Critical Race Theory: Loudoun County School Board Meeting Erupts
“We came here to dissent, and this is our house, we’re going to dissent.”
Virginia’s Loudoun County school board held a meeting to address new transgender policies, including restrooms, privacy, and using a student’s preferred pronouns:
The embattled school board of Virginia’s Loudoun County cut off public comment during a fiery meeting Tuesday as residents traded barbs over new transgender policy proposals Tuesday following weeks of protests from district parents opposed to some of the measures, which they have criticized as potential left-wing indoctrination and a violation of parental rights.
The policies affect transgender student rights, privacy and restroom accommodations and would require Loudoun County Public Schools employees to use students’ preferred names or pronouns. An official school board vote on the proposal is not expected until at least Aug. 10.
But it has become a hot-button issue in the district, where 259 residents signed up to speak during the public comment session Tuesday and people lined up at the doors early to get seats in the packed auditorium.
The transgender policy was the main topic, but parents brought up other issues. Those include Critical Race Theory and allegations of one district official making “threatening Internet searches on a district smartphone.” From Fox News:
Multiple parents asked the district to drop its appeal of a court order to reinstate teacher Tanner Cross, who was suspended after speaking out publicly against the proposal. They argued that fighting the judge is a waste of taxpayers’ money and doomed to fail.
—
Former state Sen. Dick Black, a Republican, excoriated the board over its treatment of Cross and allegations that progressive community members had organized a list of their conservative neighbors to harass and publicly shame. The chamber erupted in cheers, prompting the board to vote 9-0 to end public comment for the rest of the meeting – which led to loud chants of “Shame on you” directed at the board and demands that members resign.
Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan called for a recess five minutes into the public comment portion due to outbursts. She tried to keep the crowd calm after that, but nothing worked:
After an unruly public comment session was halted by the School Board Tuesday night, chaos and a brawl ensued between members of the public, and Loudoun deputies were called to clear the room leading to two arrests.
Over 300 people packed the board room, many of them objecting to proposed Policy 8040, which protects the rights of transgender students. The board was scheduled discuss the policy, which is required by state law, later in the meeting in anticipation of a vote on Aug. 10.
NOTE: We previously quoted reporting from Loudoun Now. They now have added this correction: “This article was updated at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday with a correction about arrests. A previous version incorrectly stated Ted Sjurseth had been detained.” We have removed that prior quote from Loudoun Now and substituted a new quote from the updated article. We also have removed links to three tweets and changed the title of this post.]
#loudouncounty parents signing Star Spangled Banner after school board shut down public comment because of applause. pic.twitter.com/vqBLxm5JKH
— Ian Prior (@iandprior) June 22, 2021
WOW: Moments ago, the Loudoun County school board abruptly cut off the public comment portion of the board meeting, which was set to go another couple of hours at least, after taking withering criticism from parents and citizens: pic.twitter.com/W51PxuiBOq
— John Cooper (@thejcoop) June 22, 2021
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Comments
Good for these parents. Keep it up. Copy the Left and go to the homes of these prog board members. Parents have to fight for their children and the fight is always against bad ideology.
Someone needs to ask the school board who is directing them to push CRT.
I don’t think they are doing it themselves.
When we’re all done cheering and fist-pumping this victory, please send some tangible support to the people who made this possible, and still have more work ahead of them:
https;//fightforschools.com
If you can’t fund a proven winner, you’re not thinking ahead.
The Sheriff declared the meeting an unlawful assembly?
http://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter9/section18.2-406/
Seems like a slippery slope to me.
Time to elect a different sheriff.
According to a news article this morning on the Fox web site the Sheriff claims that the school board chairman (chairwoman) declared the unlawful assembly.
She also made a snarky comment about the “Jesus believers” being the problem trying to prevent her vision of the appropriate education (indoctrination) system. It seems that she is not only a progressive like most school administrators but an open anti Christian bigot.
“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers (parents) stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.”
Concord Hymn
by RALPH WALDO EMERSON
apologies to the poet
School board, tar, feathers. Some assembly required.
That’s an easy question to pose if one has a one-income family. Most have both mom and dad working so they can afford the taxes they are compelled to pay.
