Local school-board members choose political divisiveness
Out of many, one. Or so it should be.
On April 9, two school board meetings happened on either side of Orange County — one in Osceola and one in Volusia — where political divisions were on the agenda.
In Osceola County, board member Jon Arguello failed to bring a resolution to a vote that stated “special interest flags have invited more controversy than conviction and more division than discussion, without adding to the educational environment or outcomes.” In defense of the resolution, Arguello raised a small American flag and said, “I know what patriotism means. And if that means for you that we are going to hang anything other than this (flag) in our classrooms, then you’re the one that doesn’t know what this means.”
As we learn to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school, we’re taught that the American flag is a symbol or expression of the freedom we hold dear. It is our country’s long list of protected freedoms that creates a pluralistic society where different ideas, traditions, cultures and beliefs are able to coexist.
A rainbow flag may not represent us personally, but choosing not to be bothered by someone else displaying a symbol of acceptance, especially for students who struggle to find support — that is a patriotic act showing our commitment to protecting the civil liberties that are embodied in the American flag. It’s only divisive if we choose to make it so.
Responsibly, none of the other Osceola board members chose to engage on this matter, but similar resolutions might pass in other districts.
Public schools offer an opportunity for students to learn that certain ideas are rooted in our differences, but share the same bedrock. Students must gain the needed tools for thoughtful engagement in a society that won’t all look, act, or think like they do. How can this happen if we remove all opportunities in our schools to explore challenging ideas?
That leads me to the second meeting in Volusia County. On the agenda was whether or not taxpayer dollars would be used to pay the dues for a single board member’s membership to the Florida Conservative Coalition of School Board Members (FCCSBM).
Volusia taxpayers already cover the dues for all members to participate in the Florida School Board Association (FSBA) — a nonpartisan association that provides necessary education on school board responsibilities, legislative outreach and planning, in addition to consulting across districts to ensure uniform access to quality education in the state of Florida.
When board member Jessie Thompson was asked to explain FCCSBM’s values, she said, “God, Family, Education and Country.” The website does not reveal much, but their upcoming conference is described as “an exclusive event, made for conservatives, by conservatives.”
Board members can create a space for themselves to workshop their specific policy positions and network exclusively with like-minded people to build political power. However, they should not be able to do this with taxpayer funds. Thankfully, four out of five Volusia County Board members agreed.
In Orange County, however, it never went up for a vote.
Board member Alicia Farrant, who opted not to participate in FSBA, asked for her dues to FCCSBM be paid for by taxpayers — and got it.
It seems she wanted a divided, safe space where only conservative ideas are allowed to thrive. Her actions show that she preferred an organization that doesn’t just unwittingly fail to represent all of her constituents, but actively chooses to shut them out. And, taxpayers are paying for it.
Ideas don’t divide us. People choose to be divided.
Our schools have become a breeding ground for partisan wars, where only certain ideas are allowed to thrive. Regardless of whether your beliefs fall to the right or left, we cannot continue to encourage elected officials to behave this way in our name.
We must recognize the importance of protecting potentially controversial discussions, debates and research opportunities available to free citizens that are on the precipice of adulthood in our schools. Civics and media literacy education are incomplete if we keep young people in the dark about what indoctrination truly looks like.
Not only to form a more perfect union, but to protect the one we have, we must be able to recognize the difference between critical rhetoric and divisive propaganda.