Some weeks ago, Siletz Valley School fired its principal, Casey Jackson. The school’s board took this bold decision because the Oregon principal scolded students who did not attend classes on Indigenous Peoples Day.
According to reports, the school has a predominantly Indigenous student body. It is also located just outside the Siletz Indian Reservation. Therefore, celebrating the federal holiday for indigenous people on October 9 should not be far off for the school.
However, many of its students staged a walkout that very day. The Oregonian says, “More than a quarter of the students walked out in protest.” This came as a surprise to their principal, and Jackson berated the students the next day.
She called them over a speaker to a meeting and reportedly scolded them heavily for walking out. Several students recorded this, and the matter blew up from there. A student named Zoey Howard, who also participated in the walkout, spoke to Underscore News to air her grievances.
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“I want people to understand what Indigenous Peoples Day is and why we felt so strong about it. It is a day of trauma. It’s meant to celebrate Indigenous people for what we’ve been through. And I want people to know that’s why we walked out,” she said.
Other students from several ethnic backgrounds also joined this protest. Therefore, the school board had no choice but to intervene. First, they placed Jackson on paid administrative leave while an investigation was underway. Then, on October 24, 2023, the students were able to address Jackson at a school board meeting.
The board also decided the school would honor Indigenous Peoples Day and Orange Shirt Day. The students were also thrilled with this decision. On December 14, 2023, the board took the bold step of firing Jackson.
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The board chair, Willie Woman, shared an email stating the board’s decision. “After a lot of tough conversations, the decision was made by the board to terminate Mrs. Jackson’s employment from the Siletz Valley Schools,” she wrote.
In addition, she wrote, “This was not an easy decision. However, the board came to the conclusion that this is what would be best for our school, teachers, community, and students going forward.”
According to many sources, this has been a long time coming for Jackson. There were seven formal complaints against her since she assumed her position as principal. Therefore, she has a lot of back and forth with students and the board throughout her tenure.
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However, they are expecting Jackson to take legal steps against them. Workman also told the Oregonian, “We more than half expect litigation.” In addition, she said that the board investigated all issues thoroughly before making a decision.
“I can confirm that we investigated the issues and decided to terminate Casey’s employment based on the fact that we determined the school can’t successfully move forward under her leadership,” she said.
This move by Siletz Valley School is a step in the right direction as they’re taking a strong stance against discrimination.
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