Nearly 100 residents attend post-school board meeting in Detroit Lakes

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – About 100 Detroit Lakes School District residents attended the most recent school board meeting on Monday night at M State with the hopes of addressing the board directly with their concerns about perceived indoctrination surrounding various social issues.

Sharon Josephson, a member of the League of Women Voters, was scheduled to present during the comment period of the meeting and lamented how process difficulties make it tough for ordinary citizens to participate in the meetings if they need to go through a screening process beforehand.

“I have attended meetings where people felt like they were heard and I’ve been at meetings where people have felt totally shut out,” said Johnson. “Most often, the problem is with the process, not necessarily with the issue, but how we deal with things.”

She added that through her years of experience with the League of Women Voters she realized that education and processes are “absolutely critical” to government. 

Following the meeting, residents stayed in the conference hall to discuss how they could effectively make changes to the school board, and its processes in the future.

“The only way we can make (the school board) better is we need to get the right people on the board and then we need to get some of these processes changed,” said Greg Ratz, Detroit Lakes resident. “We need to stand up to this crap … it’s here. If you can’t see it, there is something wrong. Where is God in our schools? But instead it’s transgender, it’s gay, it’s all this other stuff, come on.”

Members of the group also handed out blank copies of an opt-out form, which, when signed by a parent or guardian, can be used to excuse any student from a variety of information collection and activities in the classroom. Those activities or information include:

• Political affiliations of the student, or their family.
• Mental and psychological problems, or their family.
• Sex behavior, or attitudes, which include gender pronouns or identity.
• White privilege or systemic racism.
• Critical appraisals of individuals with whom the child has a close relationship.
• Relationships with physicians, lawyers and ministers.
• Religious practices, affiliations or beliefs.
• Income.

Dr. Thomas Seaworth, a former Detroit Lakes School Board member, spoke during the session to address some of the policy and process concerns of the residents.

“We have to protect the right of people, the right of people for freedom of speech whether I agree with them or disagree with them,” said Seaworth. “Overall, I have found that most of our teachers are not far left liberals.”

Voting is currently open to fill a vacant seat on the school board. Two candidates, Ethan Walz and Narissa Hendrickson, both registered and are vying for the open position. 

Any interested voter can stop by the Detroit Lakes School District Office to cast a ballot, or vote at their designated polling location on May 9.