New faces and places throughout the two inner ring suburbs
Crystal, Robbinsdale, and Robbinsdale Area Schools saw continued growth, as each brought in new buildings, community events, businesses, and public faces throughout 2014.
Becker Park as a destination for Buskers
Performers played guitars, danced, and sang as part of Crystal’s Busk Becker event, which encouraged street performers of all types to travel to Becker Park to play, dance, sing, or otherwise show off their performance talents. The event used the hashtag #BuskBecker whenever possible for promotion. (Sun Post staff photo by Joe Bowen)
Street performers of all types were invited to Crystal’s inaugural Busk Becker event, held at Becker Park on Aug. 14. The event was organized by Crystal City Councilmember Casey Peak and Recreation Supervisor Scott Berggren, among others.
The event, which used no public funds, was designed to attract street performers – musicians, dancers, and more – from across the metro area.
“Busking is something I’ve been interested in since I moved here,” said Peak, a California native. In his home state, busking along boardwalks could be a “major enterprise,” he explained.
“[Busking] made Venice Beach, Santa Monica Pier, and the old turnpike what it is today,” Peak said. “The history of those locations shows there was some businesses in the area, but it wasn’t until people began busking that the people began frequenting those hot spots.”
When he moved to the Twin Cities, he found that, unless they obtain a permit, buskers are often shooed out of public spaces by police.
Crystal’s Cody Burge danced in a number of styles, including tap, at the first Busk Becker event, held in Becker Park on Aug. 14. (Sun Post staff photo by Joe Bowen)
Once elected to the city council, Peak and his wife pitched the idea of a city-sanctioned busking event to other council members and city staff, who grew to like the idea.
Peak himself and his wife, Pamela, are both accomplished artists. Peak used to be a deejay – “DJ Hermes” – and his wife does poetry, painting, and plays the 12 string guitar. Their son played violin in the Robbinsdale Area Schools orchestra in middle and high school.
“In Crystal, we love the arts and have a very unique culture. This culture just needed a method of flourishing in a way that would bring the community together,” Peak said prior to the first busking event.
He sees the event as an open marketplace of sorts for artistic expression and the appreciation thereof: buskers are encouraged to perform, but won’t continue to do so if there aren’t enough residents to watch and pay for the performance. By the same token, residents are encouraged to attend the event, but won’t continue to do so if there’s only a handful of performances to watch.
“It’s got to be a healthy balance of the two,” Peak said.
A new public works building underway
Throughout the year, Crystal has moved forward with the construction of a brand-new facility for its public works department, whose old facility sat on a flood plain and was desperately in need of replacement or repair, city officials said.
Crystal officials and city staff, along with representatives from Big-D Construction, ceremonially break ground on the city’s new public works facility. (Submitted photo)
The completed building will be more than 60,000 square-feet and will feature a mezzanine level, geothermal heating, and amenities such as offices, locker rooms, storm water treatment ponds and tanks, a “brine room” to mix salt with water for salting roads, a utility shop, mechanics’ bays and a fueling station.
It sits at 5001 W. Broadway and city staff held a groundbreaking ceremony in early November.
The council has still not made a formal decision on how to pay for the $13 million projected cost of the new building, but recently approved up to $4 million in bonds for the project after months of sometimes-contentious discussion.
Turnover on the city council
After a months-long primary campaign and subsequent general election, the three challengers for Crystal’s city council won by wide margins over their incumbent opponents in November.
In Section II, incumbent John Budziszewski received 1,169 votes compared to Olga Parsons’ 2,133, a difference of 35.22 percent compared to 64.27 percent.
In Ward 1, Elizabeth Dahl received 1,074 votes – 61.09 percent – compared to incumbent Mark Hoffman’s 677 votes, which were good for 38.51 percent of those cast.
In Ward 2, Jeff Kolb received nearly twice the votes of incumbent Joe Selton – 1,258 compared to 615, respectively, a difference of 34 percentage points.
