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Parents and residents confront Belleville board over teachers' shirts; board counsel says personnel matter handled internally
Summary
Several parents and community members said teachers wore "Gulf Of America" shirts that alarmed Latino families and students; the board attorney and district officials said the matter is a private personnel issue and would be handled internally, and no public disciplinary action was announced at the Feb. 24 meeting.
At the Belleville Board of Education meeting on Feb. 24, multiple residents and parents spoke during the public-comment period about an incident in which several district teachers wore shirts bearing the words "Gulf Of America." Speakers said the shirts were a political and divisive statement that frightened some students and families, and they urged the board to disclose how it would respond.
"History teachers who wore those t shirts saying Gulf Of America... it's divisive," Pastor Jennifer De Los Angeles told the board during public comment. She and other speakers said they were concerned for students in a district they described as racially and ethnically diverse; the meeting record shows a speaker noting the high school student body is about 73% Latino.
Apostle Kelvin de Los Angeles, speaking as a parent, said teachers' actions had emboldened others and created…
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