Midland MI School Board meetings

Here is a link to the full video: https://youtu.be/UtcphNCKzhU?si=ir9gMou-t9V0qqYP Here are Renita's comments: At the last Special Meeting I discussed whether the Oct 10th Special Meeting really followed the Open Meeting Act. The President stated that “the answer is Yes.” So I put in a FOIA request to see what communications exist to support the claims made at the past two meetings. My request was for: All communications containing the words “October 10” and/or “Oct 10” and/or “Special Board of Education Meeting” and/or “Special Meeting” from October 6, 2023 thru October 25, 2023 from email, written documents or any other social communication source. This is not requesting all emails sent on October 10, 2023, unless that wording is in the Subject or Body of the email. The only information I received in response were two copies of each of the FOIA requests that I submitted, one of those never mentioned the previously mentioned information. Also a copy of a document titled “Midland Public Schools Board of Education Superintendent Search Sub-Committee Meeting.” Note it was not titled as a Special Public Meeting. There is no other communication about this supposedly Special Meeting that was open to the public. No emails between board members. No emails to an administrative person to put up a public posting about a Special Meeting on Oct. 10th at noon. And as I stated last month, there was nothing on the MPS website that even comes up as a special meeting on Oct. 10th if you do a search. Interesting though, I sent an email to the FOIA Coordinator asking “why I did not receive the Agenda and information about the meeting held on Wednesday, October 10th at 12:00 pm,” since my FOIA request asked for Special Meetings as well. I also sent several emails to the Interim Superintendent and mentioned Oct. 10th. All of these contain information that would fall within the parameters of the FOIA request. So if these emails did not get included, what else was not included in my request? It does not feel like a very accurate fulfillment of my request. As was stated at the two previous meetings by my husband Joe and me, there was a claim that the Oct. 10th meeting was held and followed proper Open Meeting Act requirements. The evidence does not support this on multiple levels. But we know that we can take you to court and you have plenty of legal coverage by your insurance policy, paid for with our tax dollars, to defend yourself. You are obviously willing to take that chance.

Link to the full meeting: https://youtu.be/29dOZcxQgGE Renita's public comments: I have submitted several FOIA requests over the past two years. There has been a consistent policy of responding with an Estimate of Fees and one was actually done for no fee, because it was very basic. Once I paid 50% of the Estimate Fee, the FOIA request was fulfilled and I would receive another FOIA Fee Itemization Form with the “Actual Fee” to be paid. I submitted two FOIA requests on Oct. 25th. One was for the communication mentioned in the Special Meeting for Oct 10th Special Meetings. The other was for “All communications containing the words “archive.org” and/or “wayback” from August 1, 2023 thru October 25, 2023 from email, written documents or any other social communication source.” Both of these were very specific and simple queries and requests. This time instead of being given an “Estimate Fee,” I was given an “Actual Fee.” The hourly rates have gone up by more than 100% since those from 18-24 months ago. The amount of the deposit requested also exceeded the 50% allowable by FOIA, however I only paid the actual 50% deposit. Once I received the pdfs by email for the FOIA requests, I asked for a final Fee Form of the actual time spent on the FOIA fulfillment. I was told that the original was the Actual Fee and the balance was due. Basically there was no need to account for the actual time spent searching and redacting the information I was given. So I am to believe that before the request was fulfilled that the Director of IT knew it would take 2 hours to do a search and produce a file and that the Director of HR knew it would take 2 hours to redact the documents, which had not yet been captured. Perhaps this Board makes it a practice to take a quote and just pay it at the end of a project with no actual accounting of the job done. Furthermore, FOIA makes it clear that there is to be actual accounting of the time spent fulfilling the request and that the redacting time is to be rounded down, if it is a partial 15 minute increment. In this case, there were absolutely no redactions done on any of the documents that I was given. The majority of these documents were simply form emails sent by a company to everyone on their email list. There was also a 373 page document included in the search which included the phrase archive.org from the Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching. This document was labeled as documents search redacted. Why would a public document be redacted? So I paid the $224.22 for this FOIA request, although I believe FOIA violations exist. But as previously mentioned, we can take you to court and you have plenty of legal coverage by your insurance policy, paid for with our tax dollars, to defend yourself. You are obviously willing to take that chance.