From left, outgoing Crystal City Council members Joe Selton, Mark Hoffman, and John Budziszewski. (Sun Post staff photo by Joe Bowen)
Hoffman’s first year on the council was 1996, and he served on several committees for years before that. Selton was first elected in 2006, and Budziszewski served since 2010.
“I’m grateful to everybody who supported me,” said Kolb after his win.
Kolb added that he compiled a list of “unaddressed concerns” that citizens have while he was campaigning, and that he plans to work on those concerns “on day one.”
Those concerns include a neighborhood that has been trying, without success, to have a stop sign added at an intersection, Kolb said.
Kolb is a current member of the Crystal Planning Commission and board member of the Crystal Business Association. He has lived in Crystal for three years and is a small business owner.
Parsons is a homemaker who has lived in the city for 8 years. She has not run for office in the past, but has volunteered as a communications assistant, flutist, and more.
Dahl is a four-year resident of Crystal and a small business owner. She has served as president and vice president of Minnesota Families for Midwifery.
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
The cities of Crystal, Robbinsdale, New Hope, and Golden Valley were declared to be “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” communities in June.
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon began in 2008 as a way to provide easy access to resources for all military service members and their families.
The idea sprouted from the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, a national effort to provide resources through federal partnerships to service members and their families before, during and after a deployment.
Golden Valley, Crystal, Robbinsdale and New Hope celebrated their acceptance as Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Communities on June 15. The proclamation means the cities will provide assistance and resources to military service members and their families when needed. (Submitted graphic)
“Minnesota really perfected that and set the standard for the nation,” said Annette Kuyper, director of military outreach for the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs. “Minnesota took that to the next level. We took it to the communities and companies of Minnesota to expand the program further.”
Unique to Minnesota, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon has several requirements that must be met before a city can be proclaimed a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon community. It is a process that takes nine months to a year, according to Kuyper.
The 16-step process includes leadership meetings, a kickoff event, an action plan and proclamation.
The action plan includes identifying existing support activities within the communities, developing commitments from resources in each key area and striving to obtain the highest level of support. Key areas include city leadership, education, public safety, businesses and employers, faith-based organizations, veteran and civic organizations, social services and medical providers.
If a military family wants information about school districts for their children, they can reach out to Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. If they require medical assistance: Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. If they need financial help: Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. The quad communities Beyond the Yellow Ribbon committee can provide contact information regarding anything needed by a service member or a family member.
Last summer the quad cities brought Golden Valley resident Lynn Gitelis on board to help create an action plan. Along with Gitelis was a steering committee of dedicated community members who made this opportunity a reality. On June 15 the quad cities will gather to celebrate the achievement.
Crystal, Golden Valley, New Hope and Robbinsdale will join more than 200 cities, 25 counties and a number of businesses statewide already proclaimed Beyond the Yellow Ribbon.
Once a city is deemed a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon community, the leaders of that initiative must complete an annual checklist and attend an annual training event.
According to Kuyper, the efforts have been positive.
“We are able to get help for our service members very quickly,” she said.
Kuyper said the quad cities have already helped in supporting assistance to area service members.
Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris recalls an instance when a military couple living with disabilities in Crystal were required by the landlord to clear out clutter from their garage or they would be evicted.
The couple contacted the state level Beyond the Yellow Ribbon who put them in contact with the city. The city teamed with Allianz to provide a dumpster and several volunteers to clear out the couple’s garage so they did not have to move.
“That’s what this program is about,” he said.
Harris and the other mayors are thrilled to provide this type of opportunity to its service members.
“It’s not so much of what it means to us, the City of Golden Valley, but really what does it mean to our veterans, what does it mean to the families of the veterans who have served and are serving who live here in our communities,” he said. “That we are here for them through thick and thin and that we are going to continue to recognize the service that they provided for years – years past, years to come. But if they need some help that we are here to help them. That they are not going to come home to a community that’s going to ignore them.”
