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Community speakers urge caution on social media education, raise concerns about curriculum and public input
Summary
Public commenters at the Haslett meeting raised three main themes: a request to place a religious-display proposal on a future agenda, a call to teach high-schoolers about the permanence of social media posts, and criticism of district direction and assessment scores framed as a call for renewed academic accountability.
During the public-comment period the board heard three speakers who raised distinct concerns.
Gary Rogers asked the superintendent and board to place a previously submitted proposal on an upcoming agenda related to religious displays and described the petition and materials he said he had submitted; the chair reminded speakers of the three-minute limit and curtailed the remarks when the time elapsed.
Terry Geiersbach, a former teacher and Hazlett resident, urged the district to teach high school students how public social-media content can persist and affect future employment. Geiersbach said high-schoolers should be prepared for the “real world” and learn how posts can be discovered and used by employers and comedians looking for material.
Jeff Kessler (transcript spelling varies) criticized recent district branding and policy changes, arguing a shift toward equity initiatives has undermined academic focus. He told the board, “I don't recognize a school board that says they value public comment, and then the majority votes to reduce public comment by 40%,” and he cited concerns about low M-STEP scores and a student protest that occurred during school hours.
Why it matters: Public comment highlights local tensions about curriculum, transparency and how the district balances equity goals with standardized-test performance. Board policy limits back-and-forth during public comment, and the transcript shows board members listened but did not engage in extended exchanges during the public-comment period.
Next steps: The board said staff may follow up with commenters after the meeting via the yellow comment cards and emphasized that public comment is recorded as a neutral слух (board silence is neutral).
