The California school district council superintendent apologized for the “really inappropriate comments” of board members after a group posted a video that appeared to show board members complaining about parents who want teachers to go back to classrooms, which led to an online petition for board members to resign.
“Last night at the Oakley Union Elementary School District Council Regular Meeting, there were unfortunate and truly inappropriate comments that were heard by many,” Greg Hetrick told Fox News in a statement. “The comments made were not in line with our vision and are definitely not what any of us represent as leaders. I know we have lost the trust of the community. I will not make excuses for what happened or why it happened.”
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“I know our students deserve better from us,” Hetrick continued. “I promise to work collaboratively with stakeholders and members of the community to begin doing the important work needed to rebuild the community’s trust in our district.”
According to the video posted online, board members seemed to believe that their virtual meeting was private.
“Are we alone? B —–, if you’re going to call me, I’m going to drive you crazy. Sorry, it’s just me,” board member Kim Beede seemed to say regarding a father posting about her.
“They forget that there are real people on the other side of the letters they are writing. … They don’t know what we know behind the scenes and it’s really a shame that they want to chase us because they want their nannies back,” said the board member, Lisa Brizendine.
“I heard it all because my brother had a medical marijuana delivery service. The clientele consisted of parents with their children at school, ”board member Richie Masadas seemed to say.
The video circulated online after being posted through an account called “Reopen California Schools”.
In this archival photo of February 2, 2021, students wear masks while working in a fourth-grade classroom at Elk Ridge Elementary School in Buckley, Wash. (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren, Archive)
Parents across the United States are lobbying for their children to learn from their classroom teachers again, as some students face the possibility of completing an entire school year without entering the classroom, in addition to the months they missed out on. end of the 2019-2020 school year.
Meanwhile, the White House is facing scrutiny to change the language around President Biden’s 100-day pressure to return students to classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Biden on Tuesday night distanced himself from previous comments by White House press secretary Jen Psaki that the government’s goal for the first 100 days was to have more than 50% of schools open at least one day a week.
This goal was criticized as unambitious, as it had essentially been achieved by school districts that partially opened on their own before Biden took office. There was also speculation that the White House was trying to avoid disrupting teacher unions, which are a major force in the Democratic Party and in many cases were strongly opposed to school reopening efforts.
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“What I’m talking about is that I said to open most schools from elementary school to eighth grade because they are the easiest to open, the more they need to be opened, in terms of the impact on children and families who need to stay home,” he said Biden.