A sinkhole on 42nd
A water main near the intersection of Railroad and 42nd Avenues in Robbinsdale burst on Sept. 18, leaving a small crater in the road above the piping and prompting police to block traffic in either direction along 42nd Avenue.
The failed section of the Joint Water Commission water main that runs underneath Robbinsdale. (Submitted photo)
The Robbin Gallery sits immediately in front of the burst water main, and curator Karen Benson said that water was “everywhere” and that the pavement was pushing upwards near the break. She later added that water had accumulated in a single room in the basement whose floor is eight inches lower than the others, but the building’s first floor was unharmed.
On his website, Robbinsdale City Councilmember Pat Backen wrote that eight homes and businesses were damaged during the second rupture, which occurred near the intersection of Highway 100 and 42nd Avenue North and caused delays and detours for weeks.
“The broken water main has been a major inconvenience in getting around town or accessing Highway 100,” wrote Jenny Borg, echoing many residents’ sentiments.
Had she not been running a few minutes late, Robbinsdale resident Carissa Wyant said she would have been driving on 42nd Avenue when the sinkhole opened on the evening of Sept. 18.
“It made me wonder what would have happened if I had been on time!” she wrote in an e-mail, adding, “I don’t want to live in the ‘Sinkhole Capital of Minnesota.’”
The cities who use the water main – Crystal, New Hope, and Golden Valley – are still in the process of determining the best way to repair the pipe, which also failed in 2013.
A recent study determined the pipe has several other areas where a failure could or could have occurred. The pipe is running at half pressure as a measure to ward off future damages until a replacement or repair plan can be devised and enacted.
Crystal’s city council hopes to devise a plan in early 2015.
Robbinsdale’s first taproom
Robbinsdale’s main drag may have become the site of one of the West Metro’s newest brewery taprooms.
The city’s Economic Development Authority agreed on Nov. 12 to negotiate exclusively with the owners of Wicked Wort Brewing Company for the sale of the former TCF Bank location at 4165 and 4175 W. Broadway.
The business – the “wort” in the name refers to beer that has yet to have yeast added and not the “wart” that can grow on a person’s foot or hand – will be the first of its kind in Robbinsdale.
Through a mutual friend, Mayor Regan Murphy was introduced to brewery owner Steve Carlyle, who was looking for a place to build a new taproom and whose mechanical contracting company has had a large hand in building Fulton, Indeed, Dangerous Man, and 612 Brewing in Minneapolis. A taproom is an area attached to a brewery where beer produced on the premises can be sold to the general public.
No purchase was formally made, however. Until the development authority’s Jan. 13 meeting, Carlyle and his business partners have exclusive rights to look at and evaluate the building, consult with an architect, decide on a purchase offer, and so on, said Glick. The agreement between the brewery’s owners and the development authority acts as an assurance that the city will not sell the property out from under the potential buyers while they make plans for the location, she explained.
The city acquired the property Nov. 5 for $478,000 after the bank moved to a new location several months prior.
Carlyle said he plans to cut part of the building’s floor out to accommodate the large fermenters and other necessary brewing equipment.
While no brewing will be done while taproom patrons are in the building, they’ll be able to look down onto the production floor from a dining area on the first floor.
Carlyle hopes to formally open the taproom in late summer 2015.
New and re-opened places to eat
In addition to a metaphorical rain of awards on West Broadway mainstays like Travail, several nascent Robbinsdale eateries, like the First Crack Café, opened in 2014.
Robbinsdale’s Birdtown Cafe, which was sold Oct. 31 and re-named The Chestnut Cafe under new management. (Sun Post staff photo by Joe Bowen)
The Birdtown Cafe was sold to chef Jonathan Kruse Oct. 31 and was recently rechristened as The Chestnut Cafe.
“It’s still going to be a neighborhood cafe,” Kruse said shortly after the sale was finalized.