Here is a link to the full meeting: https://youtu.be/t0WbpGMGNVA?si=XmoLMdYrxi3cxTEy. For those of us that attended the meeting, we believe the School Board chose the right search firm for the Superintendent position. As a side note: They did not go with the lowest bidder. We have been told that all other bids always go to the lowest bidder, which is why they have all closed sub-committee meetings. Perhaps if they were open to the public, they could pick the 'best' quote, rather than the lowest. Comparing apples and oranges may be helpful. Here is my talk: On January 19th, 2022 I checked on the MPS School Board webpage and found out there was a meeting that morning at 8:30 am. Joe and I attended that meeting. I’m sure those in attendance remember, as that was the day I was interrupted twice during my 3 minute public comment, after the previous speaker ran over by at least a minute before being stopped. It was after that event, and a FOIA and Open Meeting act training class that I attended, that I put in a FOIA request in May of 2022 for a six month subscription (which is the limited subscription time in the Freedom of Information Act) to all regular and special meeting agenda packets. Joe and I have been paying about $300 every six months for these subscriptions, and one is still currently active. I asked the FOIA Coordinator after the last meeting this question: “I would like to know why I did not receive the Agenda and information about the meeting held on October 10th at 12:00 pm,” The response was about meeting minutes. It had nothing to do with my requested information. I received NO real explanation as to why my FOIA request for information about special meetings was not fulfilled. The thing is this; it was stated by several Board members last week that the Open Meeting Act was followed and the public was notified. The notice for the Special meeting appears to be put on the website on the top dropdown bar on the left. Not very visible. It was not added to the Board’s Calendar of Meetings on the website. Previous Special meetings and today’s meeting were added to that calendar page though. In fact, someone looking at the Board of Education page would not even know that the Special Public Meeting on Oct. 10th took place, as there is no visible reference to it. No Agenda. No link to it. In fact, a search there won’t even bring anything up for Oct 10th. I was told by Superintendent Penny that it wasn’t “because it was a committee meeting and not a special Board of Education meeting.” But this wasn’t a regular committee meeting, which is why it had to be posted for the public. It was a “Special” Public meeting, otherwise why the attempt to fulfill the OMA? As far as the Open Meeting Act, in section: 15.266 – Providing copies of public notice on written request; fee. Sec. 6. (1) Upon the written request of an individual, organization, firm, or corporation, and upon the requesting party's payment of a yearly fee of not more than the reasonable estimated cost for printing and postage of such notices, a public body shall send to the requesting party by first class mail a copy of any notice required to be posted pursuant to section 5(2) to (5). I have paid the FOIA fees requesting copies of all Agenda Packets, “including Special meetings and Regular meetings” and to receive these communications by email. Why not this time? Were you really in compliance with the OMA?

Here is a link to the full board meeting: https://youtu.be/EAB7-JBYH0Y?si=LypO88rwRSUM7mDK

Here is a link to the whole School Board Meeting: https://youtu.be/w5PQeYg-G64

Here is the link to the whole Board Meeting: https://youtu.be/DcR-QOi05iM

Here is a link to the whole MPS Board Meeting and documents: https://midlandps.communitybydiligent.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=77 Here is a rough transcript of my talk: My name is Renita Bonadies. I have attended the past three school board meetings and stayed at each until the end. Per the Bylaws - Responsibilities of the Superintendent, Section 1000, Code po1230, letter K states "work cooperatively with parents and community groups concerned with programs in the schools." I have heard at prior meetings and seen multiple FB group’s messages about requesting special meetings and for the mask mandate to be put on the agenda, yet it does not happen. How does this indicate that the Superintendent is fulfilling his responsibility? Is the Board not to hold him accountable to doing his job? Ignoring a request should not be an option. The people are the bosses here, not the School Board Members and Superintendent. Our taxes pay for everything you oversee and your salaries, and the children certainly do not belong to the collective 'you.' The discussion at the last meeting that something needs to be on the agenda in order for the Board members to interact with the public speakers. Furthermore, Code po0166 states: "The order of business may be altered and items added at any meeting by a majority vote of the members present." So the board could add an agenda item at the meeting by a vote of the board members. As far as the mask mandates, which you act as though you have no choice in, I attended a township meeting on Wednesday night where the Commissioner stated that the School Boards are responsible to make the decisions about the masks, as the Health Department has no such mandate enforcement. It seems the Board is using the Health Department to abuse the children with these mask mandates. There is nothing in the Bylaws that gives this Superintendent or the Board the right to put out any medical mandate for the children, the staff or bus drivers. You can suggest it, but not mandate it. You owe it to the parents and people of this community to give them a voice and a chance to interact with you, the board members and the superintendent. You need open dialogue, or this will only get worse. It really is your choice. Stand up or resign and let those willing to have that difficult discussion with the parents and community take your place. The board is no place for cowards.