Now, how did that happen…
So, problems caused by Democrat policy, all the way around.
How can a sane person these days not home school their kids? Schools don’t even teach the fundamentals anymore — reading, writing and arithmetic. And history class has become nothing but propaganda to indoctrinate students to hate their country and themselves.
That’s an easy question to pose if one has a one-income family. Most have both mom and dad working so they can afford the taxes they are compelled to pay.
Sounds simple on the surface … but the school board controls the curriculum the parents who home school their kids have to use. CRT will become part of it in the near future if it isn’t already.
Seems to me the answer is for the citizens to pass referrendums allowing the option for parents to get a voucher in the amount of taxes paid for government schools and use that money towards private education. I suspect that such a movement would face massive legal challenges but would ultimately succeed in the Supreme Court. Once past the legal I think that all kinds of inovative and successful models would flourish all over the country. I suspect that well managed education based schools would attract a lot of bright highly motivated parents and community leaders to educate students in the skills needed to succeed in life.
Both sides brought out their best arguments.
Get ready for another “insurrection” narrative from the Joseph Goebbels media.
Abdicating education to the left doesn’t seem to have been a winning strategy. As a teacher, might I suggest engaging in some self-government (as seen in the original video)? That’s probably more effective than Defund the Schools (TM.)
Shaping up to be an interesting fight. Most parents don’t know what is taught in college, but they are very concerned about their kids K-12 education.
If I had children, there’s not a snowball’s chance in Hell they would attend the Public Indoctrination Camps known as Public Schools.
Unfortunately, most private schools are no better.
So applause and cheering now constitutes an unlawful assembly? Good to know.
Is this newly revealed standard going to be enforced at athletic competitions? Lot’s of those things at football games and basketball games.
How about more sedate settings like Church? Some denominations are more boisterous than others after all.
VA has a Gov race next year. Will the audience at a debate be arrested when they cheer or jeer?
What about those ‘peaceful protests’ we keep hearing about? Will those people now be arrested for cheering, applause or chanting?
If the actions of the folks at that board meeting actually constitute a legitimate legal basis for quashing their right to peacefully assemble and petition redress then that needs to be applied across all public assembly.
If it wasn’t, then a big 1983 violation just occurred. Let the civil rights lawsuits begin.
Selective enforcement is a defense that will likely get much more use in the future. It is illegal to enforce laws for some but not for others. By giving preferred groups like BLM a pass, these politically minded law-enforcement just open a can of worms that ultimately is a slippery slope to disorder and chaos.
I wonder why those arrested at the Capitol on Jan 6 are not aggressively asserting selective enforcement ? Seems they have a great case since Wash DC, Chicago, Portland, NYC and other cities and states have been releasing people for the same offenses – and even greater offenses.
People have now realized how their governments and the media have infected their country. Now, we will not stop until the infection is cured.
Ben,
The application of a ‘disorderly conduct’ statute as the basis for declaring an unlawful assembly, particularly at a public meeting of an elected government body, during the the allocated time on the agenda of that body for public input/discussion/comments seems like a problem.
The Constitution reserves the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition their government for redress of their grievances. The Constitution also requires due process.
The behavior in question is common place not only in other public events but in political protests, demonstrations and marches. The board, IMO, can’t simply decide that otherwise constitutionally protected speech (liberty) are impermissible because it violates their standards of decorum.
Obviously that doesn’t extend to acts that would be constrained by a compelling interest such as setting off fireworks. The fire code would rightly preclude that indoors as a safety issue.
What the board did here, IMO, is decide that they didn’t like the tenor of the debate and squelched it. Passionate speech, uncomfortable speech, zealous speech, intemperate speech are all protected.
I agree with you. Silencing protected speech is a travesty and is the definition of tyranny.
Selective enforcement of laws is a huge problem. If all laws were enforced equally there wouldn’t be 15 million illegal people residing comfortably in this country without any worries of law enforcement deporting them. It has gotten to the point where Democrats invite illegals to the capitol for the state of the union speeches where they are praised and fawned over.
For example in his 2019 State of Union address President Trump told about Gerald and Sharon David, who were killed in their home by an illegal immigrant. The couple’s daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter attended the speech.
