Ya know what they say? The cover up is always worse than the crime. In this case, I’m not sure which is worse, the cover-up or the crime, since both should not happen when children are at stake.
To be clear: Children are NOT political. And no attempt by the media or local school-district power grabs makes them political. They are Children and Adolescents. This used to mean something to school-boards and elected officials, but it appears not be the case in our state anymore.
Grand Haven itself, has always been a place to get away from it all. As an-almost lifelong resident of this community, I’ve observed that one of the reasons why the public school district here has been popular in reputation among families is because of the provision of safety, the sensibility, and the quality of its instructors. Yet in recent years, there has been a departure from many aspects of these elements. I never thought the politicization of children would find its way all the way to Grand Haven, and yet, here we are.1
In the Spring of 2021, April 9th to be exact, Governor Gretchen Whitmer stepped to a microphone and requested that Superintendents across the state close their high schools due to a rise in Covid cases, for a minimum of two weeks. She did not have MDHHS issue an Order, which she still maintained the power to do. She just asked the Superintendents to do it, which of course, left them the choice to do so or not.
So much has happened, but try to remember the situation in our state in November of 2020 when the Governor, through the MDHHS, closed high schools right before Thanksgiving: the argument was that high school students were much more apt to spread the virus than younger students. She ended up extending that public order through December 20, which then auto-cancelled all holiday music performances/activities for high-schoolers in the State.
Now, yet again, she was doing this in April of 2021, albeit not in an official capacity, yet seeming to target high schoolers. She wasn’t arguing for a complete closure of schools, only high schools, which meant that K-8 could stay with their normal school schedules. Busses could continue running and all children could attend in-person learning, except for high schoolers.
The Governor’s press conference announcing this request began at 10 am on April 9, of 2021.
Through FOIA’d texts messages between former Board President John Simeon and [also former] Superintendent Andy Ingall, it was discovered that on that same day at 10:11 am, within mere minutes and as the Governor’s press conference was still going on, Mr. Simeon contacted the Super who was out of town for Spring Break (on a mountain somewhere on a ski vacation.) Simeon’s message to Ingall stated the Governor had “request[ed]” to close high schools and athletics for two weeks.
Requested. It was a “request.” [Also know as, “the act or an instance of asking for something.”]
Simeon shared the Governor’s encouragement with Mr. Ingall, and the two of them agreed that it was “best.” The thread indicated they had sought opinions from the other Board members, Simeon sharing in texts what other Board members had told him.
At about 1:30 pm, Simeon agreed to officially “Poll the Board,” stating he would report the “majority” back to Ingall. Shortly thereafter, he shared their votes.
At 3:06 pm, District families received an email announcing the decision, only five hours and six minutes after the Governor’s first word.
Problem #1 It is blatantly illegal to “poll the Board” in private. The actual statute calls it a “round-the-horn” process, which is not allowed. (See here, page 7)
Problem #2 In the blink of an eye, our students lives and schedules were cancelled (after the endurance of an already, traumatizing 13-month journey of rolling cancellations). Simeon and Ingall didn't think a THING of doing this. They did however, sound worried about the general “optics,” but no matter. The Governor had “asked.” It was enough. They didn’t discuss the impact of this on high school students.
Problem #3 The outrageous nature of a state politician stepping to a microphone and saying …something, and having local leaders far overstep their authority and simply do what is “asked,” thereby usurping the three, separate, yet equal branches of government to create public policy that IMMEDIATELY impacts a child. This is horrifying.
Before we move onto problem #4, it is important to understand that the knowledge to this FOIA information was requested on April 10th at 3:27pm. At that time, we did not have proof, but only highly suspected this had happened.
*We [a group of high school parents] emailed the BOE and Superintendent incessantly for days, begging them to reverse their decision. We were hopeful they would, since no other high schools in the OkRed Conference heeded the Governor’s advice. Grand Haven was the only district in the Conference that closed it’s high school. Even Muskegon County, where Mercy Hospital was brimming with patients, kept their high schools open. The SuperIntendant of Muskegon Public Schools publicly stated in spite of the Governor’s urging, he would do what was best for the students, declaring his high school buildings safe environments because his high schoolers are old enough to do well at keeping the safety protocols.
Another reason we were hopeful, was because Ingall himself was quoted on MLive, Friday, April 9th, that “…we don't have reports of an immanent outbreak in our high school buildings…” There was no science.
Period.
No outbreak.
In addition, the numbers at Lakeshore Middle School were actually HIGHER in spite of housing half as many students, and yet, the middle school was in full operation. Surely, they would reverse course that they’d acted too quickly, given these facts.
In the meantime, we had started a petition through change.org that was picking up speed. Every day that went by added 50 signatures, to the point where it broke 300 in less than a week (it requested signatures only from high school parents/local tax payers.] This demonstrated that the locals were upset, and we weren’t the only parents sounding the alarm.
Also, and as an aside, a third reason for our hopefulness was that they did reverse a portion of their decision, declaring Spring Athletics’ practices would continue after all, announcing this change 36 hours after the initial decision to pause athletics. Athletic Events could resume the April 19, although in-person instruction not until April 26.
Well, they didn’t reverse themselves on the in-person instructional closure, and after two days, we began requesting an Emergency Meeting of the Board.
Sidebar: the solution to a violation of the Open Meetings Act is to, in fact, hold an open meeting. So, on Thursday, April 15, the Board held an Emergency [virtual] meeting. And although we were grateful because we were finally in a position to be heard, this is where we run into Problem #4.