Here is a link to the whole MPS Board Meeting and documents: https://midlandps.communitybydiligent.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=79 Good evening. This is my 6th Board meeting for the record. I asked Mr. Sharrow for a copy of his signed oath of office that he referenced in his letter which I received last week. His stated: “I really do not need to provide my personal education certificate to you, that is a bit much asking for my personal information.’ He reviewed his certificate, didn’t see too much personal information so attached it.” There is nothing ‘personal’ about this oath, other than a commitment to uphold and follow a code of ethics which he signed. All educators take such an oath and sign it and record it with the school district and the MI Department of Education. On the other hand, my husband and I met with John Hatfield last week. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. He asked me if I was vaccinated. I am not the least bit sure why an elected official felt he had the right to ask me a personal medical question, as it certainly should have no bearing on me meeting with a board member or speaking at public meetings. I would say this Mr Sharrow was ‘more than a bit much of my personal information’ to be requested, for the record. Another topic of discussion with Mr. Hatfield was about the emails and letters that I have written to the Board. He told me that you receive more emails from me than anyone else. He said he tries to read my letters, but they make no sense, they are all over the place and he can’t follow them. He also said that I reference some non-credible sources, so he doesn’t bother to check them out. Yet I have heard multiple requests over several months for the sources that Mr. Sharrow uses and a desire to work with him on his mask decisions, but have seen no evidence of these sources. John then asked if I have anyone read my letters before I send them to the Board. I said that I do actually. Then he looks at Joe and asks him if he reads my letters before I send them to the Board. It was as though I need approval from my husband to send them. So if anyone here would like copies of my emails or would like to proof future ones, just see me or contact me after the meeting. Finally, both Jon Lauderbach and John Hatfield made reference in the past month to the fact that they are just ‘Volunteers’, that they don’t have time for long meetings, or to allow parents and community the allotted time to speak according to the Bylaws. I am confused as to why people would run for an elected position, if they are not willing to put in the time required to do the job properly, lawfully and according to their Oaths. Perhaps you do not belong on this board. All of you are welcome to resign if you do not have time for your elected position. We need people committed to serving the children of this community, not hidden agendas and indoctrination. The public needs to pay attention and decide wisely next time you vote.

Here is a link to the whole MPS Board Meeting and documents: https://midlandps.communitybydiligent.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=78 Here is a rough transcript of my talk: As I mentioned at the last meeting, the Bylaws state: Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to five (5) minutes duration. Again you have violated the Bylaws by reducing the time for speaking at this meeting. Instead you have doubled down by putting new things on the agenda, like redefining the ‘Requests to Address the Board’ item, with no public discussion or vote by board. That is not how the rules you are governed by work. I left a message about any of the four Study Committee meetings being open to the general public. Megan called back and said that they are ‘for information gathering only and no voting or decision making takes place. So therefore they do not fall under the OMA.’ As noted earlier by my husband, there are obviously decisions, under the definition of the OMA, taking place. The public has vested interest in understanding and seeing this process of decision making by this board, as it is not carried out on all topics at the monthly meetings. The board also went from twice a month meetings to once a month in January 2014, after Mr Sharrow was hired. The further lack of transparency of doing board business in public was not the intent of the OMA. At the October 25th meeting, Mr Sharrow stated, and I quote, “the law does say I need to keep kids protected ... It says I must as the Superintendent. And so I signed an Oath to that.” This is actually a lie by Mr Sharrow and has been verified by email with Cindy. I asked for a copy of the Superintendent's Oath of office. Her response: Mr. Sharrow is not an elected official so he does not hold an office and, therefore, does not take an oath of office. Only you as elected board members take an Oath. Is this how Mr Sharrow tries to imply more authority and commitment to these children than he really has? We also learned from Lynn that you have been given special board member training from MASB. You are trained on how to be sure your employee, Mr Sharrow, isn't made to look bad at a public meeting. You have to spoon feed him questions ahead of time, so he is never put on the spot at these meetings. I would remind you as elected officials, hired by we the people, that you took an oath to the Constitution and answer to us. Mr Sharrow is your employee, not your boss. You can show respect, but are to hold him accountable to what he proposes and the decisions he is making for this district. You are not to be just yes men and women. If you find your task too difficult or are afraid to ask the tough questions, including holding Mr Sharrow accountable, then you need to resign now. There are others ready and able to serve this community in your place.

