Lakeville board votes to remove district’s inclusive poster series and adopt new academics-focused campaign

The Lakeville Area Schools board voted 4-3 on Jan. 28, 2025, to remove the district's Inclusive Series posters from district property and direct staff to develop a new academics- and excellence-focused poster series for schools.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment in which students, parents, teachers and other residents urged opposing positions, and a staff briefing that cited ongoing litigation over the poster series. Superintendent Michael Baumann told the board that the legal dispute over the posters has been active for more than three years and that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit revived the plaintiffs' case in Cajun v. Independent School District 194, prompting the district to bring the matter into open session for a public vote.

The question mattered to students and families who said the posters signaled safety and belonging. Several students told the board the posters helped them feel welcome. Natalie Kaye, a…