Student Focus, Please

Buellton Union School District’s superintendent, Randal
Haggard, recently used the school to home communication platform Parent Square
to share the district’s political position on negotiations for new contracts
for teachers and support staff. This is the second time Dr. Haggard has used
Parent Square for this purpose, sending out information and “statistics” to a
captive audience. As an educator and community member, I have great concerns
regarding the superintendent’s use in this manner when it should be solely for
educational and safety issues pertaining to students.

While
the district certainly has a right to present its position on negotiations,
Superintendent Haggard’s use of Parent Square uses a system dedicated to
communications with parents for the education and safety of their children; it
is not for the political gain and one sided debate presented by
Superintendent Haggard for negotiations or for his advocacy of his 23 percent
raise which he posted on last spring via Parent Square as well. Parents did not
provide their emails and cell numbers to receive information on anything other
than information directly related to their children, and using the system in
any other manner is abusing its purpose.

After
reading the most recent post on Parent Square, which I received at work, I sent
the School Board questions, all of which have gone unanswered. What is the
Board’s reasoning for allowing Superintendent Haggard to post details about
negotiations on Parent Square? Does the School Board pre-approve the posts regarding
negotiations? How does the board justify communication of this nature when they
shut down communication from the public and the Buellton Education Association
at a board meeting last spring?