The new restaurant will feature similar decor with the “same comfortable feel” as the current iteration, Kruse added.
The Birdtown Cafe was largely a breakfast and lunch joint, and that will initially remained unchanged. Kruse plans to add a dinner menu to the repertoire, eventually.
The food itself will feature “technique-based home cooking” with small amounts of Italian and French influence.
“It’ll be like if your grandmother is an awesome cook,” Kruse said.
When asked about why he wanted to get back into cooking, Kruse said, “It is my base skill set. I’ve been doing it since I’ve been 17. It’s more dynamic, more fun. I like it. Once it gets in your blood you can’t get rid of it.”
As owner of the new restaurant, Kruse will have a hand in most of the goings-on, but will focus on cooking and creating a menu.
In Crystal, an early-morning grease fire caused the Crystal Cafe to close for months longer than its owner anticipated.
The old fire suppression system used a dry chemical instead of a foam, prompting Health Department officials to demand that just about every piece of equipment, every food item – just about everything in the restaurant – be scrapped, said owner Doug Staricha.
“I ended up throwing about $35,000 worth of product out,” he said. Donation to food shelves was impossible due to possible chemical contamination.
One piece of equipment that vents air from the grill out of the building, for instance, created a dispute between Staricha and the owner of the building in which the cafe sits. Staricha’s insurance company, he explained, wanted the owner to pay, while the owner maintained it was part of the restaurant instead of his building.
A stainless steel cabinet area and countertop took months to order and ship. When it arrived, it was found to be damaged and needed to be sent back.
Long delays in replacing and testing equipment eventually created problems of their own.
“So much time dragged on trying to decide about equipment, it went from a cleanup to a renovation in the Health Department’s eyes,” Staricha said.
That meant the refurbished restaurant needed to be brought up to code and inspected, which meant a new slew of expenses – and time – to install new plumbing, electrical wiring and a new fire suppression system. Contractors for each facet were reluctant to work alongside each other due to liability issues, Staricha said, leaving the burden on him and his father to act as contractors themselves in many cases.
“I got to start on a new role in life,” Staricha, who has owned the restaurant since 2002 and is a third-generation restaurateur, said with laugh. “I was a contractor, not a restaurant owner, for a couple months.”
Crystal Cafe employees wear special t-shirts to commemorate the business’ re-opening. (Sun Post staff photo by Joe Bowen)
The restaurant now features a fire suppression system that uses foam instead of chemical dust and shuts off the gas and electricity once a fire is detected.
After all the replacements, the cafe sits in the same location along Douglas Drive and has the same layout as it did before, complete with a diner-style row of stools facing a counter near the kitchen.
“It ended up being quite a mess, but it all worked out in the end,” Staricha said. “It looks a lot nicer, now.”
Nurses are heard
Nurses from the Minnesota Nurses Association and their families – hundreds of people in all – gathered outside North Memorial Hospital on June 24 to advocate for lower nurse-to-patient ratios at the hospital, which is one of the largest in the state.
“The acuity of patients is higher in hospitals nowadays,” said Sharon Youngbauer, who has worked as a registered nurse at North Memorial for 23 years. “Nurses are being asked to take care of more and more patients, and they can’t meet everybody’s needs when one of those patients might take them away from all the others. They don’t have time to give to everyone and so we need the nurse to patient ratios to be smaller.”
Picketers listen to Minnesota Nurses’ Association Co-Chair Mary Turner speak in front of North Memorial Hospital on June 24. (Sun Post staff photo by Joe Bowen)
Hospital administrators, the picketers claim, want to increase the number of patients each nurse typically cares for, a move which the nurses believe will result in a decreased level of care and a higher mortality rate for patients there.
“Right now, on evening shift it’s three to four patients, and they want to go up to five,” said Mary Turner, a registered nurse and association co-chair.
