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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is a daily, five-minute newscast that shines a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Today, A school board policy update creates controversy among students and parents. Recycling in northwestern Minnesota is getting an upgrade. And, a summer lunch program in northeastern Minnesota needs your help. I'm Gracie J.
We begin with a routine policy update that has become a flashpoint in Forest Lake, where students, parents, and school board members are clashing over what kinds of groups are allowed to form in their schools. Xan Holston has more.
Xan Holston: At a recent meeting of the Forest Lake School Board, student Caylee M didn't hold back her frustration.
Caylee M: And after allof that, it still took national news to change your mind.
Xan Holston: The issue? Proposed changes to a policy that could affect student advocacy groups.
Caylee M: Clubs are not about sexual relations or racism. They're about identity.
Xan Holston: Community backlash started when the board proposed changes to a policy which allowed non-academic student groups like the Gender and Sexuality Alliance or the Black Student Union to operate under a "limited open forum." School board president Curt Rebelein, Jr proposed a new policy he said was modeled on the Minnesota School Board Association's language as a replacement. He said attorneys for the school's district told him updates were necessary to stay compliant with the federal law.
Curt Rebelein: You're not operating outside the law, but you're operating in a manner that it's getting close. Should you not have clear guidelines on exactly how you operate?
Xan Holston: These groups, currently, all non-academic or sports groups, need approval from the school principal to form. Under the new policy, they would have to seek that approval yearly, a hurdle they haven't faced before. Rebelein insists the changes won't make it harder for students.
Curt Rebelein: Students can organize and have the groups that they feel necessary. We're not gatekeeping that in any way.
Xan Holston: He also pushed a policy change that would have eliminated a part of the student dress code that bans symbols like Confederate flags and swastikas. He argued that the language is overly specific and that some people find the Black Lives Matter fist or gay pride rainbows offensive.
Curt Rebelein: And I also thought that was kind of a slippery slope, like, where do you where do you draw the line?
Xan Holston: The board ultimately voted to keep the ban, citing a 1997 incident in which an African-American student was assaulted by a group of students. The day after the incident, several students wore white t-shirts in support of the attackers. The student's family later left the district. But some parents in the community believe Rebelein's approach sends a clear message.
Jenni Ratte: Without saying we don't want diversity, equity and inclusion, they're going to make a lot of decisions to make it really difficult to happen.
Xan Holston: Jenni Ratte, who has two students in Forest Lake schools, worries the board isn't truly listening to the community. At the same meeting, the Board voted to repeal the existing student group policy before its replacement was approved. That decision raised alarms.
Jenni Ratte: They're just going through the formalities, but they're not actually taking into account what the community wants.
Xan Holston: If the new policy fails to pass, there may be no clear process for forming student-led groups at all. In mid-May, Forest Lake High School student Kate Neubel helped lead a student walkout in support of student advocacy groups. She's proud of how the communities responded, but is still concerned.
Kate Neubel: It feels scary to everybody, because it's just like, why would you take away these clubs? They're so important.
Xan Holston: The board will review the new policy language and put it to a vote on June 26. Despite the uncertainty, Neubel says the community will keep pressuring the board.
Kate Neubel: To see that your school cares about this so much, and we're just saying, Please don't do this. I hope we get heard.
Xan Holston: For North Star Stories, I'm Xan Holston.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency awarded Hubbard County a quarter of a million dollars. The goal is to recycle more materials and reduce landfill waste across the county. The new funds will allow Hubbard County, which is located between Brainerd and Bemidji in Northern Minnesota, to buy equipment and build a new facility to handle materials like construction waste. The funding is part of a million dollars in grants the state agency is awarding to support six projects in Greater Minnesota. Minnesota posted a combined organics and recycling rate of 45 percent, which is a new record for the state.
The United Way of Northeastern Minnesota needs volunteers to keep the doors open for its free lunch program. The "Meet Up and Chow Down" program provides free food for children up to 18 who live on the Iron Range. Volunteers are asked to work an hour per week and are needed through late August. "Meet Up and Chow Down" provides support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Department of Education's Summer Food Service Program. Volunteers handed out more than 10-thousand free lunches at public sites across the region last summer. Anyone interested in volunteering should visit the United Way's website.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.