Rainbow Flags, Discrimination, and Public School Districts: Newberg, Oregon is a Test Case for First Amendment Rights

There is a new target in the "culture wars" in the state of Oregon: Public school districts and their elected school board members. 

There is, or has been, a noticeable movement in the elections in this country when it comes to "down the ballot" positions, like elected positions on school boards, in which most of the power resides in terms of hiring and firing everyone, from superintendents to teachers and aids alike. Most noticeably in Oregon, there has been a conservative, "Tea Party," "Trumpian" right-wing take-over of public school boards in Albany, OR and Newberg, OR. Most of these people are racists, xenophobic, anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-Black Lives Matters, anti-mask, and anti-vaccine people. They believe that schools should be about "education, not indoctrination," depending on what is being taught. Currently, they are also against, "Critical Race Theory," though few, if any, understand what this law-school term means. 

What happens when these so-called conservatives takes over the school boards by just one vote? A fairly progressive Superintendent of the public schools in Albany lost her position with no real reason, except that was the vote of the school board. Ms. Goff had only been in the position for 2 years. For a district that, up to four years ago, had a mascot affiliated with the US Confederacy, there was concern that Ms. Goff was let go because, "Goff’s efforts to steer resources and assistance to immigrant students and students of color has spurred backlash" (OPB.org). 

Albany is still in the process of figuring out what happened, and next steps.

Next brouhaha in terms of school board politics is Newberg, OR, a small "suburban" enclave of Portland, home to conservative George Fox University. In recent week, with new members on the school board (of course), the new school board 4-3 that the "superintendent (is) to remove all Black Lives Matter in all instances and the symbol known as the pride flag from district facilities immediately...Under the rule, the only political symbols or flags allowed in the (high) school would be the state and U.S. flags" (OPB.org). Dave Brown, the new chair and tennis coach at the high school for 23-years, says that he is not racist: "I'll coach anybody anywhere, any type of kid. I'll teach him. I'll work with him. I'll live next door to him."

Renee Powell, who is a board member and voted for the ban, said, "Having all that political and LGBTQ stuff shoved in my face at school makes me feel uncomfortable."

But Tai Harden Moore, whose family is part of a very small Black community feels differently: "Moore says one student's discomfort is worth the tradeoff for the sense of security a Black Lives Matter sign offers to students like her son. She says her son has been called the N-word in school." Moore now plans to run for the school board. For more on this ongoing story go to: https://www.npr.org/2021/08/24/1030723336/oregon-school-board-faces-backlash-after-banning-black-lives-matter-and-pride-fl.

And the churches in Albany? The churches in Newberg? What do you say about the school district's actions in your neighborhoods? I heard some consternation from people in Corvallis and Albany, but haven't heard or seen any response from church people in Newberg. And there are plenty of UMC and PCUSA and ELCA and Episcopal and Catholic churches in those neighborhoods, let alone George Fox University, a religious institution, affiliated with the Quakers. What does Portland Seminary say? It, too, is part of George Fox University. There is an active case of bigotry, racism, anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination going on in the public schools, schools paid for with tax dollars from the public, which includes members of religious communities.

Let's hear some noise!

Aren't these places and times for making "good trouble," as the late John Lewis would advocate?

What do you say? Add your comments. Let's see if we can find out what we, as queer people of faith and allies, can do to turn around such openly discriminatory actions.