Haslett resident tells board DEI training repeats critical race theory' terms; board offers no immediate reply

At the public-comment portion of the Haslett Public Schools board meeting, resident Jeff Kessner read from materials he said were part of the district's equity professional development and from FOIA documents, arguing the content included terms and concepts he called racist and antisemitic and saying the district should not pay consultants for such materials.

"The terms taken directly from the Haslett professional development are by definition racist and anti‑Semitic," Kessner told the board. He also said he had reviewed "all 1,200 pages" of his FOIA request related to DEI and that he had asked the board for an email response that he did not receive.

Kessner listed specific words and phrases he said the training discouraged students from using and said the equity plan's purpose language—"recognizing that equity requires focused efforts to right past wrongs"—amounts to advocating equal outcomes. He framed those elements as evidence that the district had embraced "critical race theory," a characterization he said is problematic.

Roger Taylor, another attendee, spoke in support of Kessner's right to speak and emphasized First Amendment protections. "I just also wanna protect the right to have that freedom of speech," Taylor said.

Board leadership did not provide a substantive policy response during the meeting; the public‑comment rules noted the board would follow up by email or through administration if follow-up were needed.

Kessner's remarks raised factual and interpretive claims about DEI materials and training content that the district did not address during the meeting. The board did not vote on or otherwise act on the points raised during public comment.