In a recent investigative series, ProPublica reporter Nicole Carr examines the upheaval at school board meetings across the country. At least 59 people were arrested or charged over an 18-month period ending in late 2022 as a result of disputes arising at the meetings. The blowups reflect the pervasive challenges that school districts and police departments face in figuring out how to handle masses of aggrieved citizens — and what to do when the clashes lead to chaos.
Among the contentious issues: teaching concepts related to racial equity, granting transgender students access to bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity and allowing books with LGBTQ+ themes in school libraries.
This virtual event invites a panel of speakers to help provide a broad view of how the battles waged at the meetings have changed public education and the ideological makeup of school boards across the nation.
Speakers include:
- Nicole Carr, ProPublica reporter
- Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director at American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom
- Kevin Goldberg, first amendment specialist at Freedom Forum
- Carrie Sampson, associate professor in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University
- Mara Shalhoup, ProPublica South editor
This event has ended.