Takeaways from the June 2024 Conroe ISD board meeting
I will go through the agenda and comment only on the items that felt important to me.
IV, D: Consider and Approve Contract with Communities in Schools.
Trustee Odenweller has questions about the $ spent on this program. She believes that the district could replace the program with free community groups. I have to assume she is thinking about religiously based programs, which is obviously a concern to me.
Communities in Schools (CIS) is an organization that is opposed by conservatives because CIS “the organization pushes for more existing social services to be integrated with public schools and placed under the control of the school system”
With a unanimous vote the motion passed.
V: Discuss Possible Names for New Conroe ISD Campuses
There were three schools that are under construction and have reached the naming phase of the process. Several people spoke during public comment advocating for some very worthy namesakes. The most touching story was that of Mittie J Campbell.
Mittie is buried in the Conroe Community Cemetery. In 1916 she was teaching 143 6th-8th grade students in one room. Mittie J Campbell was the 1st African American woman Principal in Conroe. In 1918 the new school for African Americans was named Mittie J Campbell School for the woman who had worked tirelessly to educate Conroe’s youth, fellow teachers, and the community at large. The History of Conroe Independent School District stated that the school was named for “the first principal and the one who contributed most in organizing the school.”
In 1927 the school was renamed Booker T Washington School to reflect the name of a more “prominent” African American educator who was from Tuskegee Alabama rather than continue to honor the contributions of Mittie J Campbell to the Conroe community.After almost 100 years, the name of Mittie J Campbell will be on a Conroe Independent School District school to make sure Mittie J Campbell gets the respect and recognition she deserves.
From the Conroe Community Cemetery Restoration Project
I was pleased to see the board unanimously approve the motion to name a new elementary school after Mrs. Campbell
IX, A: Adopt Revised Board Policy EIE Academic Achievement - Retention and Promotion
This is about report cards for primary grades. For a few years CISD has been using Standards Based report cards for PK, K and 1st grades.
The agenda item was intended to expand this grade reporting standard to include 2nd grade. Teachers and administrators are strongly in favor of this proposal.
Melissa Dungan, whose children do NOT attend CISD schools, can’t comprehend these report cards when they come home to her. She embarrassed herself at the last board meeting by going on and on about her dislike of the system only to have to admit that her experience was not with CISD schools. She continued to embarrass herself this month. I invite you to check out these links that explain the new system and see if you are as confused as she is.
The motion passed 6-1, with Trustee Dungan as the one vote against.
My assumption is that she doesn’t want to see the details of her child’s learning and be forced to think about what that report card is telling her, rather she just wants to see A’s so she doesn’t have to think too hard.
On to the meat of the agenda:
IX, C: Conduct a Hearing and Consider the Level 3 Appeal of Ms. Andrea Yang for Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; Ms. DeDe Fox for My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; Ms. Erin Miller for The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, We are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson, and Where the Crawdad Sings by Delia Owens; and, Ms. Theresa Neman for Beloved, by Toni Morrison, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez, Salvage the Bones by Jasmine Ward, Sold by Patricia McCormick, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
I will summarize the issue at hand. When it comes to books in Conroe ISD, there are two different policies that cover them. One policy pertains only to library books. The other policy pertains only to instructional materials. Library books are self-explanatory. Instructional materials include books in teacher’s classroom libraries that are intended for students to borrow from the teacher to read by their own choice. Those books are curated by the teacher. Instructional materials also include required reading. You know the idea, the books you had to read for a class and then had class discussions and assignments based on those books. You likely recognize some titles in the appeal from your schooling.
This agenda item pertains only to instructional materials.
