South-Western City School board joins groups denouncing gender identity, DEI and non-English languages
GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) — The South-Western City School board voted to join two organizations that promote conservative education standards, including English-only polices and formal stances against gender identity acceptance.
At its April 28 meeting, the South-Western City School District school board voted to join four professional development organizations, two of which were founded by conservative Ohioans in the past five years. SWCSD is Ohio's fifth-largest school district, serving sections of southwestern Franklin County.
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The SWCSD board rejoined the Ohio School Boards Association and also voted to join School Boards for Academic Excellence, the Ohio School Board Constitutional Coalition and the National School Board Leadership Council. The latter two organizations were established in Ohio, and both ask members to sign pledges that align with conservative educational policies, including statements denouncing DEI and 'gender confusion.'
'Much like the makeup of our diverse 119-square-mile district, all four organizations represent many differing perspectives and views that the Board will explore in the months to come,' SWCSD communications director Evan Debo said.
The Ohio School Board Constitutional Coalition and School Boards for Academic Excellence are free to join. The Ohio School Boards Association, which SWCSD boards of education have joined for decades, costs around $11,000 annually, and the NSBLC has an annual $1,500 membership fee. The NSBLC fee is per person, and Debo said only one board member is joining on the district's dime, bringing total membership fees to $12,500.
Board Vice President Denise D'Angelo Steele suggested joining the NSBLC, and the measure passed 4-0 with board member Camile Peterson abstaining. In joining, members are asked to sign an oath distancing themselves from 'social emotional teaching,' agree to combat identity politics and offer to open the district up to parental oversight in literature and curriculum decisions.
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The SWCSD board drew public scrutiny for joining the NSBLC, especially as the organization advocates for English-only education, writing 'Non-(E)nglish speaking students provide an unacceptable cost for taxpayers to bear.' According to SWCSD's website, the district is home to more than 3,800 students who are learning English as a second language, speaking 78 languages between them.
'At this time, the board is taking inventory of what each organization has to offer, to see what resources they can provide at a state and national level in terms of training, and then apply our diverse SWCS(D) lens to it to see how elements can be used to meet local needs for the 21,000+ students and families we proudly serve each day,' Debo said.
According to the NSBLC website, the organization was founded by Ohioan Kelly Kohls. However, state business records list Kohls as a statutory agent for Jim Burgess, who is on the State Central Committee of the Ohio Republican Party.
State business records also list a former Westerville-based nonprofit, Supporters of Youth Activities, as NSBLC's founding organization. Supporters of Youth Activities raised funds for various student organizations, but was canceled by the state for inactivity just months after the NSBLC was founded. While active, Burgess was the nonprofit's vice president.
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Although joining the NSBLC drew public attention, the board also joined the conservative Ohio School Board Constitutional Coalition. OSBCC members are also asked to sign a pledge, promising to limit restroom and facility use by biological sex, teach American history in a way that enforces the 'exceptional nature of their country' and promote freedom of speech and religion. OSBCC was founded by Jeremiah Sawyer, a Republican school board member for North Royalton City Schools in northeastern Ohio.
Debo stressed that joining these organizations does not mean the district will implement all — or any — of their ideas. However, these groups are one of several conservative ties to the school board. Board members Julie Lisansky and D'Angelo Steele were endorsed by Moms for Liberty during their campaigns for school board, an organization that left-leaning civil rights watchdog group Southern Poverty Law Center classifies as 'extremist.'
Although Ohio school board elections are nonpartisan, the Franklin County Republican Party lists all SWSCD school board members except Peterson under current officeholders. It is not uncommon for parties to endorse school board candidates; all three Columbus City Schools board of election candidates who received the most votes in the primary were endorsed by the Franklin County Democratic Party.
The district also pays attorney Omar Tarazi $9,000 each month for legal services. Tarazi has spoken against social emotional learning, including a statewide Protect Ohio Children forum in 2022. See previous coverage of Tarazi in the video player above.
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Debo said joining the four groups allows the school board to absorb a variety of resources, training materials and ideas. School Boards for Academic Excellence says it is nonpartisan and not politically affiliated. However, four of its five directors previously worked for conservative think tanks, and the fifth formerly served as a Republican Representative in the Kansas House.
SWCSD's fourth member organization, the Ohio School Boards Association, sets a legislative platform annually, and many of its priorities are more left-leaning, including an embrace of equity programs. However, its annual legislative platform is set by delegates from each member school, and every policy inclusion must be approved by at least 75% of delegates.
'By joining any of these organizations, the board's vote for membership is not an indication of support for some or any of the positions or perspectives advanced by any of these organizations, nor does it remove any existing programming in place for students,' Debo said.
On Monday at 7 p.m., more than 1,600 members of the SWCSD teachers union, joined by hundreds more parents and community members, plan to protest the board's affiliation with these groups at South Western Career Academy.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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