A California school board member, during a recent meeting, compared reopening schools during the COVID pandemic to "white supremacist ideology" and "slavery."
La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools Board Vice President Chardá Bell-Fontenot’s comments followed the district’s board voting Tuesday to bring students back to classrooms for hybrid learning beginning April 19.
In a video of the meeting, a person can be heard saying "I don’t think our plan should revolve around a vaccination, solely. I think there are a lot of other factors that are really important for children's health and well-being that we need to take into account here and to only put all of our eggs in one basket is doing a great disservice to our children."
La Mesa, CA trustee Bell-Fontenot goes off on fellow board members, one of which is Hispanic, saying returning to in-person learning is “a very white supremacist ideology,” telling them to “[check] their privilege,” and that mandating in-person instruction is “slavery.”
— Reopen California Schools (@ReopenCASchools) February 25, 2021
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After arguing the vaccine rollout locally is insufficient and creates a problem for setting a timeline for reopening Bell-Fontenot said, "Without any teachers we don’t have the ability to teach the students so that is where we have to start. We can’t just say the kids can go back into the classrooms and there is no vaccinated teachers there willing to do that.
After telling other board members that they “don’t know what they are talking about,” the superintendent stands up for them. She suggests this is racist.
— Reopen California Schools (@ReopenCASchools) February 25, 2021
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She continued, "That’s the problem I’m having... so how are we forcing people? That seems like a very white supremacist ideology to force people to comply with and conform without thinking about all of their intersecting factors and barriers that exist for all families. We are thinking about one type of family when you are speaking right now. Just letting you know – privilege, check it you guys."
One person responded, "OK, let's stay focused."
Bell-Fontenot then said, "That’s where I’m at. So I don’t want to be a part of forcing anybody to do anything they don’t want to do. That’s what slavery is. I’m not going to be a part of it."
Additional clips of the meeting on social media show Bell-Fontenot saying that "we don’t have to give anybody any date," regarding reopening and "I know that you are new to the school board – I am not saying this as a slight to you, but we do not have to make a decision today."
Like Oakley, she seems unaware she’s being recorded. “If our meetings were actually recorded for the public, we would know that.”
— Reopen California Schools (@ReopenCASchools) February 25, 2021
She then suggests they are not easily accessible, however, we found them in about one minute after seeing this recording.
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A statement released by the school to parents following the commentssaid, "as you may have heard, at Tuesday’s board meeting, Trustee Charda Bell-Fontenot behaved in a manner the Board does not condone, nor did her behavior represent our values and our commitments to our students, community and to each other. We have received many emails and calls of great concern from our families and community members. Please note that school board trustees are not district employees; they are elected officials. The school district does not have the authority to release duly elected trustees from their positions."
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