KENT—The Park and Recreation Commission has narrowly approved letting the Kent Land Trust use its logo on publicity for an Oct. 19 hike to raise awareness about domestic violence.
The vote at a Sept. 16 meeting was 2-1, with two abstentions.
The hike would support the efforts of Project Sage, formerly known as Women’s Support Services, in Lakeville.
The group’s mission has expanded beyond its original role of helping women in abusive relationships to include other programs. Its school curriculum is aimed at prevention of future abuse through discussions and activities addressing healthy relationships, boundaries, consent, online safety, teen dating violence, gender identity and sexual orientation.
The program is used throughout the Region 1school district.
While the program is adapted to be age appropriate in the eyes of Project Sage administrators, last year some parents vehemently objected to its inclusion in the Kent Center School curriculum, contending that the discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation are too advanced for middle school students and are subjects better addressed in a family setting.
Parents are allowed to opt out of student participation in the course, but there were unfortunate instances where the Kent Center School staff did not notify parents in a timely fashion, before their children attended classes.
Recreation Director Matt Busse brought the KLT’s request to use the logo on promotional literature to the Park and Recreation Commission, but member John Grant quickly said he could not support Project Sage.
“There are a lot of branches to that program,” he said, “and I feel with the school and what not, I don’t feel I could support Project Sage through Park and Rec.”
“I get the sense it is not universally accepted,” said member Kate Symonds. “So, that makes it a little tricky.”
Members agreed the Project Sage program has a “political battleground” and wondered what connection Park and Recreation would have to a Kent Land Trust-sponsored hike.
Busse said Park and Recreation would not be a sponsor but was being asked to help with promotion.
Grant continued to advocate against the measure, but Chairman Rufus P. de Rham said he saw the issue differently.
“If you look at their poster, it’s a hike,” he said. “Those are things that we do. It’s recreation and has nothing to do with some of the programs they are doing in school. It has to do with awareness of domestic violence, which is what Women’s Support Services was all about.”
de Rham made a motion to support the hike to “show support for awareness of domestic violence in the Northwest Corner.”
There was a long silence among members before the narrow vote.
Busse consulted Robert’s Rules before declaring that abstentions are considered non-votes and that the motion had carried.
