Residents criticize Haslett's DEI plan during public comment; board members defend slow, deliberate process

During the public comment period of the May 20 Haslett Board meeting, two residents sharply criticized the district's diversity, equity and inclusion work and asked the board to justify its recruitment and training strategies.

Jeff Kessner, who identified himself as a Haslett resident, said the district's recruitment plan'which specifically notes outreach to groups based on race, gender, LGBTQ status and socioeconomic status'appeared to him to amount to "putting your finger on the scale" and to violate the Michigan Constitution and Title VII. He asked the board to explain how the recruitment, hiring, development and retention plan does not violate state and federal law and requested a written reply by email.

Terry Geiersbach, also a Haslett resident, expressed related concerns and argued that DEI programming can limit choice and "force a comfort level" on students; he urged the district to focus on strengthening individual supports rather than imposing sweeping curricula.

Board members acknowledged the comments. At subsequent committee reports, board representatives and the DEI committee member defended the committee's approach as complex, gradual and aimed at durable change. They described ongoing work to develop a bias-incident response diagram, subcommittee recommendations and staff training that the board said will be implemented deliberately and with transparency. Several board members emphasized the committee's slow pace and the intent to build sustainable practices rather than quick fixes.

The board did not take formal action on DEI policy that evening and did not provide the specific legal analysis the commenter requested on the record; the commenter's request for an email reply was recorded in his comments.