“They also want to take away some resources in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) that could ultimately cause ICU nurses to have to take three patient assignments,” she said, adding that the current intensive care unit ratio for nurses is typically one or two. “It’s well documented that once you go to three patients in the ICU, your mortality rate increases.”
“Minnesotans can expect to see this kind of union activity at hospitals around the state and, in fact, around the country as campaign season heats up,” wrote Wendy Burt, Minnesota Hospital Association Vice President of Communications and Public Relations, who characterized the union’s claims as “wildly false.”
“The claims about hospital staffing are not supported by the facts,” she wrote. “Minnesota hospitals enjoy a national reputation for high quality care and low costs, giving Minnesotans the best health care value of any state in the nation. And, North Memorial is nationally recognized as one of the country’s outstanding Level 1 trauma care centers. That doesn’t matter to the national nurses union that now is dominating local union issues. The national union is putting its own organizing and political agenda ahead of the best interests of Minnesotans.”
A few months after the summer protests, the National Labor Relations Board alleged that North Memorial Healthcare retaliated against some of its unionized employees and engaged in other unfair labor practices after a demonstration outside the hospital’s Robbinsdale campus last summer.
The board is an independent federal agency that investigates potential violations of the National Labor Relations act and, where necessary, facilitates settlements or decides cases when no settlement can be reached.
The board’s Oct. 27 complaint against the hospital alleges that hospital management fired one union employee and made others work un-agreed-upon weekend shifts after they participated in a June 24 demonstration about decreases in nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, which union members believe will lead to lower quality care and a higher mortality rate for patients.
The complaint also alleges that hospital management barred Minnesota Nurses’ Association and Service Employees International Union member employees and non-employee representatives from discussing unions and union activities, made employees leave the hospital after they were noticed with union insignias on their clothing, and more, sometimes under the threat of arrest or litigation. One employee was also “repeatedly interrogated” about union activities by the hospital’s labor relations representative, the complaint alleges, and another was forced to remove a shirt with union information on it.
“I’m just appalled at the actions that happened because we were exercising our rights as a member of our union,” said Linda Hamilton, president of the nurses’ association, who characterized the demonstration along Bottineau Boulevard as “calm and non-threatening.”
“The reason we were picketing was to highlight reductions in staffing and patients there at North Memorial Hospital. Rather than listen…they (hospital management) chose to retaliate against people and make people shut up. They didn’t want to listen to the impacts on patients that their decisions were having,” said Jamie Gulley, president of the service employee union.
The hospital released a statement which reads, “The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has not made a ruling of any violations of the National Labor Relations Act by North Memorial Health Care. North Memorial categorically denies the allegations in the complaint filed by the NLRB’s General Counsel and look forward to defending our position before an administrative law judge.”
The board is seeking an order requiring the hospital to restore any leave used during the weekend shifts, rescind any discipline issued regarding the matter, and “to otherwise make those nurses whole for losses suffered by them as a result of (the hospital’s) unlawful conduct,” according to the complaint.
Both Hamilton and Gulley said they could not recall a similarly broad action by the board, which consolidated several grievances against the hospital into its complaint.
The board called for hearing before an administrative law judge in Minneapolis in early 2015.
Smith steps down
Former Robbinsdale Police Chief Steve Smith resigned on March 22 after being caught in a Feb. 20 prostitution “sting” conducted by the Coon Rapids Police Department.
Former Robbinsdale Police Chief Steve Smith. (Submitted photo)
“As a result of this successful sting operation approximately 10 suspects were arrested, detained, and issued citations for hiring/engaging in prostitution,” reads a press release issued by the Coon Rapids Police Department.
Smith was one of the ten suspects who were detained, however “no information was given at the time of arrest that Mr. Smith was a member of law enforcement.”
Robbinsdale Captain Jim Franzen has been appointed Acting Chief following Smith’s departure.
In a March 22 post on his website, City Council member Pat Backen wrote that “the news about the police chief today is beyond surprising. Shocking doesn’t even describe it very well.”
