Teachers and parents urge restoration of summer 'Battle of the Books'; commenters raise DEI and Title IX concerns

Several teachers, parents and community members urged the Brainerd Public Schools Board of Education to restore or re-engage with the district—s summer Battle of the Books program and criticized the administration for discontinuing the program without stakeholder discussion.

Helene Danielson, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Forest View School, told the board she was "disappointed" that the program was cut without communication to teachers, volunteers and families after two years of summer programming that provided books and reading opportunities to hundreds of students. "It's heartbreaking that these opportunities for students were taken away without any sort of discussion with Mrs. Wigg or others involved in the program," Danielson said.

Noelle (Noelle) Busler, a parent, Brainerd High School graduate and special education teacher, recounted student and parent stories about how the program engaged children who otherwise would not read over the summer. "Battle of the Books was completely, totally her thing," Busler said of a 5th-grade participant who gained confidence by competing. Busler urged the board and administration to work with community volunteers and resume collaboration on the summer reading program.

Other public commenters addressed broader concerns. Michael Erickson spoke in favor of continuing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work in the district and described national corporate reductions in DEI programs as one viewpoint among many; he said DEI does not have to reduce instructional time and framed it as part of students' broader supports.

One public commenter, Andrew Mendez, urged immediate policy and website changes around sexual violence reporting. He told the board the district website and handbooks did not clearly identify a Title IX coordinator or provide contact information and argued that a policy section currently assigns building principals, rather than the Title IX coordinator, jurisdiction to handle claims of sexual violence. Mendez asked the board to direct the superintendent to update the website and handbooks and to refer Policy 4413 (the harassment policy cited in public remarks) to the policy committee for review. "All that I'm asking for you to do is to take 5 minutes to tell your superintendent that he must change the website, the student, and the employee handbooks, and then to have you all refer policy 4413 to the policy committee to have the committee comb through and get rid of the illegal sections that designate a principal to handle claims of sexual violence," Mendez said.

Why it matters: public-comment appeals can prompt administrative follow-up or policy review. The Battle of the Books was described by speakers as a summer literacy program that distributed books and hosted in-person events; parents and staff said the program supported reading engagement, literacy confidence and social connections. The Title IX concern raised by Mendez, if correct, would involve legal requirements for how sexual-violence complaints and notice of a Title IX coordinator are posted and handled; the board did not take immediate action on the request during the meeting, but the speaker asked that the superintendent and the board follow up.

Board and staff responses: At the end of the meeting a board member publicly encouraged administration to continue to work with community volunteers and stakeholders on the Battle of the Books and to seek collaborative solutions for summer reading supports. Staff did answer a separate question during the meeting that the district currently pays outside legal counsel on an as-needed basis and that no retainer is in place for the law firm the board approved.

Next steps: The public commenters asked the board to direct administrative follow-up — specifically, restoring communication with program volunteers, revisiting the decision to discontinue Battle of the Books, and reviewing policy and website postings to ensure the Title IX coordinator is clearly identified. The board indicated it would accept follow-up information from administration and that policy referrals go to the policy committee when appropriate.