Exeter Co-op School Board candidate fights against diversity, equity, inclusion teaching

EXETER — A local mother calling for the removal of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice teaching in SAU 16 schools is running for a seat on the Exeter Regional Cooperative School Board.

Peggy Massicotte has collected more than 850 signatures since December on her Change.org petition that calls for public schools to remove DEIJ, which was brought to SAU 16 in 2021. The SAU 16 vision statement for DEIJ states the goal is to "prioritize equitable school experiences and outcomes for all learners through anti-oppressive mindsets and curriculum that centers on positive identity development, empathy, and justice in stewardship of our global community."

Massicotte, who has filed to run for the Exeter seat on the Cooperative School Board, called DEIJ divisive for teaching an “us vs. them worldview,” stoking hatred.

“DEI initiatives promote an inflexible ideology categorizing groups as ‘oppressors or ‘oppressed,’” Massicotte stated in her petition. “This way of teaching has proven to be dangerous and should immediately be removed from public schools. DEI’s concepts are not inclusive and instead force exclusion and division within education.”

Massicotte is challenging incumbent Bill Gauthier, the current chair of the board, who is seeking his second term.

Gauthier said DEIJ has had a positive influence on SAU 16 by helping students from all backgrounds. He declined to comment on the petition but said DEIJ has been supported by voters at the polls.

Gauthier said he’s running for another term to continue improving transparency and communication with the board and ensuring kids at all levels get the best education.

“To me, what’s most important is that every student gets the ability to be their best,” Gauthier said. “When students graduate from Exeter High School, we want them to be their best selves.”

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Massicotte targets DEIJ programming at SAU 16

Massicotte said she became concerned about DEIJ programming in Exeter following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel. She said reports of antisemitism following the attacks, including on school campuses, led her to question SAU 16’s DEIJ program in a petition on Change.org.

The petition states SAU 16’s DEIJ director Andres Mejia, hired in 2021, holds the position of vice chair in New Hampshire Black Lives Matter. It alleges NHBLM promoted events where protesters chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

"The Anti-Defamation League defines these chants as antisemitic; they are calling for the extermination of Jewish people, the terminology is laced with genocidal intent," the petition states.

Many pro-Palestine advocates say that the phrase is not a call for genocide, but rather an end to violence that has lasted 75 years, since the founding of the nation of Israel.

Massicotte sent an email in December to SAU 16 Superintendent Esther Asbell asking if Mejia's involvement with Black Lives Matter violated school policy. Asbell wrote back stating she reviewed the school district’s policy (GBEA Staff Ethics and Employee Conflict of Interest) and found that Mejia's outside involvement with Black Lives Matter was not in violation of the policy.

Massicotte now wants a seat on the School Board to advocate for the removal of DEIJ from schools. She believes DEIJ programs have caused division on campuses across the country by putting a focus on different social groups.

Massicotte pointed to the SAU's letter of affirmation on diversity that included the statement, "The color of your skin matters to us." She believes that contradicts Martin Luther King's statement, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

"I just don’t want this to be in the schools," Massicotte said of DEIJ. "It's really just focusing on identity politics. I think that's very dangerous to teach children."

Column: The fight for diversity, equity and inclusion in Exeter schools and beyond

SAU 16 defends DEIJ teaching

When SAU 16 hired Mejia in 2021, the school district comprising six towns became the first one in New Hampshire to hire a DEIJ director.

Mejia said in a 2021 interview that teaching DEIJ is important because it helps create a community where all students, teachers, and staff feel like they belong.

Mejia did not return a call seeking comment for this story.

In 2021, he said there are misconceptions about DEIJ including conflation with Critical Race Theory, as well as that DEIJ “teaches people that white people are bad, and DEIJ is trying to divide us.”

“These are all misconceptions,” Mejia said. “These are all misconceptions as DEIJ focuses on acknowledging that all of our differences make us whole and that the SAU 16 community welcomes and celebrates those differences.”

Mejia was initially hired only to work in the Exeter Region Cooperative School District. His $153,380 salary was eventually transferred to the SAU 16 budget, which allowed him to work in all of its schools.

SAU 16 Joint Board Chair Patrick O’Day said DEIJ has led to a more welcoming environment in Exeter's schools. He said DEIJ committees have formed in the SAU that have worked to scrutinize the schools for ways of improving their inclusivity.

While cultural diversity is a significant part of that, he said even economic differences are considered.

"It's not just about diversity. Folks get really focused on diversity," O'Day said. "It's also about issues of equity and access for all students, so students that might have barriers due to economics."

Massicotte, Gauthier on their School Board goals

Massicotte said she originally moved with her husband to Exeter with their four young children, excited about the local school system. She said she eventually became disappointed with what SAU 16 offered, and so she pulled her children out of the district.

In addition to removing DEIJ from schools, Massicotte said she wants to bring back a school-wide homecoming dance.

She was behind a petition calling for the return of the dance, which had not happened in years due to past inappropriate student behavior.

Other items on her platform include a later start for high school and middle schoolers, which she says would improve children’s mental health and academic performance. She also plans to advocate for more full-time school resource officers to protect elementary schools and pay competitive wages for paraprofessionals.

Gauthier, a father of three, has lived in Exeter for more than 20 years. He has a master’s in education and a master’s in business administration and has been employed for the last two decades at CCA Global Partners.

Gauthier said transparency was a priority when he first ran for School Board, and he believes the board has done well in improving communication with residents.

“I think there was a feeling in the community that things were happening behind closed doors,” Gauthier said. “We’ve ensured that we’ve increased communication with everyone in the community.”

Gauthier said the board is fortunate to oversee a high school and middle school that are currently in “tip-top shape.” He said the board will also continue to support the Seacoast School of Technology and the Adult Education program to promote their success.

Other SAU 16 races and filings

SAU 16 has four other contested races across its different school districts that voters will decide at the March 12 election.

The Exeter Region Cooperative School Board also has a race for one three-year seat representing Newfields between Amy Ransom and Jacki Tassinari. In the Newfields School District, Tassinari has also filed to run for a three-year term on the Newfields School board against Jane Walsh.

In Stratham, three people are vying for two three-year seats on the Stratham School Board. Jennifer Scrafford, Jessica Kliskey and Paul Tusini are in a three-way race for the seats.

Three people have filed to run for the Brentwood School Board. Meghan Fitzgerald, Mark Hanik and Daniel Hebert are in a three-way race for two three-year seats.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter Co-op School Board candidate fights diversity, equity teaching