Leominster School Committee rejects effort to leave statewide group over policies

LEOMINSTER — The School Committee soundly defeated an effort by one of its members to leave a statewide group to protest some of its recent decisions.

The board voted 7-2 Monday night to remain in the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, a “member-driven association whose mission is to support Massachusetts school leaders in their increasingly complex governance role,” according to its website.

In addition to providing information to school boards across the state, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees lists on its website several programs and services it offers, such as professional development, school policy development, superintendent search services and job postings, alerts and analysis of education-related legislation, and advocacy for education and schools.

The Leominster School Committee pays $6,500 per year to belong to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

Greg Thomas, the school board’s vice chairman, presented the proposal to leave the Massachusetts Association of School Committees after the group shared an article titled “The case for starting sex ed in kindergarten” Sept. 13 as part of a daily roundup of education-related news on its Twitter account.

More: Leominster School Committee member suggests leaving state association over sex-ed tweet

Thomas — who stressed in a recent radio interview he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of the board — replied to the tweet, writing, “Unreal. This is absolutely disgusting that you would even share this.”

The article from National Public Radio suggested ways comprehensive sex education could be taught to students as young as kindergarten, such as using hula hoops to teach the concepts of bodily autonomy and personal space.

“Initially reading through it,” Thomas said Monday night, “I think it was very minor indeed, I guess I would say, is not too offensive.”

Thomas added his main issue with the article was the use of Advocates for Youth as a source — an organization that, based on videos on its YouTube channel, he said, does not support police officers in schools and advocates, “teaching teenagers what they should say if they get arrested, who they should call, all these things,” during a protest.

“I found it to be very inappropriate,” Thomas said.

Asked later in the meeting by school board member Salvatore Perla whether any of the other topics Thomas mentioned were, “ever directly shared by the MASC or any point before,” Thomas replied, “No. It was just digging into the article and the organization that’s in the article.”

Letter to Biden on threats, violence against school board members

Thomas also raised objections to Massachusetts Association of School Committees Executive Director Glenn Koocher’s support of a letter last fall from the National School Boards Association to President Joe Biden regarding threats and violence against school board members.

Critics, including Thomas, have claimed the letter appeared to compare parents to terrorists because the letter stated the, “classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.”

If successful, Leominster would have joined Dighton-Rehoboth as the only districts not to belong to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

Joining Thomas’ opposition to the School Committee staying with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees was board member Gregory Renchkovsky.

“I’m disgusted that we could support another organization that’s calling parents terrorists,” Renchkovsky said. “I mean, I don’t even know what to say. It’s despicable that we would be associated with such an organization. Full disclosure, I haven’t read enough on the topic of the kindergarten issue, so I don’t want to say anything to that and I haven’t had time to review it.”

Brandon Robbins voiced the point of view of other School Committee members when he said the Massachusetts Association of School Committees is, “an invaluable resource that provides us with information. And not just us, but provide School Committees across this commonwealth with information. An article was posted with a title that a member didn’t like, and I’m OK with that because there probably are articles that they post that I don’t like. But at the end of the day, it’s a resource. Nothing that comes out of it is something we have to do. We get policies from them all the time that go right to the policy subcommittee, and we could change them as long as it’s still in line with what the state law says. We don’t have to follow it to a T.”

As a member-driven organization, Robbins said, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees is ultimately responsible to the people who belong to it.

“I feel if we as a committee don’t agree with the direction,” he said, “then maybe committee members need to stand up and start volunteering to serve on committees that MASC is running.”

Robbins and school board member Ronald Houle said they were “disappointed” Thomas chose to address his concerns with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees through media such as tweets and a radio interview. Houle said the radio interview should have been cleared through the chairman, Mayor Dean Mazzarella.

“When you talk out there in the land, you’re only representing yourself, no one else,” Houle said. “When you’re at the table, yes, you are a part. You are the vice chair and you’re representing here. When you’re out there, you’re sure not representing me.”

While he joined with his fellow board members in approving a motion to stay with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Mazzarella said he has concerns about the group he would like to see dealt with.

“I wish it was a group that supported urban communities,” the mayor said. “I think that every time we go down to the yearly convention, it’s all driven by smaller, more wealthy communities.”

Noting Koocherhas “done a great job” as executive director, Mazzarella said the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, “needs to walk carefully. Yes, they do some wonderful things, but they have gotten involved politically and they need to get themselves out of the politics in this state.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Leominster rejects effort to leave Mass. Assoc. of School Committees