"They should be euthanized"

     This quote is taken from NJSD Board meeting on March 18th, 2025 from the following:

"[The superintendent's] email was subsequently shared online in several places drawing criticism creating confusion and causing our staff members to be targeted online and singled out by name with comments like 'they should be euthanized'."

    Questions about this quote:

• What was the email about?
• The email was about the removal of DEI verbiage and retitling of some positions in the district.
• Neenah school district removes DEI information from website, retitles staff members
• Who shared the email?
• Board Member Lindsay Clark explained that she had forwarded the email to a constituent who asked about DEI, believing the information was already public since the change had appeared on the district website.  She denied sending the email to the media or acting with any malicious intent, saying she only meant to inform a concerned constituent.
• Who said the quote?
• Board President Epley was contextualizing the agenda item and was referring to online comments associated with posts about the leaked email from accounts like Libs of TikTok.

"I'm not trying to defend myself." -Lindsay Clark

    Why is this important (to me)?

    I attended this school board meeting to show my public support for the victims of the online harassment.  I didn't expect to learn how the email was leaked-- I just wanted to counter the online vitriol that our community members (Dr. Harrison, and the two staff members named in the email) were being subjected.  I wanted them to know that I appreciated the efforts to preserve federal funding for our school district, and that the world (or at the very least, just me) is not in alignment with the rhetoric aimed at them.

    This meeting became more important to me when it was clear that Board Member Lindsay Clark couldn't concede wrongdoing on her part.  To me, this was revelatory;  Lindsay Clark was acting in bad faith towards the safety, wellbeing and educational enhancement of the students in NJSD.  Why would I level such accusation?

• Lindsay Clark said "It's unfortunate that this is what it's come to in the community and the media. I was not a part of that, and I don't want to be a part of that conversation."  But what she didn't say was that she was sorry that she had unwittingly contributed to that conversation.  I'm being charitable by saying "unwitting", conferring a veil of ignorance upon her actions, whereas I actually believe she is a clumsy political operator.
• "That conversation" as she terms it, is the dangerous and inciting rhetoric which has demonstrably moved offline into real-world violence.  To know that our school board members are contributing fodder to "that conversation" imperils our school children, staff and facilities.

    I was so upset at her lack of remorse and willful refusal to recognize the danger which she invited upon our school district that I drafted a letter demanding her resignation with the intention of getting signatures for submission.    

    In the letter, I state emphatically:

When you chose to share Dr. Harrison’s email with a constituent, you set off a chain of events that led to members of our school community feeling unsafe. The online response was not just criticism—it was targeted harassment. Fear has real-world consequences on people’s behaviors, and history has shown that online outrage, when left unchecked, can escalate into real-world violence. It is with the safety of our children in mind that I say plainly: we cannot afford to take that risk again.

... we do not believe a public apology or further discussion will repair the damage...

...You have shown that you do not exercise the judgment necessary to handle sensitive matters responsibly...

...we believe the most constructive path forward—the one that best serves the safety and stability of our schools—is for you to resign.

    I ultimately decided against pursuing the letter, instead opting to believe in our democratic process of elections to remove her from office.  This blog post specifically, and more generally this entire Ballot Wards blog, is an effort to clarify my thinking, inform my neighbors and share my ideas towards better outcomes in our democracy. 

    See for yourself how this specific agenda item was preambled, Lindsay Clark's admission to being the source of the leak, and the follow-up commentary from fellow board members.  The below video contains the whole segment of the board meeting in which this was discussed.