The Lakeville school board voted to remove politically-charged posters from the district’s schools on Tuesday.
“In light of the pending litigation and the number of varying viewpoints expressed through the emails we have received and now the media attention that this matter has drawn, it would be difficult to argue that the poster series are not a point of controversy within our district, whether socially or politically driven, and unfortunately the lines between the two are becoming increasingly blurry,” Board Chair Matt Swanson said when opening the discussion.
The district’s “inclusive poster series” features two “Black Lives Matter” posters that include the message: “At Lakeville Area Schools we believe Black Lives Matter and stand with the social justice movement this statement represents.” Local parents and taxpayers sued the district in August 2021, saying it rejected the inclusion of alternative messages such as “Blue Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter.”
The plaintiffs, represented by the Upper Midwest Law Center, argued that this selective acceptance of political speech violated their First Amendment rights. Judge Jerry Blackwell ordered the dismissal of the initial lawsuit in August 2023.
However, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision to dismiss the suit and said the school district engaged in “impermissible viewpoint discrimination.” The case was returned to the district court for further consideration.
The school board’s motion to remove the “inclusive” posters and replace them with an academic-focused poster series passed in a 4-3 vote.
“If schools require a poster series to make our students feel welcome, we really may have a bigger issue on our hands that we need to address,” Swanson said.
Inclusion is the “golden rule,” board member Kim Baker said regarding the removal of the posters. “I want more than posters … I want initiatives and action items,” she said. “Inclusion is nothing unless we do something.”
Another board member said the focus of the school board should be on upholding the vision for the district, not on political posters and messages. “We’ve got to get back to our core mission of improving academics,” Brian Thompson said amid interruptions from the crowd. “Is this a topic that we should be talking about when our math scores, reading scores, and science scores are where they’re at?”
Several community members spoke against removing the posters at the packed school board meeting.
“We are pleased with the Lakeville School Board’s decision to remove divisive and political posters, and we hope this marks the start of a more neutral and fair approach to their messaging,” said Upper Midwest Law Center President and Founder Doug Seaton. “The vote will ensure schools remain consistent with their stance on freedom of speech.”
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
