CFSD Board Rejects Parent Concerns

CFSD Board’s official refusal to discuss parental concerns

I am writing in response to your written request for the Board to schedule a discussion and vote on your petition idea at a future meeting.

 

CFSD Board President Eileen Jackson

CFSD Board’s official refusal to discuss parental concerns at future board meetings came by email from the president of the governing board, Eileen Jackson by email on April 6, 2023:

I am writing in response to your written request for the Board to schedule a discussion and vote on your petition idea at a future meeting.

The petition she’s referring to was signed by over 200 district parents or voters and requested that the board add to the agenda any item made by written request by 100 or more district parents or voters. She rejected even adding to the discussion the topic of the petition in a future board meeting.

Jackson continues…

After consideration in our agenda planning session and receiving no request from any Board member who wishes for this item to be slated, please be informed this will not become an agenda item…

The major responsibility of the position is to set policy for the District that will serve our constituents…

I will tell you that at least for me, I haven’t heard anything in public comment or in individual emails I’ve received that would cause me to move away from our practices…I know that you may disagree and that is where I must leave it.

Respectfully

Eileen Jackson – President, CFSD Governing Board

April 6, 2023

Three Types of Rejection

First, the board refuses to discuss the bathroom issue. They claim denying access to opposite sex showers, bathrooms, and changing areas to students is discriminatory. They claim this is based on gender identity and cite the district’s non-discrimination policy. However, they do not limit access based on how a student identifies. That’s because there is no policy and they won’t discuss one.
Second, the board refuses to discuss the pronoun issue. They deny the secret list exists and that it should have never been created but defend that it was necessary. They insist they encourage students to talk to their parents and that they will not hide it from parents who call to ask directly. However, the district has not notified parents of this so they would know to ask. Released records show staff receiving pronoun requests with no encouragement to tell their parents.

The Proposition

Third, they refused to vote on a policy proposed by a petition signed by more than 200 CFSD parents and voters. The proposal states that the governing board adds to the agenda any item requested in writing by 100 or more parents or voters. Instead, the current board wants the power to ignore any number of constituents to limit agenda items to only those topics they personally want to discuss. Not only is the public prevented from hearing their elected officials comment on important matters, the public is also prevented from any town-hall type exchange where there is conversation on anything that matters to them. Don’t take our word for it, listen to the board explain it. The red button below shows a 4-minute clip of the board’s only discussion of the petition.