Elections ordered by board
A letter read during Como-Pickton CISD school board Monday confronted the district on its insensitive post Feb. 3 calling COVID-19 the “China Virus” and urged the district to take corrective action.
The post’s intention was to update the community on upcoming student breaks and the academic calendar, and its wording was edited five times. More than an hour after the post was published, the insensitive language was changed to “COVID-19.”
“As I hope CPCISD teachers teach current students, digital footprints do not quickly fade,” the letter read. “I am sure school leaders know that a screenshot of the edit history is now circulating online.”
There had been no public apology by the district by the time of meeting Feb. 8, and the letter suggested the silence “leads certain people to believe that the leadership team in fact supports this way of thinking.
“Given the global climate, both immediate and in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the letter continued. “Asians and Asian Americans were subject to violent attacks across our nation due to racist hate and fear.”
The letter listed three corrective actions the district should take: all involved personnel receiving implicit bias training, an apology from superintendent Dr. Greg Bower, and all school personnel receiving implicit bias training as part of their professional development.
“Today is indeed a chance to learn in order to be an effective leader tomorrow,” the letter read. “CPCISD must do better. Children are watching.”
The letter was read by former student and Plano teacher Margarita Diosdado, who said she was not the author. When she inquired who was involved in creating the post, the board did not answer, stating they could not answer because the item was not on the agenda.
Bower had no comment on the letter. As of press time, no apology has been posted on the district’s social media.
OTHER BUSINESS
The board ordered elections to be held May 1. Up for reelection are four trustee positions, and so far, incumbents DJ Carr and Shiloh Childress and newcomers Stephanie Cotton and Clif Carpenter have filed to be on the ballot. Vice-president Mark Humphrey and member Jessica Pegues, both of whom are up for reelection, have not filed yet. Terms last four years.
The purchase of a new school bus was also approved. According to Bower, the bus is a 2016 International model with 50,000 miles on it, and the price tag was below the $100,000 budgeted.
“It allows me to taking the remaining money in that budget to go in and upgrade our camera system and also our radio system,” Bower said.
Members also voted to extend all administrator contracts with a 2% raise for each.