Ohio school board holds emergency meeting in response to AIM investigation
February 3, 2023
Originally published at the Dayton Daily News
Bellbrook school board discusses political video in hastily called meeting
Eileen McClory | February 1, 2023
Bellbrook-Sugarcreek school officials and community members spoke in support of curriculum director Betsy Gann during a packed emergency school board meeting Tuesday night, one day after Gann was the subject of an undercover video released by a conservative media group,
During the tense school board meeting, members of the board said they wanted to hear Gann’s side of the story. Community members and school staff asked why the meeting was called and demanded the board show support for Gann and school staff. One person who spoke had questions about what the video showed, while the majority of parents who spoke called on the board to support staff.
The video, put out by a group called Accuracy in Media, makes multiple accusations against Bellbrook and Kettering schools, including that they support the teaching of critical race theory. It features hidden-camera interviews with Gann and Kettering Schools Student Services Director Rick Earley. At the end of the video, the group calls for families to send their kids to charter and private schools, rather than public schools.
Audra Dorn, vice president of Bellbrook’s school board, said that the board would not take immediate action against Gann. The board members referred the matter to Doug Cozad, the district’s superintendent, for further investigation.