Daniel Boone School Board in stalemate over controversial board candidate

Tensions rose at a Daniel Boone School Board meeting after members asked a candidate for an open board seat about a history of displaying Confederate flags.

At the meeting May 20, board member Tanya Bell asked candidate Judi Lumis about social media posts showing such flags on her property and inside her home.

“Do you know the symbolism of the Confederate flag?” Bell, who said she is of Jewish descent, asked Lumis.

Lumis said her interest in the Confederate flag stems from an ancestral connection to the Civil War and a desire to remember history, not racism or hate.

Bell and some board members pushed back, noting the flag was flown in the Civil War by those fighting to keep Black Americans as slaves and that it is extremely offensive to many.

Bell’s question sparked a larger discussion in which board President Russell Jirik said he also has a Confederate flag. He argued it is a symbol of rebellion, not racism.

The conversation ended with a 4-4 vote for the open seat between Lumis and candidate Julia Olafson, a former board member.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/daniel-boone-school-board-in-stalemate-over-controversial-board-candidate/ar-BB1nqqdG


Berks County, PA, near Reading, PA. More of board discussion on link.