Parent angst leads to board meeting changes

After a series of impassioned pleas from parents this fall to end the current mask requirement at Cloquet schools - which applies to all grades during the school day -the school board will have a police officer at meetings and will do more to inform the public how the comment period works at meetings.

After police were called during the Nov. 22 meeting, superintendent Michael Cary suggested that the board move its public comments portion of meetings into what is called the "working session" that occurs before recorded regular school board meetings.

The change would have meant that public comments wouldn't be recorded because they would no longer be part of the official meeting. After a week of consideration, Cary said public comments will continue to be heard during the regular meeting but with extra explanation of what the time period can be used for.

Also, a police officer will be at regular meetings to keep the peace.

The changes stem from what became the Paul Leno swearing and demands problem.

Leno was recorded at the regular Nov. 22 meeting ranting about the mask policy and punctuated his language with profanities. His voice got louder and his accusations came more furiously before he said "I'm getting pretty upset" and "I'll end up in jail" if he kept trying to get answers out of the board. "I'm that mad."

The escalation of Leno's tone prompted board member Ken Scarbrough to step outside the board room and call police while chairman Ted Lammi reminded Leno to not swear and tried to explain that public comments are not meant to be in a question-answer format.

Lammi eventually called for a recess after Leno repeatedly and loudly asked board members to answer him, then rejected what they said and asked again.

Board members discussed the comments in the past months while moving toward the changes. They said they are tired of accusations and outright lies, often fueled by internet conspiracies. And those comments remain in the recordings of the meeting available to the public.

The board did discuss masks later in the meeting, and whether there will be a change in the policy by the end of the first semester in late January. When applying the mask requirement policy at the schools before the year started, board members agreed that the ability for all children in schools to get vaccinated was one thing that would trigger a possible reconsideration of policy.

The board will gather data on Covid-19 spread in the region and likely move on any possible change in policy at its Dec. 13 meeting.

Eight days after the board meeting, Leno had few regrets. He said he let his emotions get the better of him. "I shouldn't have gotten so loud with my daughter there," he said Tuesday after returning home from parent-teacher conferences for his third-grader.

Upon learning that the board plans to have a police officer present at future meetings, he said that was good.

"I wanted to ruffle feathers," Leno said. "It irritates me that when you walk into a meeting, nobody is there. And it's irritating that they don't answer questions, because they're elected officials."

The public will be reminded that the comment period isn't reciprocal, Cary said this week. "The board does not engage in a back-and-forth discussion during public comment. This has (always) been the case for public comment, but there appears to be some misunderstanding with the public regarding the purpose of the comment portion of the agenda."

The one-way commenting is common practice for public bodies seeking to lessen debate about germaine and not so germaine issues that can bog down meetings. Cary recommends that those seeking answers about school policy should speak with him or board members individually. Last week, Leno interrupted Cary and others while that option was being explained.

Leno still wonders why the district mandates that kids be masked in school, yet few other places require masks and many after-school activities don't require them.

"I'll be at the next meeting," he said. "I'm going to keep asking questions."

While Leno prompted a call to police, there likely won't be any consequences stemming from his behavior at the meeting. "We are not currently planning on pressing charges, but have investigated our options," Cary said.

More pay

The board later agreed to boost pay for substitute teachers and other non-union, non-negotiated workers for the district. Cary said that while pay for cleaners, paraprofessionals, substitutes and food service workers was in the middle of the pack when compared to other districts in the region, the real competitor for workers is right here. He said signs in Cloquet for entry-level workers are offering more than the district was paying.

Cary recommended, and the board approved, boosting pay rates to $2 under the rate of comparable union and negotiated positions. It means workers who were offered $12 to $13 an hour will now see $15 to $17.

"It's survival of the fittest," Cary said of competing in the labor market. "People have their pick" of jobs, he said, and the district needed to compete with attractive wages.

Principals will be glad to hear about the possible increase in available help. Cary said some of them have been filling in jobs left open without enough workers. Food service has particularly been hit with a dearth of staff.