The Francis Howell School Board in 2020 adopted a resolution against racism at the height of the national reckoning that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Control of the board flipped over the past two years, with conservatives winning elections, and it voted 5-2 last week to let the resolution expire.
School board elections have become intense political battlegrounds in recent years, with political action groups successfully electing conservative candidates who promise to restrict how race and sexuality can be taught, remove books that some conservatives find offensive, and stop transgender-inclusive sports teams.
The board's vice president, Randy Cook, led the effort to remove the resolution, telling The Associated Press that the board "doesn't need to be in the business of dividing the community."