School board undergoes bias training

BY HANNAH MCLEOD n STAFF WRITER e T he Haywood County School Board and central office administration will undergo unconscious bias training on t Tuesday, Jan. 26. The training has been s scheduled as part of the plan, created by

Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte in response to the situation created by a Facebook post of Nolte’s last year. In July 2020, Nolte posted a meme on d his Facebook page that many community members found to be offensive. The post was quickly taken down, and Nolte issued an apology. On July 12, the school board voted to relieve Nolte of his duties until

July 22. The board also stipulated that

Nolte was to create an action plan to address the situation created by his post. — That plan included four main compoe nents. s • Implicit bias training will be identified and implemented beginning with the - superintendent and Board of Education f members. f • A committee will be established to d advise the superintendent regarding the system’s work to foster unity and limit

I bias. The committee will include individue als from the local community and schools d who have a diverse range of perspectives - and experiences. • School Board Policies will be reviewed to assure they promote unity and e limit bias. The North Carolina School a Boards Association will be used as a n resource for the review. This work will begin with examining ways to address e non-school displays that cause disruptions, are divisive, and hinder unity. n • Standards for selecting materials s that are used to teach the NC Standard

Course of Study (NCSCS) will be reviewed

t s y ultimately be the tribe’s property. y Chairman Adam Wachacha added that the proposal was reviewed by an outside e accounting firm and that three of the coune try’s largest financial institutions have offered lending services for the deal. He also reminded Hicks that, while the tribe might receive only about $3 million per year in direct payments, those direct payments represent only one-quarter of the entire profit. Indiana law would allow the LLC to distribute only 25 percent of profits to the tribe each year, but the remaining 75 percent would stay with the

LLC and be available for use in future commercial gaming opportunities. Next time a purchase opportunity comes up, the LLC will be able to act using money it’s already saved up from the Indiana venture.

“Indiana is the most difficult state to operate in,” said Sneed. “If you can get established in Indiana, you can pretty much get licensed in any state.”

The deal has been controversial in the tribal community. While the physical chamber was nearly empty due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting live stream had received 867 views as of Jan. 18. An online and revised. This review will focus on promoting unity, limiting bias, and assuring all NCSCS standards are taught.

According to School Board Chairman Chuck Francis, the school board and central office administration will undergo implicit bias training from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The training will be led by a FranklinCovey, a consulting firm the school system has used previously for other training.

Implicit bias training is a type of program designed to expose people to their own implicit biases, introduce tools to adjust automatic patterns of thinking, and ultimately seek to eliminate discriminatory behaviors. Implicit biases are learned stereotypes that are automatic, unintentional, deeply ingrained, universal and able to influence behavior.

The training program from FranklinCovey is titled Unconscious Bias: Understanding Bias to Unleash Potential. According to FranklinCovey the objectives of the program are to identify bias, recognize the impacts of bias on behaviors, decisions and performance; cultivate connection, increase empathy and curiosity in personal interactions to surface and explore bias; and choose courage, explore ways to face bias with courage and create the space where everyone is respected, included and valued.

The committee to advise the superintendent regarding the system’s work to foster unity and limit bias was created shortly after Nolte was reinstated and according to Francis, the group has been meeting once a week most weeks.

Both school board policies and standards for selecting materials have been reviewed by the North Carolina School Board Association. Thus far everything has been determined to be legal and up to date.

petition opposing the casino deal gathered 60 signatures in 18 hours between its launch Jan. 13 and the Tribal Council discussion Jan. 14. However, some Tribal Council members said they had heard more feedback from constituents who supported the deal than from those who opposed it.

The vote to deny a formal hearing broke down along the same lines as the Dec. 17 vote to pass the resolution in the first place. However, this time the margin was wider because Vice Chairman David Wolfe, who was absent Dec. 17, was present for the vote and joined those who voted to deny the protest.

The protest was denied by a weighted vote of 56-44, with Painttown Representative Tommye Saunooke, Snowbird Representative Bucky Brown, Birdtown Representative Boyd Owle, Big Cove Representative Perry Shell, Wachacha, Wolfe and Chelsea Saunooke voting against it. In favor of hearing the resolution were Painttown Representative Dike Sneed, Yellowhill Representative Tom Wahnetah, Big Cove Representative Richard French, and the two Councilmembers who signed on to the protest, Rose and Wolfetown Representative Bo Crowe.

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Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

QUESTION: What does it mean when a product is advertised as "clean"?

ANSWER: There is no regulated or legal definition for the use of "clean" when it comes to the marketing of food items. While we all want to make sure the foods and beverages we buy and consume are safe to eat and are clean (i.e. free from dirt or contamination); the use of the word "clean" on everything from wine to snack items has taken on quite a different tone. Depending on the product ( or the marketing company) it may mean: • it is organic ( which does have a legal meaning by the USDA) • it has a limited list of ingredients • it has no artificial ingredients • it was minimally processed ...or it may mean none of those things! Bottom Line: Because the word "clean" has no legal or regulated meaning in foods or beverages; brands may use the word "clean" when marketing products without really explaining or defining what it means. This may be done to give products an undeserved "health halo" i.e. you think the product is better for you than it actually is. As a shopper don't be influenced by words and claims on the front of the package -- read the ingredients and check the Nutrition Facts panel for yourself.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian @InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936