But out of spite for Trump the Democrats invited some illegal immigrants to the same speech. Without selective law enforcement, how else can illegals even get into the Capitol building?
I have to admit to being disappointed at the behavior of the parents, they didn’t smash out all the windows, loot the building before setting it in fire.
They can do better the next meeting.
Then, rush out and register as a Democrat for immunity from any prosecution.
In my county, the school board held a meeting that included new guidelines on transgendered people.
During the public comments, one parent said that the policy was being pushed by the “liberal left.” She was immediately stopped by the Board Chair and was told that name calling is not allowed at meetings.
In recounting a protest outside of the meeting, another speaker (a young gay girl) said that she had been called a “bitch” by protestors. She also was stopped by the Chair and told that name calling was not allowed.
Neither person was calling anyone a name. The first speaker was offering an opinion and the second was recounting an event. Yet the Chair chose to cut them off and violate their rights.
An email was sent to Board members who responded with an email from the general counsel for the Board. The GC cited a 4th Circuit case which doesn’t apply as this is the 11th Circuit, but hysterically quoted the dissent as allowing for not allowing name calling in public meetings, while the majority had held it was legal.
When that was pointed out to the School Board, they said they were no longer interested in the discussion.
These are the people that are in charge of teaching our kids.
How about–
If a property owner is paying for the education of their children in a non-government school, that property owner can deduct that tuition from their school tax bill. Some prorated formula would be used for renters.
Currently, the “public” school system is being forcibly fed and they know they do not need to listen to any parent.
If the GOPe was not part of this totalitarian system, they would fight for the citizens and ask who is benefitting from this disaster.
That’s called a “voucher system,” and exists in a number of states.
This is what the vile, totalitarian Dhimmi-crats are sowing, at all levels of society, with their utterly corrosive and cancerous neo-communist, black supremacist, racist policies and agenda.
another school board getting a lashing
https://iotwreport.com/watch-leftist-fascist-school-boards-director-of-diversity-hears-from-knowledgable-patriot-who-knows-the-constitution/
A ‘firing’ would better. How could these angry people EVER again trust the very people who have betrayed the trust they first put in them in such a perverted way?
This is like re-electing Romney.
Not even Massachusetts did that.
BREAKING: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs says Critical Race Theory is important, blames Capitol Riot on ‘White Rage’
So, one old white guy losing to an even older senile white guy is ‘White Rage’
what drugs are these folks on ?
Neo, it gets worse: He admits he knows nothing of CRT then goes on to actually lie about the events of January 6.
This general is fanning the flames.:
General Mark Milley Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff just stated to Congress that thousands of people assaulted the Capitol and tried to overturn the the U.S. Constitution
https://twitter.com/dave_brown24/status/1407745748909838343
He misspelled “restore.”
If you’re participating in an open public meeting you need to behave and control yourself.
The chair of any group of public officials has the responsibility and authority to control the meeting – especially when it comes to unruly behavior which includes cheering, jeering, yelling and other forms of demonstration. Offending parties can be removed by security (in this case LE) at the order of the Chair – period.
It seems to me that this crowd was not well behaved and refused to conduct themselves responsibly. Thus, the meeting was adjourned and the offenders ordered to leave. At that point the meeting was over and anyone remaining in the meeting room/building was trespassing.
I’m fully in support of these parents but as I stated above you have to behave yourself. A lot of the comments posted here are simply off the mark IMO.
You are smoking dope. The crowd was very well behaved. Passionate, but very well behaved. They sat quietly and calmly as the board made motions to end the public comment period. They voiced their displeasure at the results of that vote. No one rampaged. No one seemed to threaten anyone. No one spoke or yelled over anyone. No one disrupted the activities of the board, as far as I could tell.
The people were perfectly well behaved, at least in the clips provided. I could not discern any reason for the board’s action to stifle public comment, declare an illegal gathering, or clear the people from the room.
The people have a basic right to peacefully assemble to petition the government. This right was abridged.
How many freedoms are willing to allow the left to quash? And must we really be both polite and passive as they do so?