Here is a link to the whole MPS Board Meeting and documents: https://midlandps.communitybydiligent.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=80

Here is a link to the whole MPS Board Meeting and documents: https://midlandps.communitybydiligent.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=79

Trying to communicate an interaction with two of the Board members after the November Meeting, with several of us involved. But I was stopped by the president, because I was 'attacking' them. Then Mr Sharrow interrupted me and said meeting minutes were read and approved like always at the January 10, 2022 meeting. No one corrected him on the Board. Here is a link to the whole MPS Board Meeting and documents: https://midlandps.communitybydiligent.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=89

Here is a link to watch the whole board meeting for Feb. 28, 2022. If you start at the 50 minute mark, you can hear all of the public comments. There were about 10 speakers total. https://youtu.be/XMd719MHp_o Here is a view of the Board while Joe was speaking. https://youtu.be/PeOHv6pL32E Link to the Jan 19, 2022 Meeting comments referenced https://youtu.be/stbB5p0uhZU The meeting minutes comments at the Jan. 19th meeting were met with the following comments by Mr. Sharrow: At 2:03 - I think we got that corrected. At 2:10 - I have to correct you. The minutes were read and they were approved….Never was it not. At 2:27 - No. Any committees that met were read and approved as always. Then when this was mentioned in the Feb. 28th meeting, it was brought up and explained by Phil Rausch that there were no meetings held between the December 20th meeting and the January 10th meeting, thus no meeting minutes to read. Not sure why that wasn’t mentioned at the Jan 19th meeting when Mr. Sharrow said they were read and they were approved. The three meeting chairmen were all there. Why not correct him publicly? Now that I understand why there were no minutes, the mystery was solved. Or was it? I must question how there were action items on the agenda, as Joe stated, when there were no meetings. It seems it would have said "No Report" for all three Study Committees and therefore had NO Action items. That just doesn’t add up. How did Mr. Sharrow, as the one that puts the agenda together, have action items? Where and how were decisions made that gave them Action Items?

A chance to watch the Board's responses during Joe's public comments. Here is a link to the whole MPS Board Meeting and documents: https://midlandps.communitybydiligent.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=90

Link to the full MPS Board Meeting (Budget Public Comments are at the 1:30 mark and Regular Meeting Comments at the 45:24 mark): https://youtu.be/Y9TmclbBMtQ Great video discussing the Agenda and Education: Who Owns Your Children? (The Dangers of Government as a Parent) https://youtu.be/i0DgSSl-YLU Renita’s Talk – April 18, 2022 This is the 7th month that I have gotten up to address this Board. I stand and speak for those in this community that cannot speak for themselves. There are teachers for fear of losing their jobs, parents for fear of their child being singled out and community members for fear of repercussions with their business or family. I am a child of God and choose to stand and fight for the children of this community. There is an agenda that exists to destroy the family, indoctrinate the children and destroy the future of this country. So many parents do not understand the depths to which they will go to steal the very souls of the children. One way is through the indoctrination and perversions that are being taught in the schools through the DEI, CRT, SEL and other programs. As our elected officials, you have chosen to embrace this Marxist agenda that is going after the children of this school district. In the midst of the pandemic, MPS Board members held board meetings and a workshop in the summer of 2020. A Board of Education Proclamation was made. It reads: Resolution to Change the System, Eliminate Racism and Create More Equitable and Inclusive Schools for All. This was done on August 3rd 2020. Great time to make such a big change, when everyone is distracted with a pandemic. Such priorities. It is clear that this district is driven by their community business partner’s agenda, which is primarily Dow Corporation. They lent a manager for 15 months, encourage the DEI program and contributed to the cost of the DEI evaluation prepared by the CA consulting firm and presented last month. The Superintendent and Board should be more concerned with the education of the students, than this program for indoctrination. This board was not elected to determine the values the children are to be taught. That is the parent’s responsibility. But perhaps it isn’t, because this Superintendent and Board know that they really do have the right to control what the children are taught in school. They have been trained and laws are in place to give them that right. It is really the parents and community that don’t understand exactly what has happened to the education system over the past 50-100 years. These government institutions own your children, if you allow your children to attend these public institutions. It is perhaps best to remove your child from these schools, unless you want the schools indoctrinating them and teaching them values that do not align with yours. The other option is to vote this board out and bring in elected officials that believe in God, the Constitution and the freedoms we have been given. Not the Marxist agenda being pushed by this group of elected officials and their employee, Mr. Sharrow.

