Recall of EBR Board Member Nathan Rust for Blatant,Racist disregard of EBR students
Recall of EBR Board Member Nathan Rust for Blatant,Racist disregard of EBR students
The Issue
This petition is written out of a profound sense of urgency and extreme duress for the diverse community we live in and the future of our children's education system at risk with Nathan Rust sitting on the EBRP School Board. We are all witnessing a troubling time here in East Baton Rouge Parish, where the voice, decisions, and VOTES of school board member, Nathan Rust is far removed from the realities of the children and families in EBR parish he is duty-bound to serve.
Nathan Rust openly supports the organization Moms for Liberty, a group with a history of espousing discriminatory viewpoints that have no place in our very diverse community. Moms for Liberty panders to public as a parent rights organization, but it's members seek appointment to positions in school systems that not only influence, but make policy decisions adversely effecting and impacting children's educational rights and restrict diverse curriculum in school districts all across America. Mr. Rusts bold decision to appoint Paige Lowery, Co-Chair of Mom's for Liberty to the Parent Advisory Panel to influence and determine the selection of our district's next Superintendent, demonstrates his support for this organization and it's extremist views on teaching students the history of racial violence in America by creating policy that bans teaching black history to students and non-inclusion for LGBT students.
This racist organization, co-chaired by Lowry, is working to implement policies from Project 2025 agenda right here, right now in the EBR school district. Mr. Rust appointed Ms. Lowery to the Parent Panel as a gateway for her to gain footing in the EBRP school district to control and influence school policy and selection of our next Superintendent both directly and indirectly. The Guardian described the groups view, intent, and strategies in an article published on July 6, 2023. Follow the link to read the full article at your leisure.
A few key points from the article to help you understand the gravity of what is at risk here in EBRP are below:
Donald Trump, for instance, lauded the group as “the best thing that’s ever happened to America.”
As the group has grown, so too have its political ambitions. Moms for Liberty places particular emphasis on capturing local school boards to control school policy. More broadly, the group endorses legislation that would limit the topics that can be discussed in the classroom (for instance, Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation), and they promote policies that allow parents to target books for removal from school libraries and classrooms.
The materials challenged by Moms for Liberty reflect the “war on wokeness” announced by conservative figures such as Tucker Carlson and Ron DeSantis. Group members regularly disrupt school board meetings to rail against books that address the nation’s history of racial violence(maligned under the fuzzy category of “critical race theory”). Likewise, the group condemns materials that explore gender identity or advocate for LGBTQ+ acceptance – particularly those that explore transgender identity. Librarians, teachers and parents who defend these materials have been repeatedly harassed by group members as “groomers” or “pedophile sympathizers”.
This is simply unacceptable for students in the East Baton Rouge Parish school district. Our richly diverse community of students and families deserves a representative who upholds our shared values of equality, respect, and fair educational opportunities for every child, regardless of their background, skin color, gender, or any other discriminating characteristic. We should be focusing on improving EBRP's schools, making positive changes to elevate and standardize educational outcomes for every student in our district. Instead, we find ourselves deeply concerned about the intolerant stances promoted by the mere presence of this member on our school board.
Additionally, there is a rising fear that the Project 2025 agenda will gain traction in our district. Project 2025, an issue that has already invited negative attention and criticism, is not a plan that adequately serves our children or our community. Rather, it damages the integrity of our education system and sidelines the genuine needs of our students. Project 2025, Mom's for Liberty, along with it's proponents are not welcomed, and will not be allowed to invade our district. The ad Mr. Rust has publicly circulated shows his proud representation, and support for the City of St. George, not that of EBRP. So, why is he still on the EBRP school board, making decisions, and voting to determine the next Superintendent that will effect and impact the lives of children, families, and schools in this district for the next decade? He should not be.
The trusted and world renowned National Public Radio Network published an article on June 7, 2023 stating that Moms for Liberty is a racist and extremist group leading a movement to re-segregate schools with an anti-inclusion student agenda. This violates students Title IV rights. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has this racist group listed at the top of it’s racist, extremist groups in the country. Now why would Mr. Rust select the Co-Chair for the parent panel participating in the decision to select the next Superintendent, if he was not aligned and in direct support of this organization and what it stands for?
An SPLC report compares Moms for Liberty and similar organizations of today to pro-segregationist parent groups that flourished in the wake of the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/07/1180486760/splc-moms-for-liberty-extremist-group
Thus, we are demanding a recall of this school board member, who does not represent the diversity of nor stand stand for the values of our community, the rights of our students, or the progress of our education system. The education, and therefore, the future of our children is at stake in EBR. We will no longer passively accept and endure representation that does not prioritize inclusivity and equality for all students with the right to education in our school system.
Stand with us in this fight for a more equitable education system in EBR with School board members and a Superintendent who prioritizes, represents, and votes for the needs and desires of it's constituents. Sign this petition to demand the recall of this school board member, Nathan Russ and pave the way for a representative truly dedicated to all our children's futures.
