A crowd of parents, teachers, and community members poured through the doors of Barker Creek Community School on the evening of Sept. 27 for Central Kitsap School District’s first regular school board meeting of the 2023-2024 school year. 

The meeting’s agenda, which kick-started with hopeful back-to-school reports and talk of potential strategies for better supporting students, was starkly overshadowed by the underlying reason why so many had packed into the room. 

Just two days prior, Brownsville Elementary, one of the 12 elementary schools situated in the Central Kitsap School District, had shut down for the day after the school had received an alleged threat. Buses and cars transporting students that morning were directed to turn around before entering school grounds, and staff were evacuated from inside the school. 

Detectives from The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) are conducting an ongoing investigation to determine the source of the threat, and announced that “no devices were found on school grounds” in an update to the official statement posted to the KCSO Facebook page on Sept. 26. 

Many members of the community suspect that the origins of this threat are rooted even further back in the month, beginning with the choice of clothing made by a Brownsville teacher.

In early September, Brownsville music teacher Rick Vandenhole shared an interaction he had with one of his kindergarten students regarding his red shoes in a post to his Facebook page. The post included a photo of Vandenhole’s outfit and a brief, unofficial transcript of their conversation. 

The post has since been screenshotted and shared amongst several vocal members in the county online, expressing disapproval and calling for Vandenhole to be reprimanded by the district. Jon Needham, a local pastor at Coram Deo Church, made a post on Facebook about Vandenhole on Sept. 20, encouraging CKSD parents to contact teachers, make a statement at the Sept. 27 board meeting, and pull their students from the district. 

Before officially opening the meeting up for public comments, District Superintendent Dr. Erin Prince emphasized how important it is for attendees to remain respectful and civil to one another in their comments. 

“There is no place for hate in our schools and district,” said Dr. Prince.

Four students representing Central Kitsap High School’s Latino Student Union were the first to address the board in a series of public statements identifying school board policies that the district has allegedly broken. The LSU’s President, Angela Armendariz-Ituarte, announced that the club had been disbanded earlier in the day after they received notice that their advisor had resigned from the position. 

Throughout the public comment section, multiple community members spoke up in support of the LSU and attested to the importance of diversity, inclusion, and representation within the CKSD. 

This sentiment of discontent with district action would be reflected throughout the night by many community members. Several educators and district employees took to the podium to express their overwhelming support for the LGBTQ+ community and transgender students. 

“One of those things that I seek to instill in my leadership students is that great leaders must show courage and put the needs of vulnerable populations in front of their own needs to feel comfortable,” said Daniel Sullivan, CKHS teacher and ASB advisor. “My request to you today is to please show that you are leaders by unequivocally supporting the LGBTQ population that you serve, and by condemning any act of intolerance or violence against them.”

Many teachers additionally voiced concerns regarding their own safety and job security after the incident at Brownsville Elementary. Jessie French, math teacher at CKHS, shared her support for the marginalized students and fellow educators who have been under attack. French vouched that she fosters a classroom environment where her students are able to be comfortable and acknowledged for who they are, stating sometimes that begins with a name. 

“Tomorrow, we have our open house,” said French. “Because of my public comments tonight I’m concerned for my safety. How do I know that those coming into my room are the parents of my students and not angry community members? Teachers today know that it’s dangerous to be teachers, and that’s not a normal thing.”

Many members of the community shared feelings of frustration and confusion regarding the district’s approach to issues of student body inclusivity and student safety. Multiple LGBTQ+ affirming teachers expressed feeling uncertain if their own character and position could be put under scrutiny next. Divided as the room may have been, individuals criticizing Vandenhole in their public comments shared a similar sentiment. 

With one side calling for the district to condemn Vandenhole and discussion of gender ideology in schools, and the other beckoning the district to protect its vulnerable LGBTQ+ population and educators, both seemed to be unified in believing that the district can no longer remain neutral. 

Jennifer Rumpke, CKHS teacher, described the situation as another demonstration of the district’s “cowardice at the crossroads of doing what is right,” stating that while teachers have been instructed to remain neutral if a student chooses to wear clothing donning phrases like “there are only two genders” it feels impossible to do so with transgender students in every single one of her classes. 

“Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Prize winning author and holocaust survivor, said: ‘We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim,’” said Rumpke. “You took a side, and it was the wrong one. Your neutrality, your quiet permission for hate-mongers who have been targeting, attacking, and defaming your staff, help the oppressor.”

Jon Needham, the first to oppose Vandenhole’s actions that evening in his public comment, maintained his position in his original post, stating that “nearly all people throughout human history have known and understood that that kind of behavior is wildly unacceptable” and “never appropriate under any circumstances.” 

Many of the subsequent speakers who shared Needham’s stance labeled the incident as inappropriate, perverse, and dangerous. Accusations of confusing students, pushing personal agendas, and grooming children have spread online since Vandenhole’s initial post. 

Erik Randall, teacher at CKHS, denounced the loose usage of the word “groomer”, calling it vile and dehumanizing. “It mocks and demeans actual victims of abuse, and in a perverse way, enables more abuse to occur,” said Randall. 

“It’s akin to calling us vermin, and even if the speaker isn’t calling for violence by name, it is equivalent to yelling fire in a crowded theater, misgiving a green light to those who believe this slander to engage in extreme and violent acts.” 

The board is set to meet for a study session on Wednesday, October 11 at 6 p.m. The next regular session will be held Wednesday, October 25 at 6 p.m. The Cougar Chronicle will continue to write on this developing issue as more information becomes available.