Missouri School Board, Now Led by Conservatives, Repeals Anti-Racism Resolution

Following the nationwide response to the killing of George Floyd by police three years ago, approximately 2,000 demonstrators in a St. Louis suburb demanded that the predominantly white Francis Howell School District address racial discrimination. In response, the school board passed a resolution committing to improve their efforts.

However, with the recent election of new conservative board members, the resolution has now been revoked, and all copies will be removed from school premises.

The resolution, enacted in August 2020, promised to condemn racism, discrimination, and senseless violence against individuals of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, immigration statuses, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, and abilities. It also emphasized the promotion of racial healing, particularly for Black and brown students and families, and vowed an end to silence on these issues.

The board’s decision reflects a broader trend seen in various parts of the country, where school board elections have become highly contentious political battlegrounds. Political action groups have successfully elected candidates pledging to take action against teachings related to race and sexuality, advocating for book removal deemed offensive, and opposing transgender-inclusive sports teams.

The Francis Howell district is one of Missouri’s largest, with approximately 17,000 students, 87% of whom are white. The recent vote to rescind the resolution took place during a contentious meeting where it was revealed that a majority of the current Board of Education members were not signatories to the original resolution or did not vote to adopt it.

While other resolutions will also be canceled, the focus of opposition was clearly on the anti-racism resolution. Many attendees at the board meeting voiced their opposition to the revocation, holding signs that read, “Forward, not backward.”

One of the district’s former students, Kimberly Thompson, who is Black, shared her personal experiences with racism and urged the board to stand by their commitment from 2020, seeing it as a source of hope for a better Francis Howell School District.

In defense of the revocation, the board’s vice president, Randy Cook, pointed out that terms like “systemic racism” lack clear definitions and can be interpreted differently by different people. Another board member, Jane Puszkar, argued that the resolution had no practical purpose and questioned its effectiveness.

The board’s composition has changed significantly since the adoption of the resolution, with only two remaining members from 2020. Five new members, elected in April 2022 and April 2023, had the backing of the conservative political action committee Francis Howell Families. The same PAC described the anti-racism resolution as “woke activism” and proposed an alternative resolution opposing racial discrimination in all forms, including ideologies such as Critical Race Theory, white privilege, enforced equity of outcomes, identity politics, and Marxism.

Cook, one of the newly elected members, clarified that there are no plans to adopt the proposed alternative resolution or any other divisive measures. He believes that the school board’s primary focus should be on educating students and staying clear of national politics.

The contentious debates over what some label as critical race theory persist in numerous school districts. While school administrators assert that the theory itself is not taught in K-12 education, others argue that initiatives often associated with it lead to misappropriation of funds, perpetuate divisions, and shame white students.

The history of racial tensions in the St. Louis region, particularly after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, remains a sensitive backdrop for such debates. The recent revocation of the anti-racism resolution in Francis Howell is seen by some as a concerning precedent and indication of the new board’s future intentions, raising concerns within the St. Charles County NAACP.

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• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri School Board Revokes Anti-Racism Resolution
• The Guardian: Protests in St. Louis Suburb Urging Address of Racial Discrimination
• The New York Times: Changing Landscape of School Board Elections and Racial Issues
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Background on Racial Tensions in St. Louis Region
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): Statement on the Revocation of the Anti-Racism Resolution