TURNERS FALLS — The Gill-Montague Regional School Committee plans to discuss the results of the May Montague and Erving ballot referendums that called for Turners Falls High School to restore the school’s former mascot, the Indian.
The future agenda item is a modified version of a request by Chris Pinardi, a parent and pro-Indian advocate who runs a Facebook page dedicated keeping the school’s former mascot. The committee voted to remove the mascot in February.
Pinardi asked for an opportunity to discuss and engage with the committee members about the referendum results. Pinardi has spoken during the public comment section of meetings, when there is no back and forth between the public and members of the committee.
In other news, Pinardi, during Tuesday’s public comment section, invited the School Committee to a question and answer session with William Brotherton, a Native American who advocates for schools to keep Native American mascots. Pinardi said Brotherton, who is from Texas but is a member of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi in Vermont, will be in the area for other business and will be at Hubie’s Tavern on Wednesday, July 12. He said Brotherton should arrive around 5:30 p.m., and the discussion is open to the public.
Michael Langknecht, Montague representative, offered an alternative to Pinardi’s request, where the school committee would discuss the referendum at a meeting, and per usual, allow public comment at the beginning of the meeting, but not allow a member of the public to join the board’s discussion. After deliberation, Langknecht’s motion passed unanimously.
Langknecht said the issue was not with Pinardi, who the board did not name on Tuesday but the agenda request previously requested by the Recorder did, but that the original request wasn’t practical because if the board allows one person to join the discussion, others who disagree with that person will also ask to join.
Still, several members were concerned with the idea of not allowing Pinardi to speak.
Marisa Dalmaso-Rode, the non-voting Erving representative, said that this speaks to a larger issue with the resolution of issues when the board doesn’t answer questions during the public participation portion.
“How do people who come to the public participation piece get a response to any question they pose?” she asked. “If I’m being honest I joined because this is the only way I get to participate.”
Shawn Hubert, a Gill representative, echoed those sentiments and reiterated his previous statements from last meeting where he said he didn’t want to deny someone the chance to speak.
“There are a lot more people that want to engage and understand and I don’t know if the committee has satisfied that,” he said.
Langknecht said while he didn’t want to silence any particular person, it was a matter of the discussion spinning out of control or others requesting similar conversations. He suggested that anyone who wants to submit information to the referendum discussion submit an email or a memo to be added to the School Committee’s information packet ahead of that discussion.
“This is about practicality, nothing to do with the people involved,” he said.
It wasn’t clear when the item will be discussed, just that it will be on a future agenda.