Rural Mich. school may lose health center after controversy over mural with LGBTQ+ symbolism

Lily Altavena, Detroit Free Press
·3 min read
133

A rural Michigan school board has voted to terminate its contract with a school-based health center that has served nearly 700 students this school year — and community members claim it all began with a mural featuring characters wearing rainbow colors and the colors of the transgender flag.

Brett Zuver, Grant Public Schools' superintendent, said in an interview with the Free Press that even he was taken by surprise by a June vote to terminate the district's contract with Family Health Care, which has operated a health center in school district buildings since 2011.

"I'm stunned and saddened," he said. Adding, "It's scary. It is very, very scary."

The health center has, he said, been "an amazing, amazing thing for our students in our district." About 1,600 K-12 students attend district schools in the small town north of Grand Rapids. On Saturday, a group of community members will rally in support of the health center.

Though the specific reason for the termination hasn't been made clear, Zuver and other community members traced the conflict over the health center to a debate that roiled district board meetings in October, when a group of community members opposed a mural featuring pride colors that a student painted at the health center. The debate in October mirrored a nationwide trend in school board uproars over LGBTQ+ materials and resources in schools.

A mural painted at a health center in Grant Public Schools. The mural, painted by a Grant student, caused an uproar in October, and community members claim it could have prompted the district's board to terminate its partnership with the health center.
A mural painted at a health center in Grant Public Schools. The mural, painted by a Grant student, caused an uproar in October, and community members claim it could have prompted the district's board to terminate its partnership with the health center.

Health center questioned

School board members voted on June 19 to terminate its contract with the health center, according to board meeting minutes. Board member Rachal Gort requested the item be added to the board's agenda that night. Four board members voted to terminate the partnership, one was absent, another abstained and member Rob Schuitema voted no.

The superintendent and parents say the health center's impact on students is invaluable. Megan Wirts, a mother of one current Grant student and a former student, praised the center's services, including physicals, checkups, mental health assistance and more.

"We're a small town," she said. "They provide many health services. ... They serve many underprivileged patients."

Grant Public Schools board members did not respond to emailed requests for interviews. But Julie Tatko, president and CEO of Family Health Care, the Baldwin-based company that runs the school health center, said in an interview with the Free Press that board members at times indicated that the health center imposed a utility cost they didn't want to cover and at other times said they wanted to use the space for other purposes.

Tatko said the cost of utilities to the district is estimated to be $5,000, and that Zuver and another school board member both said there's sufficient space in the district for additional programs.

"I don't see a good reason to take health care away from children," Wirts said.

Mural drew anger in October

The mural at the district's health center was painted by a Grant High School junior, Evelyn Gonzalez, according to a GoFundMe created for her following the controversy.

With the words "stay healthy," it features numerous characters in the style of Japanese anime. One is wearing rainbow colors, often associated with gay pride, and another is wearing the colors of the transgender flag, light blue and light pink. The mural also included a Hamsa hand, known as a symbol of protection, which was removed after the uproar.

At a meeting on Oct. 10, Gonzalez said she painted the mural as a part of a school initiative to make people feel welcome, according to video taken by WZZM, a local television station. But community members during the meeting accused her of finding "excuses" to incorporate the symbolism and took issue with LGBTQ+ imagery.

In an unsigned statement, the district on Facebook later posted that the mural would be changed, with the hand removed. The LGBTQ+ colors remained.

Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: School may lose health center after uproar over a student's mural