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Tensions over board conduct surface in public comments as teachers ask for policy enforcement
Summary
Multiple public commenters and teachers urged the Board of Education to enforce policy KD and publicly address alleged bigoted social-media posts by vice president Michael Gessford; speakers called for censure or resignation and criticized perceived inconsistent enforcement of public-comment rules.
Public comment at the Nov. 18 Washington County Board of Education meeting featured repeated calls to enforce the board's public-comment policy (KD) and direct responses from board members regarding remarks made by vice president Michael Gessford on social media.
Carol Mauen, president of the Washington County Teachers Association, delivered nearly 300 signed postcards asking the board to enforce policy KD and to engage in dialogue with the union after repeated alleged violations at prior meetings. Several teachers and staff echoed that request and said inconsistent enforcement undermines trust and models poor behavior for students.
Dave Williams, a resident, asked the board to say where each member stands regarding Gessford's alleged anti-Muslim Facebook posts and listed possible actions including censure, removal as vice president or petitioning the State Board of Education. He thanked one board member who publicly criticized those posts and demanded individual statements from each board member.
Other public commenters defended Gessford's response at a prior meeting and framed the dispute as a debate over academic concepts such as critical theory and DEI; those speakers urged free-speech protections and criticized calls for resignation as disproportionate.
Board members responded during the member-response section: some thanked speakers and said they valued hearing from students and staff; one member said she had signed a petition and another urged that comment be framed as "diversity, equity and inclusion" rather than the acronym "DEI". The board did not vote on censure or removal during the meeting, and no formal disciplinary motion was made.
The episode reflected continuing community division over board member conduct and public-comment enforcement. The WCTA said it had escalated concerns to state associations earlier in the year; the board acknowledged receipt of those communications but did not announce disciplinary measures at the Nov. 18 meeting.
Speakers urged clearer, consistent enforcement of policy KD and recommended that the board enforce standards of civility and consistency to preserve meeting decorum and protect staff privacy.
The board did not adopt new enforcement procedures at the meeting; the public-comment exchange remained a prominent theme in the session.
