School Board Meetings

DO

Speak from your own personal experience and about local examples and local concerns

Use messaging that brings in the widest tent (i.e. focus on the benefits for ALL children)

Appeal to shared values (e.g. the importance of students being able to see themselves and their cultures in the books they read, etc.) and look for common ground in education

Define restrictive laws in clear terms (e.g. “these laws stop teachers from teaching about race relations and inequality”)

Ensure that each speaker has a clearly defined ask for the board

Clearly define the impact, rather than focusing on motives. Share examples of real-world harm, specific to your school district, regarding discrimination and inequality

Start by thanking the Board and acknowledging the difficult work they do on behalf of their constituents, even if you don’t agree with them

DON'T

Use national examples or rhetoric that isn’t actually based on the local reality and context

Apologize for elevating, listening to, and advocating for students, particularly students of color or LGBTQ+ students

Repeat the other side’s negative framing to address criticism

Use jargon (i.e. avoid formal language and focus on making your point clearly) or zero-sum language (i.e. refer to history as “expansive” or “full” rather than “accurate”)

Yell or use attacking language (e.g. refrain from calling someone racist) 

Get into a semantics debate on what CRT and SEL really is, and how your work is or isn’t CRT or SEL

Start with anger or accusations – that doesn’t help leaders receive your message with openness