UPDATE: Olympia School Board member Talauna Reed must be fired

I attended another Olympia School Board meeting as the board’s newest member, Talauna Reed, has sparked widespread controversy.

Parents, teachers, and concerned community members have been going scorched earth against the board after they unanimously appointed Talauna Reed, who is known in the community as a far-left radical activist with an extensive criminal history, including felony assault, theft, and domestic violence.

In a shocking turn of events, Garfield Elementary School Principal Brendon Chertok recently sent out a district-wide email calling the parents and teachers opposing Ms. Reed “hateful” and “disrespectful.”

He called on staff to show up to the board meeting to support Ms. Reed against hate. But as more of Talauna Reed’s controversial past statements continue to surface, it’s going to be that much harder for the school district to ignore the concerns.

His email only added fuel to the fire but the individuals fighting back against Ms. Reed told me that they won’t be giving up anytime soon. Last week, parents and community members served the board with a petition, calling on them all to resign. But tonight, School Board President Huffman said they will not be resigning and stand by their decision to appoint the controversial board member.