Minnesota State Wire

Parents from Pequot Lakes School District 186 continue to show their displeasure with a raced-based curriculum they say was secretly imposed and that students are being lectured about how white people have privilege and are systemically racist.

“Obviously, the video put out by our superintendent was alarming and has caused us to look into a lot of things,” local business owner Joanna Tom told Minnesota State Wire. Superintendent Chris Lindholm recently was featured in a video where he described his observations of the Pequot Valley and treatment of 'marginalized' students.

 “And there has been a lot of censorship and a lot of attention to what I think is sort of silencing us," Tom continued. "We have expressed major concern as a community as to what's being taught to our kids and how it's heard, because every time we reach out to our school board or superintendent, we get kind of this blanket statement of we're just confused about what's happening or, you know, the video in regards to the video, we weren't being kind of an audience for the video.”

With some of the material coming from the SEED program, the move was signed off on by Lindholm, who recently received a second three-year contract with Pequot Independent School District 86.

None of that has slowed criticism about his handling of the controversial curriculum changes.

“I have a son who's graduating this year,” Tom added. “I have a son who has graduated. I have a daughter who had seven more years in the district who I probably will not keep in this district if the curriculum doesn't change and leadership doesn't change.”