A public school board in Washington meets tonight to consider the fate of a member whose comments have angered the Tulalip Tribes and other groups.

Michael Kundu of the Marysville School District apologized for an e-mail in which he said minority students perform poorly on standardized tests due to their race. The Tulalips and others say he should step down -- something Kundu is apparently considering after initially saying he would not resign.

“I need to make a decision whether to resign for the benefit of the students, or to stay on in order to fight the battle of protection of free speech,” Kundu, who can't be at the meeting because he is in Washington, D.C., as part of his job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told The Everett Herald.

About one-third of the 12,000 students in the district are minorities. Many of the minority students are Tulalip tribal members.

Get the Story:
Marysville School Board member's fate in doubt (The Everett Herald 6/21)

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