Controversial School Board Decision Continues to Divide Newberg Community
By: Jonathan Cavada
Illustrated by: Carla Cieza Espinoza
Controversy in Newberg persists after the recent Newberg School Board decision to ban both Black Lives Matter (BLM) flags, and Pride flags.
The Newberg School Board's choice to ban BLM and Pride flags came following a shift in the Board’s composition. A conservative majority now exists on the Board, after the local group “Save our Schools” backed two successful bids for spots on the Board. The new dynamic has allowed the conservative board members to pass motions that the previous board neither permitted nor passed. This ban was the first big item on the newly conservative Board’s agenda.
The ban was passed in early August, and garnered a great deal of opposition from other board members, community members, and the state at-large. Other groups including the Newberg Education Association, Oregon Education Association, and Basic Rights Oregon, as well as the BIPOC Caucus of the State Legislature have expressed concern and disapproval with this problematic ban. Individual leaders who have voiced concerns with this policy include the Mayor of Newberg and the President of George Fox University; both of these leaders issued a harsh rebuke of those who classify school as an inappropriate place for discussing contentious issues.
“Today we are here because the School Board has to right a wrong...they must repeal this bad policy...they must do it tonight.” These strong words were amplified through a bullhorn by Newberg Teachers Union president Jen Schnieder. She made remarks to a group of sixty in opposition to the recent ban on controversial symbols and imagery. They gathered at 4:15pm on Sept. 29 at the Newberg city center’s flagpole where, fittingly, the city’s major highway splits.
Schneider and other members who oppose the ban believe the flags provide a source of safety and security to underrepresented and vulnerable students. This sentiment has been expressed by students who have recently given public comment in School Board meetings, one even stating that the Pride flag could mean life or death for some, given an estimate that at least one transgender minor attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
The Wednesday protest failed to prevent the Board from adopting a more general, legalese-styled ban, as it more broadly bans “political, or controversial” materials, rather than the BLM or Pride flags specifically. Board Member Piros, one of the dissenting members regarding the ban, offered an avenue to discuss the issue further by creating a team of six faculty and two staff members, as opposed to simply adopting more general language. Led by the superintendent, their goal was to review this situation over a period of six weeks in order to come to a determination about how to move forward.
This motion was not allowed to go to vote. Board member Brian Shannon urged the board to vote instead for the newly-revised ban described above, and “move on from the controversy.” Board Member Penner chastised Shannon for his disregard of the importance of this issue: “That’s a ridiculous attempt at trying to pretend that this is nothing. Maybe it's nothing to you as a white privileged male, but it's a really big deal to a lot of our community, a lot of our staff, and a lot of our students.”
Protests against the School Board decision take place on a weekly basis, though pro-BLM demonstrations in Newberg were first inspired over a year ago in the wake of the racial justice demands that were revitalized in 2020. These demonstrations have been coordinated by a group called Newberg Rejects White Supremacy, which can be found through the Instagram handle, @newbergrejectswhitesupremacy.
The reasoning behind the Board’s decision is that the imagery is political in nature, and distracts from the already challenging task of preparing our youth with a quality education. They think this quality will be hindered by the presence of ideological symbols. This was the argument voiced by those who arrived on Oct. 1 not associated with Newberg Rejects White Supremacy Rally.
In response to the reoccurring demonstrations against the School Board's decision, a group of counter-protesters who support the School Board's decision stood on the southeast side of the intersection. These counter-protesters noted they simply wanted to voice their support for the ban. One local grandmother noted that she had no problem with the opposition, her only concern was that she too wanted to be heard. She pointed at the opposition: “We don’t have a problem with them here, but they don’t even let us get near them.” As a family with BLM and Pride signs passed by the small contingent of conservatives, a Black father shouted, “Black Lives Matter doesn’t represent me.” He and his son brought out a banner that read, “#All Lives Matter.”
Many have called for the recall process of Board Member Shannon, the driving force behind the ban. The ACLU has threatened to sue if the ban remains on the books, and it’s not clear how this new ban’s legalese will affect its prosecution. However, this topic will be on the minds and tongues of many in Newberg and its greater community for some time.