Her Immigrant Voice Matters

Anita, a mother of three and a legal immigrant from Iran, was one of the last to speak. She said she grew up in an Islamic country “ravaged by communism.” She expressed concerns about CRT and the direction of the school district. She described her home as “the International House of Pancakes,” because her children’s friends are so diverse. And she accused retiring superintendent Jim Scanlon of creating divisions and “leaving a mess.”

At the end of her allotted two minutes, McCune said, “Anita, you’re at time.” She objected, “No, no,” to which he responded angrily, “Yes you are.” McCune then stood up, approached the public speakers podium, took the microphone, faced Anita, and told her to go.

“This is shameful,” McCune told the mom, as she was being removed from the building by officers. “We’ve had a respectful meeting up until you. You bombarded up there, and now you want to monopolize the meeting. Not happening. You’re gone.”