Straley Lamp and Kraenzlein, P.C. will remain the district’s auditing firm.

The board also renewed nearly $7,700 in memberships, including memberships to the Michigan Association of School Boards, the MASB’s Legal Fund Trust, the School Equity Caucus, Northern Michigan Schools Legislative Association, and the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce.

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