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This petition includes the demand for WCSD to disqualify the May 12th Board meeting for the school naming agenda item 5.09. This petition includes the request to agendize the school naming of the CTE Academy at the repurposed and former Hug High School campus as the Dolores Feemster CTE Academy [located at 2880 Sutro St., Reno, NV 89512].

Humanitarian snubbed after more than 70 years of service in a once redlined and historically underrepresented community.

Justice pursued for a community matriarch and humanitarian, Dolores Feemster, in the school naming of the CTE Academy, scheduled for the repurposed Hug High site on Sutro in 2023 after Hug HS relocates to the Wildcreek location.

Through more than 70 years of dedicated community service and leadership, the late humanitarian, Dolores Feemster, also known as Mother Hug, a Nevada native who taught people not to give up when facing injustice. In her honor, the pursuit of justice will continue until the matters are addressed and properly resolved.

The Snub - An Honor Rerouted; details of events:

Nov. 12th, 2019 -

Initial Board meeting for the school naming decision: The School Board President polls the seven Trustees and finds the Board 4 to 3 favors Dolores Feemster for the school naming choice of the new CTE Academy. Attempting to avoid denying the late Senator Smith's family the decision, the Board Pres. (Simon-Holland), unusually, reopens public comment and asks Smith and Feemster to share the naming. After hearing public comments the Board finds a name share is "watered down" and passes an action to return both names to the School Naming Committee for a survey of another school, Academy of Arts, Career & Technology, for Smith and to "get creative" using both names. They state the intention is to honor both women, Feemster and Smith. The late Senator's husband, Mr. Smith, enters public comment again and warns the Board of encountering legal issues with their direction; the Board proceeds to reverse the school naming process.

Dec. 10th, 2019 -
Following Board meeting for school naming, after process reversal: Adrienne Feemster requests the Board [through public comment] to forward the sole name of Smith to the School Naming Committee to align with the Board's stated intentions (reversing the naming process on Nov. 12th, 2019), there was no need to forward Feemster to the Naming Committee, based on the Boards stated intention to place Feemster at the repurposed HS. Adrienne Feemster also voices concern for the lack of transparency in the process. The Board disputes the comments and drops the consideration bifurcate the naming of the new school, or name any other buildings, or segments, as an option. The Board concludes the agenda item by forwarding two names only, Smith and Feemster for further action.

Feb. 5th, 2020 -

Committee meeting for school naming, after process reversal: the School Naming Committee announces an unfavorable survey response to change the name of the AACT and says the Board of Trustees has instructed to vote and return Smith or Feemster as the sole recommended name for the school. Despite several committee members voicing concerns about the Board's instructions. Committee members publicly and on record expressed that it is not their role to vote on a single name, but rather it is to their "rank" a selection of names for the Board consideration. The School Naming Committee Chair then urges the other members to proceed with the instructions. The committee then passed Smith as the sole recommended name and Feemster as the name not recommended; the motion is set and forwarded to the Board for approval.

Feb. 14th, 2020 -
Public grievance filed with WCSD:
Adrienne Feemster, a granddaughter of Dolores Feemster, files a four-page grievance with the Washoe County School District. The grievance addressed the misapplication of policy and the concern of the open meeting law violations to the State of Nevada Office of the Attorney General (frozen during the U.S. pandemic closure).

Feb. 15th, 2020 -
Internal investigation launched:
Washoe County School District launches an internal investigation into the public complaint from Adrienne Feemster, granddaughter of Dolores Feemster.

Feb. 25th, 2019 -
Board cancels school naming item from the meeting agenda. Feemster supporters begin e-mailing the Board and requesting Dolores Feemster be restored to the Board's agenda for school naming consideration - as intended on Nov. 12th, 2019. Also, during this public comment, supporters questioned the Board as to why Feemster was removed from the current School Naming agenda contest before the name had returned to the Board for consideration. A public comment asked the Board why the Feemster name had been forwarded to the Cold Springs school naming survey while supposedly being considered in the current competition, whereas the other contestant had not. Board Pres. Raymond responded the school naming agenda item will be written to allow Feemster to be considered in the current contest.
Note: heavy public actions, requesting the Board to restore Feemster to the naming process for consideration for the new high school at the old Hug site.

