Todd Haywood

Three candidates for the Grandledge Public Schools Board sat quietly at a table in the Grandledge Public Library. They said that Republican activist and state board of education candidate Linda Lee Tarver offered her own opinion on the controversies and problems facing her K-12 education in Michigan. I listened to the offer.

She told a group of politically conservative Grand Ledge residents who attended the Sept. 18 forum that she did not believe in systemic racism. and voted to approve a report that clearly traces the Flint water crisis back almost a century.

The three candidates for the self-proclaimed Conservative Board of Education were Ashley Oneil, Kim LaForet and Jason Devenbaugh. Also running are Ashley Kuykendoll and incumbents Toni Hughes Glasscoe and Denise Dufort. They are fighting over her three seats. And conservatives have become a lightning rod for controversy in this generally serene community, which has eight of her school buildings and serves about 5,000 students from Eaton and Clinton counties.

These six candidates are part of a growing roster of citizens seeking to serve on the nonpartisan, unpaid boards of education in Ingham and Eaton counties. Ingham County Clerk Barb Byram said he has been a clerk for many years and has seen more and more candidates seeking the job.Past election data supports that observation. she said.

Both Time and The New York Times have reported that COVID and measures to control it are partially to blame. But COVID measures (masks, social distancing, vaccinations) are only part of the battle going on at the local school board. Activists are fighting to remove books they deem objectionable, often with LGBTQ themes. It is also believed to be inundated with critical racial theory teachings and support for gender reassignment.

It is a massive culture war and has not been recorded nationally due to the growing threat to the safety of school board members. In October 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched an effort to combat intimidation and violence against school boards, Time reported.

To better understand the perspectives of local school board candidates, City Pulse sent a survey to all official candidates in selected education races in Ingham and Eaton counties. A survey was conducted of her 69 school board candidates, of whom 25 responded. Here are their reactions.

Nowhere in the region has the debate been brought to the forefront as at the Grand Ledge. Beginning in January 2021, parents and residents can scold and yell at school board members and officials for alleging that the school district is teaching critical race theory (CRT for short). or harassed. This is a university-level scholarly argument that previous structural inequalities created by race continue to impact the economic lives and health of people of color.

The June 2021 meeting ended before board members voted on the contract for the district’s new superintendent, Marcus Davenport, reports the Lansing State Journal. why? The audience was roofing over CRT and her COVID mitigation measures underway.

Oneil LaForet and Devenbaugh did not respond to City Pulse’s candidate survey. The survey will ask whether candidates believe there are cabals of power elites in Washington engaged in pedophile rings, whether Donald Trump won the 2020 election, whether candidates believe their community Supports removal of books objected by members from public school libraries.

Laforet expressed concern over City Pulse’s question, but she did not respond. She said asking for “opinions” on the 2020 election “has nothing to do with being on the school board.” I asked if I would accept the loss.

Last week, she stood right behind Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, whose former actress and political commentator backed the “sex and gender agenda” in public schools. Laforet cites Dixon’s challenge to “boys who biologically compete with girls” and the fact that schools can administer puberty inhibitors to children without parental knowledge or consent. He enthusiastically applauded the false claim that

Although she did not respond to the City Pulse survey, her social media footprint provided a wealth of information.

She and her two fellow Slate members proudly shared a Facebook image of a nomination from Grand Ledge Primary Care Physician Dr. David J. Smith. He claims that teaching and COVID “mistakes” have harmed students, but never explains the alleged mistakes. and refers to the “WOKE/PC culture”.

For City Pulse surveys completed by Greater Lansing School Board candidates, visit www.lansingcitypulse.com/elections-2022-candidates/. It also includes research conducted by candidates for state representatives for the 73rd District.

The trio has also received endorsement from the Michigan Health Choice Alliance. The group is against masks. It’s also very active as Republican John Gibbs tries to win a third congressional seat in the west of the state. While at Stanford University, Gibbs founded a think tank called the Society for Criticism of Feminism. The organization claimed, according to a CNN report, that “women ‘didn’t have[sic]the necessary traits to govern’ and said men were smarter than women because men were ‘smarter’. Because you are more likely to reason about broad, abstract ideas to achieve your goals”, draw appropriate conclusions without resorting to emotional reasoning. ”

The three candidates have histories in the district challenging school boards and officials. When she approached the podium, her children were standing and asked to sit down.

Devenbaugh filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, claiming he was discriminated against because he was white. He claims that school officials, including then superintendent Marcus Davenport, refused to see him. The Lansing State Journal reported that the school district’s attorney refuted the allegations, noting that Devenbaugh met with school officials and Davenport more often than most parents.

On the candidate’s Facebook page, Devenbaugh shared a video from “Libs of TikTok” claiming that LGBTQ people want more than equality. they want children sex. This employee spoke out in support of an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum at school. In a July 24 post, he said the accused was “trying to groom our students.”On July 22, he shared a post from his Liberty His Readers, Michigan. , commented, “I can’t let the staff groom the children.”

At a Sept. 18 “town hall event” featuring Tarver and three self-proclaimed “conservatives,” Devenbaugh claimed he was not transparent about the school district’s allocation of COVID relief dollars. All — spent. In fact, the district has that breakdown available from the district, recently highlighted in a “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” section launched by the administration.

Grand Ledge isn’t the only district in Ingham and Eaton Counties facing extreme candidates. In Potterville, former City Councilman Katherine Schmidt (now Bassard, because she married a former City Council colleague) spoke to the City Council on matters such as political affiliation and whether Donald Trump won his 2020 presidential election. – Refused to answer pulse survey questions. Her Facebook page revealed that she is an active Republican constituency representative and organizes her GOP women’s group in Eaton County. She also revealed that she shared items for Salt and Light Global, a ministry that has long opposed LGBTQ equality and abortion, in association with the Great Lakes Justice Project run by Delta Townsh. I’m here.IP attorney David Cullman.

On Waverly, Mary Ann Martin, who did not respond to City Pulse’s survey, shared a video link to the conspiracy’s website. In The Truth About Vaccines, mandatory vaccines are called “harsh” and a violation of choice. She is a fan of Fox News’ Ingraham Angle on Instagram and a breastfeeding advocate.

In a June 28, 2020 Facebook post, she claimed that “Christianity” was under attack.

Also at Waverly, Principal Vince Perkins did not respond to the survey. I received a week’s unpaid suspension. His LinkedIn profile states that for the past 10 years he has worked for the district as a human resources manager.

Conservative groups and political action committees are pouring millions of dollars into campaigns for local school boards, Politico reported. Groups such as The American Principles Project and 1776 PAC have accused and lashed out at candidates for allegations of teaching critical race theory, gender agendas, and more.

It is fueled in part by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida. Earlier this year, DeSantis signed into law a “Don’t Say Gay” law banning conversations about sex and sexuality from kindergarten through his third grade, and mandating that he remain “age-appropriate” after that. . DeSantis is trailing Donald his former President Trump as he considers a run for president in 2024. request, etc. His spokesperson accused those who oppose the “not gay” law for supporting the sexual grooming of children.

But this extremism can be seen from the Michigan Board of Education to the gubernatorial race. It has risen through stolen election allegations to focus its “culture wars” virtue signal on voters.