Backen praised Smith’s work with city staff – providing answers promptly and being open to the council’s suggestions and questions.
“Professionally, I had very high regards for Steve Smith,” Backen wrote. “On a personal level I wish him the best of luck, and hope that he can work through these issues with his family and in his personal life.”
Smith was replaced by Jim Franzen, who now serves currently.
Jim Franzen at his desk in the Robbinsdale Police Department. The city council unanimously appointed him to be the department’s new police chief. (Sun Post staff photo by Joe Bowen)
After the city council unanimously approved his promotion, the newly-minted chief spoke metaphorically about the events that led to his promotion.
“Although our city and our police department hit some unexpected rough waters, from which I admit I’m a little seasick myself, we continue to sail ahead and look forward to calmer seas and calmer times for our department,” he said to the council.
Franzen, accompanied by dozens of Robbinsdale police officers and reserve officers, said it was an honor and a privilege to be considered for the position and, ultimately, appointed to it.
“I see the position of police chief to be a very different role within the organization,” he said. “It’s not just another rung within the ladder … It’s more than just a higher rank or a significant title. It’s not just about an individual, it’s about an office, an office that must cultivate and hold dearly the public trust that the Robbinsdale community not only demands, but deserves.”
Franzen, who became acting police chief upon Smith’s resignation on March 22, said he had received numerous supportive phone calls and emails from other metro area police chiefs.
“I think they all knew from experience that nobody really knows what they’re getting when they step into this role,” he said.
Rather than focus on what he does not know, Franzen said in his speech, he would focus on what he did know.
“I do know that we have an excellent police organization,” he said. “I know we’re in great shape, I know we’re moving in the right direction, and I want to make sure we maintain that course.”
The mayor and city council members spoke highly of Franzen, a 30-year Robbinsdale resident, before officially appointing him.
“Being a resident, he’s truly invested in the well-being of Robbinsdale,” said Mayor Regan Murphy.
New faces and a tech levy at D281
After weeks and months of campaigning, candidates David Boone, Michael Herring, Pam Lindberg and incumbent Patsy Green were elected to the four at-large seats on the Robbinsdale Area Schools Board of Education.
“I am ecstatic to have won the race,” said Lindberg, who received 13,881 votes, the highest of any candidate at 17.84 percent.
She attributed her high vote total to the team of people working on her behalf during the campaign.
“I had a tremendous, well-represented campaign committee, and I think that made a huge difference,” she said, adding that the committee acted as advisers and had the “pulse for the community.” She also credited the support of the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers and fellow candidate Mark Bomchill.
Voters in the school district overwhelmingly passed a pair of school funding requests, as well.
The first, a renewal of the district’s existing operating levy, passed with 24,949 votes, 69.18 percent of those cast.
The second, a new technology levy that is slated to bring in 3.5 million dollars per year to support the district’s technology plan, passed a smaller, but still significant, margin. That initiative received 21,264 “yes” votes and 14,805 “no” votes, passing with 58.95 percent of votes cast.
“I’m very excited about it,” said Supt. Aldo Sicoli. “I thank the community for supporting the students and the schools and I think it’s going to be a great thing for schools.”
School board chair Sherry Tyrell added, “those two ballot questions were about our children and what us as a community could do for them. The bottom line is our kids and what it does for them, and I am so pleased with the numbers that got behind both.”
“It’s all about the kids, and we’re just really thankful for the community support,” said Yes 281 Co-Chair Kami Aho, whose organization worked for months in support of the two initiatives prior to the vote on Nov. 4.
Lindberg is a retired teacher who has lived in New Hope for the past seven years. She has served on the Athena Award Committee and the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development Dean’s Advisory.
Incumbent Patsy Green, who received the second-highest vote total – 13,276 or 17.06 percent – said she was “thrilled” to be re-elected.
“I’m also honored and humbled by the voters giving me another term, and I look forward to serving and I look forward to serving with the new board members,” she added.
