BUCKLAND — The Mohawk Trail Regional District School Committee has responded to an open meeting complaint filed by a parent earlier this month.
Mohawk Trail parent Jessica Bower submitted the complaint to the state Attorney General’s office May 8, accusing the School Committee of making decisions about issues related to the Native American mascot away from a public meeting. Bower cites an email sent April 23 by Buckland School Committee member David Parrella listing five “draft resolutions” related to the mascot.
Chair Martha Thurber said Wednesday the School Committee made all decisions related to the mascot issue in public.
“Our response to the complaint is clear: everything that we did was done in an open, public, posted meetings,” Thurber said.
The response provides a detailed account of the Parrella’s email and related meetings. The day before he sent the email, the School Committee met in a posted, open meeting to discuss Native American imagery issues. Members suggested drafting resolutions, with Parrella volunteering to write them. Parrella sent the email to all School Committee members, as well as the selectboards and finance committees in the nine towns in the Mohawk District. He then sent an email to Thurber indicating that he mistakenly included town boards in the email. Parrella’s five “draft resolutions” differed slightly to those presented at the School Committee meeting.
The resolutions as drafted by Parrella were:
■The gymnasium mural has been deemed offensive to Native Americans and should be painted over this summer.
■The name “Warriors” should be changed and an alternative identified.
■The school name “Mohawk” should be reviewed.
■A group of School Committee members, students, administration, faculty and community members should examine “Warriors” and “Mohawk.”
■The director of Curriculum Development and the new committee should include more Native American history and culture in its social studies curriculum.
The Open Meeting Law states that discussions and decisions should only occur in a public setting. However, Thurber said School Committee members did not respond to the email in a substantive manner, with only Jennifer Markens of Ashfield and Bob Gruen Heath offering a “thank you” in response. The only other reply was from Heath Town Coordinator Kara Leistyna, who asked if Parrella’s draft resolutions should be included in the Annual Town Meeting warrant.
In an additional email to selectboards and finance committees April 23, Thurber clarified the error and asked recipients to disagard its contents.
“The resolutions contained in the attachment have not been passed or even considered by the School Committee,” Thurber wrote. “None of the ‘decisions’ or ‘determinations’ or other actions referenced have been made, taken or approved by the School Committee.”
The School Committee on May 9 voted on five resolutions that differed to Parrella’s draft. The final items up for a vote were: to remove the Native American mural; to erase all vestiges of the Native American mascot; to change its team name, “Warriors;” to affirm the school name, “Mohawk;” and to urge administrators to review curricula to include more information on indigenous issues.
The committee approved four of five measures, only voting down a measure to change the “Warriors” team name.
Moving forward, the School Committee has convened a subcommittee that will oversee a working group to remove all vestiges of the Native American mascot, Thurber said.
Reach Grace Bird at
gbird@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 280.