MSU, Burrell pen letter of support for youth summit after SPS board member's 'disruption'

Missouri State University and Burrell Behavioral Health sent a letter Monday to signal strong support for the Youth Empowerment Summit and make clear the student-focused event is not the "appropriate venue for judgement or disruption by observers."

The letter sent to the Springfield school board and Superintendent Grenita Lathan was signed by Clif Smart, president of MSU, and C.J. Davis, president and CEO of Burrell.

Last week, officials with MSU, Burrell, Springfield Public Schools and the local chapter of the NAACP confirmed they fielded complaints, primarily from students, about the alleged behavior of school board vice president Maryam Mohammadkhani during a summit session.

The complaints alleged Mohammadkhani interrupted a mental health session for high school seniors and challenged at least one statement made by a Burrell official, who was asking students to quietly reflect on their experiences with trauma, specifically racial trauma.

"The session on Thursday specifically addressed trauma and for our Black students, racial trauma. It was a time of self-reflection and vulnerability for these students. It was not an appropriate venue for judgement or disruption by observers," Smart and Davis wrote in the letter.

"We are open to discussion and healthy public discourse but this should not take place in what is clearly a meditative session. It should be addressed in an appropriate environment that doesn't inflict emotional harm on our students."

More:SPS board official accused of disrupting student event on 'racial trauma'

In the letter, Smart and Davis explained the one-day spring conference — jointly planned by MSU, SPS and the Springfield chapter of the NAACP — was created to expose local high school students to the "benefits of higher education."

"It began in 2002-2003 in response to high dropout rates for Black students in Springfield," they wrote. "Black professionals from all of the U.S. came and participated and engaged with the students."

The summit is free and open to any Springfield high school student, regardless of their background, and they must secure parental permission to attend.

"The goal has always been to provide these students with an enrichment event that allows them to experience a day on a college campus so they can envision themselves enrolled in higher education," Smart and Davis wrote.

"Feedback from participants over the years has been very positive."

Summit sessions are broken into three tracks, separated by grade level, and focus on ethical leadership, cultural competence and community engagement. The tracks are facilitated by MSU staff and students plus community members.

This is the second year Burrell as been part of the summit referred to as YES.

"As we have seen over the last several years, mental health among our Black students has been strongly impacted by the isolation associated with COVID and events surrounding Black Lives Matter," Smart and Davis wrote. "We have found YES to be an appropriate setting to learn about brain health in an educational format."

The session in question was called "Taking care of your brain health" and it was led by Marquisa "Keke" Rover, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Burrell.

In response to a request for comment last week, Mohammadkhani told the News-Leader she did not interrupt. "I made a comment, same as the other board member in the room."

Mohammadkhani declined to provide details but said: "I was disturbed by what I saw and heard." She also planned to share her concerns with Lathan.

The other board member in the room was Shurita Thomas-Tate, who is a faculty member at Missouri State, a member of the local NAACP and a long-time participant in the summit.

The News-Leader asked SPS what other adults were in the room and was told there was a Hillcrest teacher, a Parkview teacher, a Launch teacher, an equity and diversity specialist and a college and career educator.

In the letter, Smart and Davis advocated for continuing the summit.

"We feel YES is an important component of the many opportunities we provide SPS students in our community as we encourage them to be productive, healthy citizens in Springfield and beyond," Smart and Davis wrote. "It should continue as an enriching and respectful resource for our students as we move forward."

Local NAACP condemns disruption, requests apology

The Springfield chapter of the NAACP issued a statement Tuesday condemning the actions of Mohammadkhani.

It alleged she "decided to disrupt the session by openly challenging the facilitator and by making comments that erased the experience of several students in attendance."

As a result, students in the session "expressed upset, frustration, and dismay at the disruption."

President Kai Sutton and vice president Kyler Sherman-Wilkins said, in the statement, that the NAACP "advocates for all students" and works to "promote academic achievement and higher education accessibility" for local students through the summit.

They said Mohammadkhani's actions "undermined" that work.

"While we encourage all to participate in our events meant to honor and uplift our young people, we will not abide by attempts to undermine our work to support our youth," they wrote, in the statement.

"We firmly believe that Dr. Mohammadkhani owes both the facilitator and the SPS students in attendance at the YES brain health session a formal apology."

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSU, Burrell support summit after Maryam Mohammadkhani 'disruption'