West Bend School Board Shuns Protesting Parents

A large group of taxpayers, families and parents stood outside of Green Tree School in West Bend, the site of the District School Board meeting that evening. Holding signs with statements, such as "How Would George Washington Vote", "We said 'NO'", "I Love the First Amendment" and "Table the Harassment Policy", each petitioner was sending a message to the School Board, and to the community. The Harassment Policy is NOT ACCEPTABLE AS WRITTEN.

A group of over 50 people filed into the meeting, quietly holding their petition signs up for the school board members to read for the duration of Monday's meeting.
Though over 12 people had requested to speak to the agenda on the subject of the harassment policy, board president Joe Carlson only allowed an additional 5 minutes on the agenda for community members to address the issue, SHUTTING OUT AT LEAST 8 PEOPLE. The school board made it clear they were NOT WILLING TO LISTEN TO PARENTS at this meeting, nor were they interested in this large group who were asking for the policy to be tabled and looked at again to address the disturbing and unconstitutional wording within it.

After six people were allowed two minutes each to speak to their elected officials, the school board called up Kathy Zarling and, together with the school board, Ms. Zarling proceeded to try justifythe specially protected gay and lesbian groups, the wording that shuts up Christian kids, and a policy that leaves parents OUT.

School Board members stated that they felt they had looked at all of the materials that were sent to them by community members/parents (but did not use), spent over 1-1/2 hours with one certain member of the community (that was me)and had changed wording to what the "community wanted" (but never changed the CONTEXT of the policy - there IS a difference). The policy was then MOVED ON FROM SECOND READING and will go for a final reading at the next school board meeting.

Bummer for the parents who voted for these officials, thinking they would be their representatives. This conservative community deserves better representation that this.