Here is a link to the full meeting: https://youtu.be/60plUWLmxpQ This is a summary of my comments: Good evening. This Board with the help of our local publications has done all it can to keep the general public from knowing what has been going on and the ways you are not open and transparent. You have cut our time from 5 minutes to 3 minutes, even when there are very few speakers, which was your original justification for cutting the time. But I guess now that the new Bylaw is in place, you won’t give that time back. It continues the trend of less and less transparency and open communication with the community. When I began attending meetings back in July last year, I noticed frequent references at meetings to not following the Bylaws. I didn’t understand why the Bylaws weren’t being followed, at least not all of them. We were held to restrictions in the Bylaws, but the Board wasn’t. So I asked some legal experts and found my answer. As I’m sure you know, having your own resident lawyer on the Board, there is nothing that can be done ‘legally’ if you don’t follow your Bylaws. They are there to govern your business, but don’t have to be followed legally. I guess this all now makes sense why parents and community members reference Bylaws and you just sit there and ignore all of us. It is important to let the community know a few things. You take an Oath that says that your will ‘faithfully discharge the duties of the office.’ Apparently the duties of the office in your book are not to follow ALL of the Bylaws and Policies of the Midland Public School District. You leverage them against the public, but don’t adhere to them yourselves. Also, the public comment agenda item’s last paragraph is somewhat threatening says: Speakers are asked to express themselves in a civil manner, with due respect for the dignity and privacy of others who may be affected by the comments. While it is not the District's intent to stifle public comment, speakers should be aware that if statements violate the rights of others under the law of defamation or invasion of privacy, the speaker may be held legally responsible. If the speaker is unsure of the legal ramifications of what they are about to say, the District urges them to consult first with a legal advisor. Can I ask why the Superintendent was allowed to publicly call me a liar and spreader of misinformation at the last meeting, but was not stopped by the Board President? Another case of elected officials that operate in an environment of it is good for thee, but not for we.’ Let everyone be aware of your lack of desire to follow your governing documents, when you find them inconvenient. We want elected officials that do the right thing all the time, not just when they can be legally held responsible. Apparently at MPS bullying starts at the top!

