Tempers flare as NMUSD taps new president, hears parents protest vaccine mandate

Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials on Tuesday appointed board member Michelle Barto to serve as president, following a board reorganization during which one trustee representing westside Costa Mesa claimed to have been shut out from leadership positions.

And that wasn’t the only moment of contention, as parents who’d convened in a demonstration before Tuesday’s meeting also spoke out against the likelihood of an impending COVID-19 vaccine mandate for K-12 students in public comments that occasionally bordered on threats.

During the reorganization, Barto accepted the presidential gavel from Karen Yelsey after a series of appointments to committees and liaison positions. Both trustees represent Newport Beach.

Trustee Charlene Metoyer, who serves northern portions of Costa Mesa, was named vice president in a 5-2 vote, with fellow board members Ashley Anderson and Leah Ersoylu opposed.

During nominations for board clerk, Metoyer nominated trustee Carol Crane, while Ersoylu put forth Anderson, who represents schools on Costa Mesa’s west side.

“She was elected nearly four years ago and has not held any leadership position to this point. That has left sort of a vacuum of leadership representing our west side,” Ersoylu explained. “I’m just woefully and deeply concerned that the issues impacting our westside Costa Mesa are not being substantially represented.”

NMUSD trustee Ashley Anderson, far right, said Tuesday she has historically been overlooked for board leadership positions.

(Screenshot by Sara Cardine)

Metoyer said she nominated Crane for clerk because her trustee area represents schools in both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach and has served the district ably in other capacities since being elected last year.

Anderson, whose area comprises mainly minority residents, said she came onto a somewhat unfriendly board in 2018 and has been historically characterized as too demanding and overlooked for leadership positions.

“One of the reasons we went to trustee zones, rather than having at-large elections, was so a minority majority area would have representation and an equal chance at leadership,” Anderson said. “Despite the fact that the law was changed, I’m ostensibly being pushed out again.”

Board members appointed Crane as clerk in a 5-2 vote, with Ersoylu and Anderson again opposed. After passing the gavel, Yelsey shared some thoughts on her presidential year.

“It has been a year — but I’ve had a lot of support from the entire board and staff…so that part has not been difficult,” she said. “I’m really proud of everything we’ve accomplished and what we’ve done to get the kids back in school.”

Parent Anthony Smith, addressing NMUSD trustees Tuesday, said if his son were forced to get a COVID-19 vaccine and became ill as a result, “his blood would be on your hands.”

(Screenshot by Sara Cardine)

Tuesday’s leadership change up came as parents, including the group OC Moms Fight Back, assembled outside the district office to express concerns about mask-wearing and a possible COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students.

In comments, some asked trustees to stand with their cause, while others accused NMUSD of complying with mandates simply to keep receiving state and federal COVID-19 funding.

Parent Anthony Smith cited portions of the Great Barrington Declaration, a 2020 document written by infectious disease professionals, proposing “focused protection” of vulnerable groups and letting healthy people contract the virus to build herd immunity, which has been contested and criticized.

“With this COVID shot you can still give the disease and you can still get the disease,” he said. “If my son gets hurt or dies, you best believe I’m not coming back talking.”

Newport-Mesa Unified Supt. Wesley Smith clarified while the district might follow state mandates, it would not implement its own vaccine policy like Los Angeles Unified School District. Further, he said, it’s likely exemptions might be enacted in California for religious and personal beliefs.

Yelsey, who told speakers the board would not tolerate threats, later spoke on the difficulty of leading the district through a year of pandemic surges and school reopenings.

“Sometimes there are misconceptions about what we can do and what we can’t do, and that’s unfortunate,” she said. “But I think we have done a really good job keeping our eye on what’s really important — and that’s the kids in the district.”

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