To: Idaho District 271 School Board Trustees
Hold the CdA School Board Accountable for Unethical Decision-Making
To the CdA School Board Trustees:
We, the undersigned, allege that the Coeur d’Alene School Board Trustees directly violated several binding district and state policies and/or laws when they decided to remove the Primary Years Program (PYP) from Hayden Meadows:
•They demonstrated discrimination against religions and creeds.
•They demonstrated fiscal irresponsibility by removing a program that is fully funded for at least the next two years.
•They violated their own Code of Ethics in the following ways:
1. They refused to consider critical available facts and
surrendered their judgment to personal bias instead of
adhering to the prescribed Code of Ethics.
2. They failed to be open, fair, and honest in their decision-
making process.
3. They abused their decision-making power by neglecting to
refer problems and complaints to proper administrative
offices prior to Board action being taken.
• They violated Idaho’s Open Meeting Law by communicating with each other electronically about subjects pertaining to upcoming agenda items.
We allege that the Board has directly violated and deliberately avoided ethical responsibility in their decision to remove IB from our district. Their decision and abuse of power has harmed and interrupted our children’s education, undermined the skills and authority of our administrators, and demoralized our teachers.
We hereby file this official grievance, and we seek the following:
• Immediate reversal of any and all decisions that do not reflect the ethical and procedural responsibilities of the Board. First and foremost, we request the reinstatement of the PYP program at Hayden Meadows. Secondly, we request a thorough investigation of the decision-making process that led to the removal of the Diploma Program at Lake City High School because we believe some of the same violations may have occurred in that process.
• Formal review and/or hearing by a neutral third party to determine whether or not CdA School Board’s decisions related to PYP and DP are violations of the Code of Ethics and other district and state policies and procedures, including this district’s discrimination policy and Idaho's Open Meeting Law.
• A detailed written explanation from the Board addressing each of the allegations contained herein. We request that you cite specific policies, facts, and laws supporting your decisions and the processes leading to these decisions.
We petition the CdA School Board Trustees with this grievance and we support the grievance in its entirety. The full grievance with supporting documents can be found at the following website:
Why is this important?
The CdA School Board of Trustees made a sudden decision to remove PYP, a successful, community-funded program, from Hayden Meadows Elementary School without due diligence. The manner in which they made their decision violated their own code of ethics, demonstrated discrimination and fiscal irresponsibility, and violated Idaho's Open Meeting Law. We believe they should be held accountable for their unethical actions. We petition the board with this grievance to give them an opportunity to reverse their decision and proceed in an ethical manner that is consistent with district and state policy and procedures.