Due to the current focus on books and book removals the district staff took it upon themselves to conduct an “informal review” of instructional books. It was revealed last night that an unnamed trustee sent emails to district staff with lists of books they wanted removed and reminded staff that the board would be watching them. This led to this:
According to Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson, an independent researcher, district records indicate that 589 titles on the list of to-be disposed materials will have two or more copies thrown out. Of the 589 titles, 149 were banned by the district. A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Lord of The Flies by William Golding and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas are the three top titles, with 368, 329 and 172 books to be disposed of, respectively. Houston Press
Four women, one parent of a rising senior, and three grandmothers, submitted appeals to the district in support of reinstating the 19 titles listed in the agenda item. Each woman was given 10 minutes to state their case for their books. They made all the points that you would expect including literary merit and required reading for AP tests.
Dr Lambert represented the district and the staff who made the decision to stop using these books in instruction. His defense was the staff were carrying out the policy given to them by the board.
There was a lot of discussion here. Trustee Williams pointed out that of the 19 books being reviewed last night 47% of them were written by or included characters that are black or LGBTQ. Systemic racism at work.
Trustee Chase was appalled that this was the outcome of the board policy. She was equally appalled that the vote for each appeal was rejected, leaving all the books excluded from instruction.
I also was appalled. The outcome hinged on Trustee Hubert’s vote. He is a conservative, and he is reasonable. He is also the president of the board and gets a lot of pressure from all sides. He ultimately stated that his decision was intended to show support for the staff who were following the policy given to them by the board. Unfortunately, students and teachers were the losers.
XII, D: Board Member Requested Discussion and Possible Action Regarding a Resolution Against the Changes to Title IX
This is where we all started reaching for the popcorn. Community members still in attendance were coming off the book fight and still reeling from the board decision.
Trustee Nelson submitted a proposed resolution in response to the recent revisions to Title IX.
The subsequent discussion was more than I could have expected. Trustee Williams proposed his own resolution, an excerpt:
WHEREAS, the Board was presented a resolution last year to denounce school vouchers which reintroduces public school segregation by economic means and thus by racial line which was determined by Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 to be unconstitutional; and
(…….)
WHEREAS, the Conroe ISD board members took opposing views or neutral views against a school voucher resolution that would be in support of Conroe Independent School District and all Texas Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, Board members previously identifying themselves as Momma Bears seek to purport a political agenda.
(…….)
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees of the Conroe Independent School District, in a public meeting duly called and assemble:
(…….)
Acknowledges Hypocrisy by Board members in presenting resolutions under the pretense of protecting our kids.
(…….)
Acknowledges the ongoing assault on public education through book banning also under the pretense of protecting our kids and confirms that book censorship is another self-serving political agenda.
In response to the question ‘why is this so important to do?’ Trustee Dungan angrily retorted that it was for the same reason that the BLM support was important to ‘them’ (the previous board). When pressed for an explanation she threw out George Floyd’s name with disdain.
I found the statement that she was referencing, from June 2020. No reference to BLM….interesting that she interpreted this statement, which each of the then board members signed, how she did.
Ultimately, neither Trustee Nelson’s nor Trustee Williams’ resolutions passed.
XII, E: Board Member Requested Discussion and Development of a Local Policy Addressing Gender Fluidity and Parental Notification
This agenda item is what brought out public comments from several speakers including Cameron Samuels, Executive Director of S.E.A.T, Jason Rocha, Founder and President of The Woodlands Pride, and students from both CISD and Katy ISD.
The policy that was proposed by Trustee Odenweller is apparently a copy of the Katy ISD policy that is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. In addition to being a ‘bathroom bill’ it also would require district staff to notify parents if “their child requests he or she be identified as transgender, change his or her name, or use different pronouns at school”.
The discussion that followed was merely an escalation of the Title IX discussion. The late hour, approaching midnight, surely contributed to the short fuses of many board members.
I will be back next month, making public comment in support of queer students and the board trustees who are attempting to maintain sanity.
Great work! Thank you.
Excellent summary. I was very impressed with the 2020 statement about George Floyd. It makes me proud to live in CISD. Thank you for taking the time to attend the meetings and do research for your summaries.