At this meeting, Mr. Ingall held up an index card, appearing to justify his decision [in spite of “no immanent outbreak.”] Yet, instead of showing the Covid case numbers on the card, he presented instead, the quarantine numbers. He was extending his arm, holding the index card up to the camera, which added up to about 300 students. The problem with this is that 99.5% of the 300 were not sick, not tested as positive, but excused from school prior to Spring Break due to “exposure.”
It was shocking, that not only would they be this careless with the lives of our children by closing the high school in a rushed manner, but that they would also go to lengths to mislead the public. Sitting back in my chair, aghast at what I was watching, Mr. Ingall drew his extended arm back towards himself with the nervous shaking of his wrist and fingers. Does his physical posture prove anything? Perhaps not, but one can determine this idiosyncrasy for themselves.
Suffice it to say, parents were not heard or respected. Parents poured out thier testimonials, in some cases, tearfully. One parent was cut off half way through his allotted time, with Simeon sarcastically and unkindly cutting him off (…even though according to our timers, he still had a minute of time left.)
As another parent emotively shared his 13-month angst for his high school children and the impact of ANOTHER cancellation, one Board member snacked on chips while others sat lazily with chin in hand, making little eye contact with the camera. This is the amount of respect they brought to our predicament.
Yes. Clearly they are here to fix their legal problem; not to mutually respect parents and listen.
I’m uncertain at this point, if all of that falls under Problem #4, or if it includes Problem numbers 5 and 6 as well. But no matter. One gets the idea. In the end, they did not reverse the decision for in-person learning for high school students as they had for high school athletics.
It was mystifying, as my children sat at home for instruction during those 2 weeks, yet then left the house for track and field practice everyday at 2:45 to go over to the high school. Surreal.
Even more surreal, was watching the middle-school bus drop off students near the end of our driveway ten minutes after my children had left for practice.
After the April-15 Emergency meeting, we were [even more] filled with a righteous motivation to communicate the truth to the Board and Superintendent. Our emails turned from begging them to open the high school, to statistics and heartfelt concern about the mental health crises our community was experiencing among teens. We did not let up.
We were not unkind or disrespectful, yet direct and clear that we understood they had violated the Open Meetings Act, and right about midway through the second week of the closure, our FOIA package arrived to confirm this suspicion.2
*So, that brings us to this current place and time and since both, Simeon and Ingall have resigned and retired respectively, one may ask why the big fuss at chronicling this event at this given juncture?
Excellent question!
The big fuss is that there is a culture of sickness in the Central Office. When the President of the BOE turns on the news, hears the Governor’s non-binding request and immediately contacts the vacationing Superintendent, pressuring him to make a decision on the spot in making a change that will impact 1400 students3, 400 of whom are graduating from high school in 6 weeks and have extraordinary exams to prepare for, prior to graduating? We have a culture problem.
When the Superintendent is so easily influenced, in a text, to go ahead and make this change, without pushing back, we have a culture problem.
When the idea that the Governor’s mere words [not signed legislation or a public health order] holds more power to local Board members than does the reality of the mental and academic health of children and adolescents? We have a culture problem.
When under this leadership, one employee slowly embezzles a million dollars over the course of seven years and nobody notices the missing funds?? We have a culture problem. When books with illicit photos of pornography “end up” in our District school libraries? We have a culture problem in the leadership of our District. All of these incidences concern me more than their blatant disrespect for the Open Meetings Act law (which in and of itself is cause for concern, as it boasts a lack of transparency.)
John Simeon may have resigned, Andy Ingall retired, and Brian Wheeler terminated, yet others remain. This culture has had mission creep and just like it hasn’t crept in overnight, it won’t go away at the exit of three individuals. Mr. Grimes, for example, has been in Grand Haven over the entirety of this. Perhaps he will be a pioneer for change? One can only hope, and time will tell. This history does makes one wonder though, what could be going on right now that we don’t have knowledge of? How many times was the OMA violated prior to the one we’ve documented? Why does the District continue on with masking kids when virtually every District around us, including Grand Haven Christian, West Ottawa, Zeeland, Hudsonville, Allendale, Fruitport, etc., have turned to a mask-optional policy based on current science?
There is a culture of dysfunction in the central office and among certain Board members. Two members of the Board who presided over the two-week High School closure in April of 2021 are up for re-election in November of this year. There is a need for new, fresh leadership on our BOE in Grand Haven Area Public Schools. It’s not that they haven’t meant well or contributed to the District through their definition of hard work and service. But when a BOE is this disconnected/distracted to the daily inner workings that permit these many examples of dysfunctional problems, it’s time for a change.
This cannot continue, if we also want the health and well-being of our students.
Amazing Instructors remain for now, but for how long? Longtime, endeared choral teacher, Benjamin Rodgers resigned his position in November due to District issues having to do with CRT and Masking policies. Ghaps can not afford to lose tried-and-true teachers like this. Mr. Rodgers, worked for the District for 8 years, with total of 17 years experience as a choral director/teacher.
Simeon and Ingall referred to other members by name in their discussions, but our FOIA request focused only on communications between the two. Factually, Simeon did “poll the Board” and shared with Ingall the other members’ votes, as well as acted on decisions based on “the majority,” as Simeon did state.
Numbers reflect only the number of students who had elected In-person Instruction for 2020/2021 school year.