Proposed changes to student activity policies in the Forest Lake Area School District have led this spring to overflowing school board meetings, a student walkout and media scrutiny.
But school board members on Thursday night appeared ready to walk back on some of the controversial changes.
For example, the original proposed version of Policy No. 515 would have followed Minnesota School Board Association model language and removed specific bans on symbols such as swastikas, the KKK and the Confederate flag on clothing.
That removal would have been problematic, former school board member Kate Luthner told the board, because the ban “helps prevent hate and ensures a safe environment for students.”
The original version would have meant “waiting for problems to occur instead of preventing them in the first place,” she said after the meeting. “It’s a solution in search of a problem.”
But the version of Policy No. 515 that got its first reading at the Forest Lake Area School District board meeting Thursday night included the specific bans. The board will vote on the measure on June 26.
School Board Chairman Curt Rebelein said the board wants to align the district’s policies with Minnesota School Board Association recommendations, adhere to state and federal laws, and “provide a consistent process for all activities.”
“This is based on recommendations from our school district attorneys,” he said. “The proposed policies utilize thoroughly vetted model policies provided by the Minnesota School Board Association, and contain necessary language that does not currently exist in policy … to ensure the district complies with relevant statutes.”
Late 1990s incident
Superintendent Steve Massey said Thursday night that the ban on the wearing or displaying Confederate flag, swastika and KKK signs or symbols was “sadly and tragically” implemented in the late 1990s after an African-American student was surrounded by a group of students after school and was physically assaulted.
“The following day, a group of students wore white T-shirts to school in solidarity of their involvement in the racial assault,” Massey told the board. “As a result of this incident, the family moved out of the school district. Additionally, several other African-American students and their families moved out of the district. … Our communities have come a long way, but this does not erase the harmful history of this sad and tragic event and the related issues surrounding the incident.”
Massey told that board that it is important that the specific ban of the three symbols remain in Policy No. 515.
“As the board deliberates updates to the policy, an outright prohibition of these symbols will represent the district’s commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment for our students and families,” he said.
Mary Beth Higgins, a counselor at Forest Lake Area Middle School, thanked the board in advance for including the specific language in the policy.
“Symbols such as the Confederate flag carry a long and painful history of racism, violence and oppression,” Higgins said. “For many students and staff, seeing that symbol isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s deeply hurtful and threatening. By naming these symbols directly, you have shown a real commitment to creating schools where every student feels safe, respected and valued. Thank you for taking action that reflects our shared values of inclusion, dignity and community.”
Student clubs policy
Board members had previously considered another change to another policy — one that could have eliminated affinity- and interest-based clubs. But the language presented at the board meeting for Policy No. 1801 included those clubs — called “limited open forums” — for students enrolled in secondary schools. The clubs are student-led and not connected to the school curriculum or athletic groups, district officials said.
The policy language — also to be voted on on June 26 — states that those clubs, officially called “noncurriculum-related student groups,” shall have “equal access and a fair opportunity to conduct meetings during noninstructional time.”
Higgins thanked the board for including that language as well — a move she said showed the board “listened to the voices of the district’s students, families and staff.”
“Thank you for continuing to support clubs that fall under the Equal Access Act, such as our affinity- and interest-based clubs, even at the middle school,” she said. “These clubs provide spaces where students can connect, express themselves, and find belonging. That sense of belonging is powerful, and makes a real difference in students’ lives.
Student, community reaction
Caylee Metheny, 13, a student at Forest Lake Area Middle School, questioned why the board didn’t reconsider the policy changes earlier.
“Why did it take making the national news for you to finally include us?” she asked.
She said clubs at the schools are key to student identity.
“It’s about how students identify and their cultures and how they were raised and their religions,” she said. “It’s not OK to take that away and merge it into one American culture because America is not just Americans, it’s Hispanics, it’s African-Americans, it’s Asians. It’s everybody.”
Claire Luger, a member of the Forest Lake Joint Coalition, a group formed to protest the original policy changes, said she is concerned the board could amend the policy language right before the vote on June 26. She said she hopes the protests and community input will pressure the board to keep the policy language presented on Thursday intact.
“The current language regarding middle-school groups and including explicit prohibition of hate group insignia deserves nothing less than a unanimous vote,” Luger said.
“When our students speak up by sharing their experiences in student groups, by organizing shirts that emphasize the importance of kindness and inclusive words, and by organizing a protest, the school board should listen. When community members speak up in droves, by signing and sharing a petition supporting student groups, the school board should listen. … And when the public shows up as taxpayers and concerned community members who oppose proposals that open the doors to harmful incidents, the school board should listen,” Luger said.
Luger told the board that community members will be watching on June 26.
“It sure feels like the entire Ranger community is watching, along with the sizable chunk of the metro area,” she said, referring to the high school mascot. “We will continue to watch with the expectation that today’s language around middle school groups and hate insignia passes unanimously when it’s up for vote.”
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