OAK HARBOR: Students protest play ban, school board is mum [VIDEO] (WNT)
Rachel Rosen reports for the Whidbey News-Times from the Oak Harbor School District board meeting of May 22, 2023.
Oak Harbor School Board members did not respond to two students who asked for permission to perform the “The Laramie Project” at the high school.
Oak Harbor High School Principal Nathan Salisbury vetoed the play even after a majority of the drama club’s officers voted to produce it. In a statement to the News-Times, he said the play — which depicts a community’s reaction to a young gay man’s murder — was not age or school appropriate. “The Laramie Project” has been performed at high schools across the country.
They Said It
School board members were silent on the issue. School Board President Lynn Goebel said that the board doesn’t respond to public comment. According to Oak Harbor School District’s board policy, however, the board clearly can respond to public comments but are not obligated to do so.
On the Ballot in August 2023
| OAK HARBOR SCHOOL DISTRICT (NO. 201) |
|---|
| Director, Position 1 Lynn Goebel, the incumbent |
| Director, Position 2 Jessica Aws, the incumbent Karen Lesetmoe |
| Director, Position 3 Josh MacLean Fred Wilmot Robert Hallahan, the incumbent, did not file for re-election. |
| Director, Position 4 Jessica Thompson Nicole Tesch, the incumbent |
| Director, Position 5 Sharon Jensen, the incumbent Aisha Mayfield William “Will” Smith |
