By Mary O’KEEFE

“The last couple of days have been interesting,” said Kaitzer Puglia, La Cañada Unified School District governing board president.

“Interesting” may seem an understatement when considering that the LCUSD governing board meeting on Tuesday night started off with angry parents who were ready to speak their concerns regarding CRT (Critical Race Theory). Parents’ anger stemmed from the recent release of a year-old book club meeting attended by LCUSD teachers. During the book club meeting, CRT was discussed by some of the teachers.

It should be noted that the book club was private and was not part of an official LCUSD meeting. Teachers did not get paid for attending. The virtual meeting was leaked onto a social media platform and then shared on Facebook. The meeting did not appear to be released in its entirety and was stopped in mid-conversation when a man’s voice would interrupt to criticize the statement made. It should also be noted that LCUSD has not adopted CRT.

During public comment on non-agendized items, parents were visibly upset over what they felt was the teachers’ push toward adopting CRT and the “destruction of curriculum.” That comment was taken from the book club meeting and appeared to be the lightning rod for the parents.

“I guess I am the first person to talk about the video that made its rounds through the community this week,” said the first parent to speak. He was upset with the governing board that they did not make room on the agenda for this “lightning bolt” that struck the community.

He stated he felt the video was “proof” of the sentiments and ideology of several LCUSD teachers and their stated intention to impose CRT on “our children.”

He acknowledged that the board was not adopting CRT but felt the video showed the board is moving in that direction.

“The wheels are coming off the bus and you board members are at the wheel,” he said.

He asked the board to denounce implementing CRT, and support disciplining any teacher who does try to implement it.

The man, as he walked back to his seat, continued to ask the board to pledge against CRT. President Puglia said the item was not on the agenda for this week and there would not be a statement made at that board meeting. She added the board members would be discussing the topic again when they plan future agenda discussion. Puglia then attempted to move the meeting forward.

But another speaker spoke on behalf of teachers.

“I am here on behalf of the staff of La Cañada Elementary School. We are united in the belief we are a professional learning community dedicated to continued growth despite the recent leaking and manipulation of private conversations,” she said.

A speaker – another teacher – read a letter from a local therapist who offered support to teachers who are facing “cyber-bullying” due to the leaked video.

“I am hoping to appeal to [individuals’] sense of decency and professionalism. A video was created over Zoom where [La Cañada teachers] were discussing race and discrimination. This was not created for public consumption but as a learning and training exercise. Somehow [the video was] leaked, edited heavily, and a robotic voice was added,” the speaker read from the letter.

The speaker spoke of her support for her fellow teachers and added that she was a teacher for over 20 years and had never seen the cruelty that has been shared online after this video was released.

Two other parents spoke, equally emotional, on how they were opposed to CRT and were troubled by what they heard, fearing that this is what their children will be taught.

Supervisor Wendy Sinnette then read a statement concerning the issue. The statement in its entirety is below:

“Recently a year-old recording of a Zoom discussion by LCE teachers and staff who were engaged in a book club conversation was posted to a website called Rumble and then shared on a private Facebook group. We do not know who posted the links or how they obtained access as the file was in a school site-specific shared folder. The book the staff was discussing was ‘White Fragility.’ The discussion was during summer and the teaching staff was off and in unpaid status. At the time it was a pertinent book to read as many were examining social justice issues in the wake of the George Floyd murder and the unrest the country was experiencing.

“It’s important to reiterate that the meeting was held over a year ago. Since that time, LCUSD has grown and matured in its understanding of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, working hard to make progress but also putting an ‘LC’ – the La Cañada – stamp on the related actions and services, especially given the highly charged and politicized tenor of the times related to these topics. It has been a difficult road, but I am extremely proud of our dedication, commitment and growth along the way.

“Since the social media postings, I have viewed the unedited videos several times. In its intended context, I found it to be a professional conversation on complex and challenging topics held between colleagues who know and trust each other. The conversation was designed to be held in a safe space – a space where professionals grapple with difficult issues and honestly process feelings and ideas in meaningful ways. All types of professionals utilize safe spaces to understand complex topics, ideas and events that inform their professional practices. Doctors, attorneys, clinicians, financial advisors – all types of professionals access their colleagues in safe spaces to better understand intellectual and societal topics in order to better perform their jobs and which encourage frank and candid discussions. Teachers as professionals have rights to these safe spaces, and these postings overtly violated those rights. The recording was not intended as a parent video, it was not representative of how instructors would engage with students. What the participants demonstrated in the discussion is what we advocate for in our mission statement: they were engaged as a ‘learning community committed to personal growth and academic excellence.’ The posting of these videos appears intended to promote divisiveness and misrepresentation.

“In my opinion, the editing was designed to be incendiary and to mischaracterize the discussion. The comments/posts were hurtful and caused damage to our district community. I want our educators to have hard conversations, stay informed on the relevant societal discussions that impact teaching and learning, and stay willing to expand their perspectives – whether or not they accept or reject the premises such as those put forward in this topical book.

“Finally, we all need to remember that we are the adult role models for our children. Imagine if, without consent from their class, one of your student’s classmates posted a recorded discussion and then random critical comments by members of the student body were publicly displayed. Parents of students in that hypothetical class would be outraged. As adults, we need to remember our students are watching what we do. Let’s all work together to model for our students that safe spaces are critical for discussions that inform our thinking. Let’s all work together to message district unity in the interest of our students, teachers, staff and families.”