The Issue
This petition is written out of a profound sense of urgency and extreme duress for the diverse community we live in and the future of our children's education system at risk with Nathan Rust sitting on the EBRP School Board. We are all witnessing a troubling time here in East Baton Rouge Parish, where the voice, decisions, and VOTES of school board member, Nathan Rust is far removed from the realities of the children and families in EBR parish he is duty-bound to serve.
Nathan Rust openly supports the organization Moms for Liberty, a group with a history of espousing discriminatory viewpoints that have no place in our very diverse community. Moms for Liberty panders to public as a parent rights organization, but it's members seek appointment to positions in school systems that not only influence, but make policy decisions adversely effecting and impacting children's educational rights and restrict diverse curriculum in school districts all across America. Mr. Rusts bold decision to appoint Paige Lowery, Co-Chair of Mom's for Liberty to the Parent Advisory Panel to influence and determine the selection of our district's next Superintendent, demonstrates his support for this organization and it's extremist views on teaching students the history of racial violence in America by creating policy that bans teaching black history to students and non-inclusion for LGBT students.
This racist organization, co-chaired by Lowry, is working to implement policies from Project 2025 agenda right here, right now in the EBR school district. Mr. Rust appointed Ms. Lowery to the Parent Panel as a gateway for her to gain footing in the EBRP school district to control and influence school policy and selection of our next Superintendent both directly and indirectly. The Guardian described the groups view, intent, and strategies in an article published on July 6, 2023. Follow the link to read the full article at your leisure.
A few key points from the article to help you understand the gravity of what is at risk here in EBRP are below:
Donald Trump, for instance, lauded the group as “the best thing that’s ever happened to America.”
As the group has grown, so too have its political ambitions. Moms for Liberty places particular emphasis on capturing local school boards to control school policy. More broadly, the group endorses legislation that would limit the topics that can be discussed in the classroom (for instance, Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation), and they promote policies that allow parents to target books for removal from school libraries and classrooms.
The materials challenged by Moms for Liberty reflect the “war on wokeness” announced by conservative figures such as Tucker Carlson and Ron DeSantis. Group members regularly disrupt school board meetings to rail against books that address the nation’s history of racial violence(maligned under the fuzzy category of “critical race theory”). Likewise, the group condemns materials that explore gender identity or advocate for LGBTQ+ acceptance – particularly those that explore transgender identity. Librarians, teachers and parents who defend these materials have been repeatedly harassed by group members as “groomers” or “pedophile sympathizers”.
This is simply unacceptable for students in the East Baton Rouge Parish school district. Our richly diverse community of students and families deserves a representative who upholds our shared values of equality, respect, and fair educational opportunities for every child, regardless of their background, skin color, gender, or any other discriminating characteristic. We should be focusing on improving EBRP's schools, making positive changes to elevate and standardize educational outcomes for every student in our district. Instead, we find ourselves deeply concerned about the intolerant stances promoted by the mere presence of this member on our school board.
Additionally, there is a rising fear that the Project 2025 agenda will gain traction in our district. Project 2025, an issue that has already invited negative attention and criticism, is not a plan that adequately serves our children or our community. Rather, it damages the integrity of our education system and sidelines the genuine needs of our students. Project 2025, Mom's for Liberty, along with it's proponents are not welcomed, and will not be allowed to invade our district. The ad Mr. Rust has publicly circulated shows his proud representation, and support for the City of St. George, not that of EBRP. So, why is he still on the EBRP school board, making decisions, and voting to determine the next Superintendent that will effect and impact the lives of children, families, and schools in this district for the next decade? He should not be.
The trusted and world renowned National Public Radio Network published an article on June 7, 2023 stating that Moms for Liberty is a racist and extremist group leading a movement to re-segregate schools with an anti-inclusion student agenda. This violates students Title IV rights. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has this racist group listed at the top of it’s racist, extremist groups in the country. Now why would Mr. Rust select the Co-Chair for the parent panel participating in the decision to select the next Superintendent, if he was not aligned and in direct support of this organization and what it stands for?
An SPLC report compares Moms for Liberty and similar organizations of today to pro-segregationist parent groups that flourished in the wake of the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/07/1180486760/splc-moms-for-liberty-extremist-group
Thus, we are demanding a recall of this school board member, who does not represent the diversity of nor stand stand for the values of our community, the rights of our students, or the progress of our education system. The education, and therefore, the future of our children is at stake in EBR. We will no longer passively accept and endure representation that does not prioritize inclusivity and equality for all students with the right to education in our school system.
Stand with us in this fight for a more equitable education system in EBR with School board members and a Superintendent who prioritizes, represents, and votes for the needs and desires of it's constituents. Sign this petition to demand the recall of this school board member, Nathan Russ and pave the way for a representative truly dedicated to all our children's futures.
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Petition created on July 9, 2024