Green is a 26-year resident of New Hope who works at General Mills. She is a current member of the school board, and is an active member of the school district’s Seven Dreams Education Foundation and the New Hope, Crystal, East Plymouth League of Women Voters.
David Boone received 9,760 votes or 12.54 percent of those cast, which was third-most among all candidates. He watched the election results come in from the Secretary of State’s website at New Hope’s Pub 42.
“I’m just honored that the members of the Robbinsdale Area Schools community have confidence in me to help lead the district in a direction that will support students and teachers,” Boone said.
Boone is a New Hope resident who works as a teacher and coach at Edina High School. He is also involved in Habitat for Humanity and Holy Nativity Lutheran Church in New Hope.
Michael Herring received the fourth-highest vote total: 9,128, which was good for 11.73 percent of votes cast.
“I’m humbled to have won a spot on the school board. I’m looking forward to a great next four years,” said Herring, who added that he was “very excited” to see the school district’s two funding requests pass.
The victory was bittersweet for Herring, who took the fourth and final available seat by receiving a few hundred more votes than incumbent Mark Bomchill, who finished fifth. Together, they were two of four candidates endorsed by the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers prior to the election.
“I do believe we lost a great champion for education in Mark Bomchill, though, whom I consider a friend,” Herring said, adding that he considered Bomchill a “phenomenal individual” and a “champion for schools.”
Herring is an attorney and 10-year resident of Golden Valley. He also served as a board member of People Responding in Social Ministry and is a Vice President of the Golden Valley Rotary Club.
SEA trip draws criticism
A good-faith effort to teach School of Engineering and Arts students about giving ended up with criticism and the specter of litigation.
During the 2013-2014 school year, the American Humanist Association criticized the school district after the elementary school’s students went on a field trip to Cavalry Lutheran Church in Golden Valley. As part of the trip, they packed boxes of food for Feed My Starving Children, a Christian organization.
The decision upset one student’s parent, who contacted the humanist association.
The humanist association argued that the environment in which the students packed the food, and the fact that they were doing it on behalf of a Christian organization, constituted a proselytizing environment and violated the First Amendment.
A letter sent to the school district asked for “immediate assurance” that the trips stop, and, at the time, association attorneys said they had not ruled out the possibility of a lawsuit against the district.
Robbinsdale Area Schools and Cavalry representatives maintained that no attempts were made to convert or otherwise proselytize students during the trip or a similar one that happened during the 2012-13 school year.
This year, school and district staff say the student council chose a different charity: Food for Kidz.
“Students examined ten different service organizations to determine what else we could do as elementary students,” said Principal Kim Hiel. “These organizations included Second Harvest, Kids Against Hunger, Feed My Starving Children, Operation Gratitude and Pajama Program. After a lengthy discussion of pros and cons, all student council members agreed that Food for Kidz, a program that all of our SEA students could participate in and where they get to decide where the food goes, would be the choice for us.”
The new charity is a secular organization based in Stewart, Minn. It helps students package food for needy people in a similar fashion to that of Feed My Starving Children.
Hiel said her students will pack the food at the school itself, as well.
“We are very pleased to hear of the school’s decision to go with a secular charity,” said David Niose, the humanist association’s legal director. “As we’ve said from the start, there are many opportunities for students to learn about doing good and helping others, and there is no need to connect them with an organization that has a religious mission. Since public schools reflect a wide variety of religious backgrounds, any assistance provided to a religious organization will inevitably be divisive.”
Niose added that there will be no need for litigation.
District Marketing and Communications Coordinator Latisha Gray said engineering and arts students will also participate in Pennies for Patients, a charity run through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that encourages schoolchildren to donate collected spare change.
“At SEA, student voice and student empowerment are important elements of our school. We do this within the classroom and outside of the classroom,” said Hiel.
Contact Joe Bowen at joe.bowen@ecm-inc.com