Despite calls for her resignation, RSB board president remains in position

During a board meeting last month, parent Mitchell Berman said Audrey Kostuch should step down because she supports a discriminatory organization and violated board policies.

Kostuch did not respond to a request for comment.

Speaking on behalf of some community members, Berman called for Kostuch’s resignation because of a sign in the front yard of her residence.

It is unclear when the sign was put up and how long it was displayed in Kostuch’s yard, but Berman said he became aware of it in May.

On Monday, July 15, the sign was not on display.

According to pictures obtained by The Journal Times, the sign says, “Natural Family Month: Mother’s Day to Father’s Day” and has an illustration of a father, mother, son and daughter.

At the bottom of the sign is a link to the Natural Family Foundation’s website.

The mission of the foundation is “to return the natural family to its rightful place as the foundation of our American culture,” according to its website.

“When we speak of family, we consider that to be without question one biological born man and woman in a lifelong, committed, monogamous relationship with their biological and/or adopted children,” the NFF website states. “Anything outside of these NATURAL parameters by design causes undue stress on the marriage, children and society.”

During the public comment portion of the June 17 Raymond School Board meeting, Berman read a statement and said the natural family movement discriminates against LGBTQ+ people and nontraditional families.

He said the movement “promotes the idea that traditional heterosexual families are superior to all family structures and that our history as Americans depends on the growth of the natural family.”

Berman told The Journal Times that Kostuch is an elected official who should be “held to a higher standard,” and he believes displaying the sign in her yard violates school board policy.

According to Raymond School Board policy, board members should “treat others with respect and dignity at all times, and maintain decorum, and always communicate in a way that does not violate or illustrate disregard for board policy concerning harassment or discrimination.”

The policy states that “forms of harassment include verbal or non-verbal expression related to race, gender, age, religion, disability, pregnancy or sexual orientation” and that the board “will vigorously enforce its prohibition against harassment based on race, color, national origin, age, sex (including gender status, change of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity).”

Kostuch displaying the sign “not only raises questions about recent actions that were taken by this district, but it undermines the district’s duty to foster a safe, inclusive and equitable learning environment for all students and staff,” Berman said in June. “As a board, you must strongly condemn the harmful and divisive rhetoric promoted by this movement and uphold the values of diversity, equality and respect for all individuals, regardless of their family structure or sexual orientation.”

Raymond School, 2659 76th St., is a K-8 building with about 400 students.

Last year, Raymond School Principal Jeff Peterson, who was placed on paid administrative leave in September 2023 and whose contract was not renewed in December 2023, filed a complaint alleging the school district is discriminating against him because he is gay. A complaint decision has not been issued.

In a statement, the Raymond School Board said “any notion that the school district or its board members would tolerate any discrimination, including that which is based on sex, sexual orientation, or any other protected classification, is ridiculous and extremely disappointing.”

Berman in June called on Kostuch to immediately resign. If that doesn’t happen, he called on board members to censure Kostuch and remove her as board president for violating board policy.

“There’s no more room for discrimination in Raymond,” he said.

Berman told The Journal Times that he spoke for some community members and “everyone that falls outside that narrow view of family.”

“It bothers me to think that simply because you don’t fit someone’s perception of perfection or you don’t fit into someone’s mold, that you’re any less of a person,” he said. “Not everybody’s family looks the same. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, everyone should be accepted.”

Kostuch was reelected in April to the school board to serve a three-year term with a salary of $2,350 per year.

She remains on the board and has not been censured.

School board members chose Kostuch to remain board president during a July 8 special meeting.

According to Berman, the board members staying with Kostuch as president indicated they were not concerned about his statement.

“They’re complicit in her violation of the policy, and/or they support her position,” he said.

Berman said he has not heard from any school board members during the past month about his statement.

“I don’t believe they’ll be looking into it,” he said. “They have an agenda, and they’re gonna roll with their agenda no matter what the community thinks or what people say … They don’t care what the optics are. They have a mission.”

Board member Patty Hren declined to comment about questions related to community members calling on Kostuch to resign and why she voted for Kostuch to remain board president.

The three other Raymond School Board members — Janell Wise, Ed Robinson and Mike Pauers — did not respond to requests for comment.