Good evening. This is my 8th consecutive month to speak and 11th month of attending meetings. There are very few in this room, on this Board or in the Administration that know anything about me. I want to share a little bit about my background. I grew up in Grand Blanc MI. It was basically an all white district until I got to the 7th grade in 1973. That was when Bill became the first black student in the district. He was in my math class and the two of us worked together, as we were in a more advance section. He was a person, someone I viewed as an equal, not as a color. I treated him like any other student around me in school. By the time I graduated, there were many more blacks in the district, but still a small percentage. I moved on after graduation to IN, OH and Nashville, TN, before moving back to the Grand Blanc/Flint area. In 2005 my family and high school children attended an all black church in downtown Flint. We were the only white family in the church for nine months. During that time I made friends with many wonderful women and men. I would meet with them and we learned about each other. I heard many stories of their past in the deep south in Mississippi. There was no attempt to blame the other because of our histories, rather we developed a deep compassion and love for one another. This church then merged with a predominately white church. Without those walls being broken down and a time of learning about each other, that would likely not have happened so smoothly. I also worked at the Flint Farmer’s Market for six years with a very diverse cultural setting and interacting with thousands of people a year. When I moved to Midland 10 years ago, I found this to be a very homogenous community. It felt so strange to not see the diversity I had always had around me. There has been some change in the past 10 years, but not very diverse from my perspective. I say all this to let you know that many advances can be made in helping the children learn and grow, without these forced programs and agendas. Why is it really necessary for a student to have a teacher of their color to know they can succeed? Is it not possible to have speakers of their color from the community come in to speak to the ability to be successful in a wide variety of careers? Can they not learn through books, movies, field trips and other activities? There is obviously a shortage of qualified teachers in all ethnicities, but especially minorities. As was mentioned last month, are we forced to take someone solely on the color of their skin and not their qualifications? I hope this helps you understand why I do not like the agendas to divide the parents, teachers and community, while the children are the ones paying the price along the way. We want to help children learn to become achievers, not victims of society or their past. Let’s do our part in the schools to help them succeed. We can do much better and should. Thank you.

Here is a link to the full School Board Meeting. Public comments start around the 23 minute mark: https://youtu.be/37KgKX5SoCk If you watch all of the speakers from this meeting on YouTube, note the body language of the Board members and Superintendent before and after each one speaks. The agenda is quite obvious, I believe. These students were accompanied by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Director, De'Ondre Hogan at this meeting. They are part of a Student Leadership Club, a DEI Student Club, and reference a GSA Club, Genders & Sexualities Alliances, a student-run organizations that unite LGBTQ+ and allied youth to build community and organize around issues impacting them in their schools and communities. It is important to remember that the Constitution gives us certain rights, but no one is to receive more rights than another group. Also, if the suicide rate is indeed higher and they all know it, then perhaps their parents should be assisting them with their mental health issues, rather than expecting the Board, staff and other students to help them.

Here is a link to the full School Board Meeting. Public comments start around the 23 minute mark: https://youtu.be/37KgKX5SoCk Here are my public comments: Good evening. This is my 8th consecutive month to speak and 11th month of attending meetings. There are very few in this room, on this Board or in the Administration that know anything about me. I want to share a little bit about my background. I grew up in Grand Blanc MI. It was basically an all white district until I got to the 7th grade in 1973. That was when Bill became the first black student in the district. He was in my math class and the two of us worked together, as we were in a more advance section. He was a person, someone I viewed as an equal, not as a color. I treated him like any other student around me in school. By the time I graduated, there were many more blacks in the district, but still a small percentage. I moved on after graduation to IN, OH and Nashville, TN, before moving back to the Grand Blanc/Flint area. In 2005 my family and high school children attended an all black church in downtown Flint. We were the only white family in the church for nine months. During that time I made friends with many wonderful women and men. I would meet with them and we learned about each other. I heard many stories of their past in the deep south in Mississippi. There was no attempt to blame the other because of our histories, rather we developed a deep compassion and love for one another. This church then merged with a predominately white church. Without those walls being broken down and a time of learning about each other, that would likely not have happened so smoothly. I also worked at the Flint Farmer’s Market for six years with a very diverse cultural setting and interacting with thousands of people a year. When I moved to Midland 10 years ago, I found this to be a very homogenous community. It felt so strange to not see the diversity I had always had around me. There has been some change in the past 10 years, but not very diverse from my perspective. I say all this to let you know that many advances can be made in helping the children learn and grow, without these forced programs and agendas. Why is it really necessary for a student to have a teacher of their color to know they can succeed? Is it not possible to have speakers of their color from the community come in to speak to the ability to be successful in a wide variety of careers? Can they not learn through books, movies, field trips and other activities? There is obviously a shortage of qualified teachers in all ethnicities, but especially minorities. As was mentioned last month, are we forced to take someone solely on the color of their skin and not their qualifications? I hope this helps you understand why I do not like the agendas to divide the parents, teachers and community, while the children are the ones paying the price along the way. We want to help children learn to become achievers, not victims of society or their past. Let’s do our part in the schools to help them succeed. We can do much better and should. Thank you.