The Talawanda school board will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at Talawanda High School’s Performing Arts Center.
The meeting will begin with an executive session to examine the current investigation of high school teacher Danielle Mann, according to the agenda published on the district website.
Mann, who teaches English, posted a public political TikTok on school grounds Nov. 7 and has since been put on administrative leave. Board members will decide Mann’s compensation and employment.
Mann’s video challenged men who voted Democratic to wear blue or identify themselves on public platforms as having voted for Kamala Harris. She also wanted them to post on social media to create a record of who the “safe men” are.
“You wear the blue bracelet, you wear the safety pin, you post your story to this app… live it out loud,” Mann said in the nearly four-minute long video. “You tried to do right by the people of this country. The women need to see your faces and see your names because we are in danger.”
On a Facebook group called Talawanda Outlying Area, a group of conservative parents named “Citizens for our Children” said they will be at the meeting wearing matching T-shirts.
The about page for “Citizens for our Children” said the parents are “working to bring back schools that align with our morals, values, and ethics.”
The group was created one week ago by Art Sauerwein, who ran for Hanover Township Trustee in 2013, and has 433 members, according to Facebook.
The meeting will have a session for public participation after the executive session and presentations conclude. While anyone is allowed to attend meetings, those interested in publicly speaking must register their intention to participate before the start of the meeting.
Upon arrival, the schools will have a sign-up sheet where those interested must put their name, address and the topic they wish to address. The sign-up sheet will be removed at the start of the meeting.
Participants will be limited to three minutes, and all statements should be directed to the presiding officer. Participants cannot address or question board members individually.
The presiding officer may interrupt, warn or end a participant’s session if public decorum is lacking. They may also call for recess or adjournment of public participation and request the assistance of law enforcement if public decorum interferes with the meeting.
For more information on the rules of public participation or to view the meeting agenda, visit Talawanda’s board website.
Check back with the OO on Friday for a story about the meeting.