Mar. 18th, 2020 -
WCSD completes an internal investigation and issues a formal response to Adrienne Feemster, finding "no proof" of failure in a misapplication of policy and open meeting law violation. Note: State of Nevada Office of the AG, Open Meeting Law complaint pending (currently on freeze due to U.S. pandemic, 2020)

May 12th, 2020 -

Board meeting for School Naming determination, following process reversal: the Board approves Smith based upon being the recommended name from the Committee and denies Feemster during an unusual process held with limited communication capacity through a digital media platform - Zoom share to YouTube, Livestream.

Conflicts of Interest:

• Conflict: NRS/NAC Chapter 241

• Conflict: Administrative Regulation 7111, violation of Nevada, Open Meeting Law

• Conflict: Policy 7110; Governing Practice, B - naming committee selects names for ranking purposes, not responsible for sole name recommendation.

• Conflict: Policy 7110; Governing Practices, A.- standard and consistent procedure; WCSD Mission/Purpose - the naming and renaming of schools and other facilities shall be done in a manner that is equitable and consistent.

• Conflict: Process and procedure was changed to benefit one constituent even though the constituent declined three (3) other offers to have a school named on behalf of their family.

• Conflict: Administrative Regulation 7111, Naming of Schools; Riley Sutton was Debbie Smith's Campaign Manager

• Conflict: Irene Payne, WCSD, Chief Communications officer is a close friend of the Smith Rep., Julia Ratti

• Conflict: Administrative Regulation 7111, C. Operating procedures.

 

ABOUT DOLORES

Although my Grandmother wasn't awarded the naming in this contest, she was deserving based upon the Washoe School District, School Naming Policy 7110 and 7111; that takes nothing away from any other finalists. 

The former Hug H.S. campus or even the new campus was not the ideal location for the opponent who had no direct connection to that community or school. 

This community was a historically marginalized community that was once redlined and is the first majority-minority community in northern Nevada. Perhaps the opponent would have been more fitting of the first school in the WC1 project that helped to build new schools in general. Note: this was done so with others from the WC1 project. Other options of name placement could have also been 1 of 3 schools the contestant had the privilege to turn down, or even a future school would have been an ideal honor for the contestant. As a biracial woman born in Reno in 1929, life was 'no crystal stair' - from the 40's onward... My Grandmother gave endlessly. 

Ref., RGJ: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2018/05/27/reno-loses-civil-rights-activist-matriarch-dolores-feemster/648906002/

NSBank: https://www.nsbank.com/it-matters/inspiration/dolores-feemster/

Reno News and Review: https://www.newsreview.com/reno/content/dolores-feemster-1929-2018/26348477/

More than 70 years of community service, 34+ years of school district service, and Northeast resident and homeowner of more than 50 years, through segregation, redlining, and lively racism, she was aspiring to make a difference, and she did, while inspiring others when few cared. Dolores Feemster served as a volunteer in numerous community programs and events. She served in countless organizations and raised her 7 of 11 children into public service. Her husband, Mr. Lonnie Feemster, Sr. was a civil service member of the U.S. military as a veteran of WWll, and the first Black postman in their segregated community. Dolores' home was used like a community center, holding community meetings, and after school landing spot for "latch key" kids, while offering shelter for children and family's through emergencies. Her food fed everyone who stopped by. Her vehicle was used to transport adults and kids to appointments for medical, work, and after-school activities in the same area that none of the opponents have ever lived in, walk the neighborhood of, and do not have neighborhood friends, or neighborhood stories, or even know the neighborhood history. 

Dolores Feemster's position was not paid, and she was not an elect of formal public office. Dolores was not paid to do the life work she did, she did so because she was a humanitarian by nature, and her work never ended.

Imagine that: a community matriarch with exceeding qualifications, is denied a public meritorious honor in the community her family and she have lived in for almost 100 years because a politician helped, along with others to enact a bill for school funding (WC1) in which the poor and middle-class taxes, in that very same neighborhood, will pay the most for. That's a slap in the face.

If this isn't a "give to the rich and take from the poor" situation, what is. For the record, I don't blame the opponent so much as I do the Board of Trustees. The Board is responsible for operating within transparent, equitable bounds, following the open meeting laws, and that did not occur. 

There, I said it.

Please know that every bit of the community's support, kind words, and inspirational stories about my Grandmother's connection to you or your family is appreciated and cherished. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.