Board member presses for policy review after meeting cancellation; superintendent says Critical Race Theory is not present in district curriculum

A board member asked the Jefferson SD 14J board to review existing policies after a recent meeting cancellation and raised concerns about denying public access. The board agreed to research and clarify policy language.

Fred Sondermeyer said he was upset that a prior meeting was canceled for "no new business" and worried the decision prevented community input. He cited board policies BD/EDA and PFF and asked the board to ensure meeting cancellations and suspensions follow policy and are made as a board decision rather than unilaterally.

"All regular, special and emergency meetings of the board will be open to the public, except as provided by law," Fred read from policy; he urged that suspension language be used narrowly and that the board return to clear guidance on public access.

Separately, several members asked whether Critical Race Theory (CRT) was being taught in the district. Superintendent Brad responded directly: "The answer is it's not a thing. CRT is not a curriculum. It's not in the schools, it's not in Oregon schools... There's nobody in our district that's teaching it," he said, adding that discussions of history and racism are not equivalent to CRT as a formalized curriculum.

The board asked staff to review the cited policies and return with recommended clarifications about when meetings may be canceled or held remotely, and what notice and alternative access (Zoom) will be provided to the public.

Next steps: Chair Kamada said the district will look into the two policies and report back; no policy changes were adopted at this meeting.