Parents opposed to Reed appointment petition entire Olympia School Board to resign
An Olympia parent went on a Seattle radio talk show Tuesday to promote a petition calling for the entire Olympia School Board to resign for appointing Talauna Reed as a member.
Alesha Perkins created Olympia School District Rescue, a grassroots organization, and the associated petition. Dori Monson of KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM, hosted Perkins on his show, giving her a platform to criticize Reed and the school board.
Perkins told The Olympian that the petition has garnered over 800 signatures since being posted Saturday evening. She said the petition can be found on OSD Rescue’s Facebook group page.
“I’ve been surprised actually because this really has just gone around through word of mouth,” Perkins said. “I just have a little Facebook page, so it’s obvious by that number of signatures that people are sharing this. These are Olympia constituents.”
The online group had 588 members as of Thursday afternoon. However, it was listed as private, meaning people have to request to join before viewing any content, including the petition.
Perkins said she chose to keep the group private so she could screen potential members. She said her aim is to keep out Reed’s supporters and ensure members have real interests in the Olympia School District.
Reed officially joined the board on Oct. 27 and is expected to serve through December 2023. The board unanimously appointed her on Oct. 13 after former board director Justin McKaughan vacated his District 2 seat.
Since then, some members of the public have voiced concerns about Reed’s fitness for office, citing her past criminal record and vulgar comments directed at police.
Perkins told Monson that Reed’s appointment made her feel like she was living in the “Twilight Zone,” a reference to a science fiction television series.
“When you present a mountain of evidence of how somebody is completely unfit for office and you’re told that it is her lived experience and is actually an attribute, what do you do with that?” Perkins said.
In response to criticism of the appointment, the board released a statement on Nov. 7, defending Reed’s character and her qualifications. The board also insisted it followed the proper process for filling a vacant position, The Olympian previously reported.
In 2021, Reed unsuccessfully ran for Olympia City Council. She works with people experiencing homelessness as the Lead Outreach and Advocacy Navigator at InterFaith Works.
In a previous statement, Reed addressed the criticisms against her and defended her ability to serve.
She described her speech against the police at a 2019 rally as an expression of human outrage over police violence toward Black people. She said the video clips circulating about her lacked context that had been edited out.
She also said her criminal record should not disqualify her from public service. She added her life experience helps her better understand families with similar experiences.
On Monson’s show, Perkins acknowledged the school board does not have to respond to the OSD Rescue petition, but she believes her efforts are necessary.
“As far as what they choose to do, we don’t have control over,” Perkins said. “It is important for us to state on the record we have no confidence in you and your ability to lead this school district anymore.”
The Olympian has asked the Olympia School District for comment.
When speaking to The Olympian, Perkins said her group is actively looking for Olympia School Board candidates to support in the next election. In the meantime, she said they will continue to promote the petition and share information about board meetings.
Perkins did not grant The Olympian access to the OSD Rescue Facebook group before publication. She also declined to share a link to the petition outside the Facebook group. She said she feared Reed’s supporters may flood the comments box on the petition.
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