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Diane Brown and Michael Knapp recall, Belchertown Public Schools, Massachusetts (2021-2022)
| Belchertown Public Schools recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Michael Knapp |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| January 24, 2022 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in Massachusetts Massachusetts recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
Recall elections against two of the five members of the Belchertown Public Schools School Committee in Massachusetts were held on January 24, 2022. Diane Brown and Michael Knapp were on the ballot. A majority of voters cast ballots against the recalls, keeping the board members in office.[1][2] Kristen Lech and Stephan Corbin filed to run in the replacement race for Knapp. No one filed to run in the replacement race for Brown.[3][4]
The recall started after the school committee approved a resolution requiring students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if they were participating in sports and after-school activities and were 16 years old or older. The resolution was changed in January 2022 to require students to test negative for the coronavirus weekly in order to continue participating in sports and extracurricular activities.[3][5]
Brown's term was scheduled to expire on May 16, 2022, and Knapp's term was scheduled to expire on May 15, 2023.[3]
To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.
Recall vote
Diane Brown yes/no question
Diane Brown recall, 2022
Diane Brown won the Belchertown Public Schools School Committee recall election on January 24, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
23.5
|
592 | |||
| ✔ | No |
76.5
|
1,925 | ||
Total Votes |
2,517 | ||||
|
|
Michael Knapp yes/no question
Michael Knapp recall, 2022
Michael Knapp won the Belchertown Public Schools School Committee recall election on January 24, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
26.4
|
662 | |||
| ✔ | No |
73.6
|
1,845 | ||
Total Votes |
2,507 | ||||
|
|
Diane Brown replacement question
General election
Reason canceled : Replacement election canceled because recall was not approved.
Michael Knapp replacement question
General election
Reason canceled : Replacement election canceled because recall was not approved.
Recall supporters
Corbin said he filed to run in the recall election because school committee members had shown disinterest in talking to district parents. “I think it’s become evident that a few members of the School Committee are moving forward with decisions based on their own interests and not listening to their constituents,” Corbin said.[3]
Lech said she filed to run in the recall election because she could work with both families and teachers and collaborate with all members of the community. “I will not let my views hinder my decision-making responsibilities, but rather make decisions based upon sound data and facts, as well as actively listening to all stakeholders in a respectful manner,” Lech said.[3]
Recall opponents
In reaction to the recall effort, Knapp said his goal as a school committee member was to make schools work for every child. He said the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges. “We’ve been listening to families and residents, but also health and education experts, to serve everyone’s interests in the best way possible,” Knapp said.[3]
“This really is an unprecedented health crisis, and the goal in all this is to keep schools open,” Knapp said. “You can’t do that if kids are sick.”[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Massachusetts
To get the recalls on the ballot, supporters had to collect signatures from qualified voters of Belchertown equal in number to "25 per cent of the average total vote in the three most recent annual town elections, but not less than 500 qualified voters of the town."[6] The recall petitions were certified for the ballot on November 4, 2021.[7] Brown and Knapp had the option to resign or have their names added to the recall election ballot. Neither resigned. Two candidates filed to run against Knapp in the replacement race. No candidates filed to run against Brown.[3]
Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.
The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
2022 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 54 school board recall efforts against 123 board members in 2022. Recall elections against school board members were held on January 11, 2022, January 18, 2022, January 24, 2022, February 15, 2022, March 29, 2022, April 4, 2022, and November 8, 2022. The school board recall success rate was 7.3%.
The chart below details the status of 2022 recall efforts by individual school board member.
2021 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 92 school board recall efforts against 237 board members in 2021. Recall elections against 17 board members were held in 2021. The school board recall success rate was 0.42%.
The chart below details the status of 2021 recall efforts by individual school board member.
See also
- Belchertown Public Schools, Massachusetts
- Recall campaigns in Massachusetts
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Political recall efforts, 2022
- School board recalls
- States that allow school board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Hampshire Gazette, "Belchertown voters reject recall effort for 2 School Committee members," January 25, 2022
- ↑ Belchertown Public Schools, "School Committee," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Daily Hampshire Gazette, "Two School Committee members face recall election over vax mandate in Belchertown," January 19, 2022
- ↑ Kids Yes Recall No, "Sample Ballot," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ Mass Live, "Belchertown recall vote follows outcry over vaccine mandate proposed for student athletes," January 20, 2022
- ↑ General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Chapter 126: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR RECALL ELECTIONS IN THE TOWN OF BELCHERTOWN," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ The Reminder, "Town certifies petitions to recall two Belchertown School Committee members," November 16, 2021
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