No, I’m basing my comments on the reporting which stated:
“After an unruly public comment session was halted by the School Board Tuesday night, chaos and a brawl ensued between members of the public, and Loudoun deputies were called to clear the room leading to two arrests.
…
“The crowd repeatedly was warned by board Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan not to interrupt with chants and applause. Within five minutes of beginning public comment, she called a five minute recess because of a crowd disruption.
…
“After public comment resumed, former state Senator Dick Black delivered an address to the board, voicing his disgust with the past years’ events.
The crowd erupted into loud applause, and Atoosa Reeser (Algonkian) made a motion to end public comment. The board unanimously approved the motion. The crowd was incensed as board members went into recess, and began to chant “shame on you.”
So, as I stated, the crowd’s behavior was wrong.
Hack,
Under your theory the presiding officer of any public board, commission, council can use a subjective criteria, wholly interpreted by that presiding official, to determine whether the speech of an audience meets their interpretation of proper decorum.
Nope, Roberts rules of order do not overcome the Constitution.
Cheering or jeering and applause are not uncommon in public settings. The behavior isn’t unlawful. It is protected speech (liberty).
If, as you suggest, the actions were so disruptive then where was the intermediate step? Why not simply allow those who had already signed up to speak to remain and ask the remainder to depart? I really don’t think this would be necessary but it is an alternative.
Instead, the board decided to squelch the speech of everyone because they got their knickers in a bunch.
The disruption as it is termed occurred sometime around 5:30 PM. The board agenda called for use of the room until 7:00 PM.
What purpose, other than vindictiveness, did it serve once the board had ended the meeting and departed to seek trespass charges on the remaining speakers bother for and against CRT?
When public officials fear the public and direct agents of the State to suppress their assembly and speech we have entered dangerous ground.
How did Colonial Governor’s and Crown officers react to similar speech in the period leading up to the Revolution? In a very similar manner.
Our elected officials and public employees need to dial their behavior back several notches. They need to recall that they are accountable to the the Citizenry for whom they work.
The flagrantly dismissive and condescending attitude and contemptuous behavior seen in this event isn’t demonstrating the that this board understands that they work for the Citizens not the reverse.
“So, as I stated, the crowd’s behavior was wrong”
Well, I guess then, the people must be passive and silent in the face of their representatives and governing officials, and may not show or express support or disapproval of speakers on matters of public interest.
The videos to not indicate unruliness of disruptions. When members of the board spoke, the crowd sat and listened in silence. When the members of the board stopped speaking, they VOICED their approval or disapproval or the boards words or actions. It was the overwhelming VOICE of disapproval that led the board to adjourn.
After the board left, the people remained and milled about, perhaps discussing with one another the events that had just transpired, but not causing any damage to any property or disrupting any government function or proceeding in that PUBLIC space or building that was scheduled to be open until 7PM.
But because the board did not appreciate the overwhelming VOICE of disapproval of its actions, they adjourned to deny further expression of this voice and then called in law enforcement to disband a peaceful assembly that was petitioning its government at a time and place scheduled for such purpose by that government.
I guess we do have to just politely sit there and take it then, and just what we’re fucking told.
I think we are allowed to do something more than simply say, “Please, sir. May I have another.”
“So, as I stated, the crowd’s behavior was wrong.”
My apologies. I went back and re-examined the videos. Now I completely agree with you.
Those unruly bastards stuck around after the meeting adjourned to sing the national anthem. What a disgusting display of violence and anarchy. It was nothing short of pure insurrection.
I am glad the cops came to bust it up. I hope the two guys arrested were roughed up good and hard and now sit in solitary confinement in some dark Virginia jail.
I think Virginia law enforcement should find out the identities of each and every insurrectionist who showed up at this meeting and interfered with the work of the school board. By speaking up against the duly elected representatives, they have done nothing less than endanger our very democracy, and this must not be t0lerated.
Governor Northam should activate the Virginia National Guard and surround the school board building with a few thousand fully armed and combat ready troops. Barriers with razor wire and check points should be erected to protect the school board so they may go about their important work without fear of the people and quash the white supremacist who seek to take over our public schools, indeed, our very nation.
Yes, the actions of the crowd was truly disgusting.
Critical race THEORY Is just that- theory! Another word I might use is bullshit.