School board unanimously calls for Kundu's resignation | Schools

The Marysville School Board has unanimously approved a resolution calling for the resignation of one of its own members accused of distributing a racially-charged e-mail.

The board also denied Michael Kundu's request for a sabbatical, and officially asked him to step down.

Some 150 people attended Monday's school board meeting. Alongside dozens of angry parents were Miss Black Washington and members of the NAACP.

Kundu himself was notably absent, but that didn't stop those gathered from addressing their issues with the board member's controversial e-mail.

"How dare you insult my race," said one person.

"If this person don't resign, I think they should be gotten rid of," said another person.

"We ask you- no, we implore you. If he doesn't resign, get rid of him," said a third person.

The controversy has been brewing since June 3, when Kundu sent an e-mail to district leadership. In an ongoing discussion about how to bridge the achievement gap, Kundu asserted race plays a factor in intellectual achievement.

He referenced a study by John Philippe Rushton, a psychology professor at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. Ruston claims evidence that suggests certain ethnic groups possess biological advantages and disadvantages, in areas that include brain size and intelligence levels.

Kundu later sent a statement to KOMO News retracting his statement. But it has done little to quiet the public outrage. The school board president said the district has received "gobs" of complaints.

"You can't tell me that you have my child's best interest at heart when you've already decided that he's not going to make it," said parent Gregory Jackson.

Several organizations, including the Tulalip tribe, the NAACP and the Hispanic Commission, have demanded Kundu's resignation. And on Monday night the board finally joined them in asking Kundu to step down after hearing the same resounding plea from members of the public.

"We don't have to be here in Marysville to feel the pain, to feel the outrage that has been put in place by this person Kundu," said meeting attendee Beatrice Clark. "And I suggest to the board that you get rid of him, and do it expeditiously. His time should already be up. We shouldn't have to be here tonight requesting his removal."

"I think the only responsible thing he can do as a board member is to resign, to hear the voice of the community and resign," said Tiffany Sims of Families Advocating for Students of Color.
 
Because Kundu's is an elected position, the board can't force him to step down. The only way to push him out of office would be through a recall.

Kundu, who was in Washington, D.C. on business on Monday, could not be reached for comment.

The next school board meeting will be held in July.