Image courtesy of Rhiannon Klein. The Equity Taskforce of Mason sent a letter to the Board of Education requesting diversity and inclusion improvements in the school curriculum.
Rhiannon Klein and Katelyne Thomas, founders of the Equity Taskforce, appeared before the district’s Diversity Committee March 10. The taskforce was founded in February after Thomas, a fifth grade teacher, attempted to bring Black Lives Matter into her classroom curriculum for Black History Month.
According to Klein, a superior told Thomas that Black Lives Matter falls under the “controversial issue” category of Board Policy 2240, which states controversial issues may not be taught in classrooms.
After being taken to a reprimand meeting, Thomas resigned. She and Klein wrote the letter, which now has more than 70 signers, to the board.
Klein said the letter has six main requests
First, the letter asks to eliminate Board Policy 2240.
Klein said the policy is applied “subjectively and loosely,” and the group is concerned that teachers have been unfairly reprimanded for violating the policy. During public comment, community member Anne Rauscher said she is “troubled” by the policy.
“I would like to see a district where students have the opportunity to respectfully discuss current events,” Rauscher said.