A San Rafael faculty board member who introduced ahead a controversial decision about younger males’s wants apologized and expanded on his intent throughout Monday’s assembly.
San Rafael Metropolis Colleges board vice chairman Mark Koerner stated the tabled decision he initially proposed for consideration aimed to handle a priority raised by a public speaker, who throughout an April 15, 2024, assembly detailed the disaster of younger males falling behind in class and the workforce.
“I thought it was important to address these concerns proactively,” Koerner stated. “I thought good points were brought up, and it’s something that I felt was important as well.”
He cited challenges going through younger males that embrace elevated charges of suicide and declining commencement charges and workforce participation.
The language of Koerner’s decision, referred to as “Recognition of the Essential Role and Needs of Young Men in Society,” nevertheless, had raised hackles from some in the neighborhood.
The decision partially contained the next:
“WHEREAS, the term ‘toxic masculinity’ often does not reflect the vast majority of men and can detract from constructive dialogues aimed at supporting and understanding the challenges and positive attributes of young men; and
“WHEREAS, language that implies young men need to be ‘fixed’ by women undermines mutual respect and equality and is not conducive to constructive discourse on gender dynamics in our society.”
Whereas Koerner’s decision was pulled from consideration hours earlier than Monday’s assembly, a number of public audio system, together with moms of boys, addressed the merchandise that night with some calling into query the motive and others saying it appeared in charge girls for the failures of males.
Morgan Agnew, president of the San Rafael Federation of Lecturers union, referred to as it profoundly disappointing that no lecturers, directors, counselors or different district employees had been consulted earlier than the decision was introduced ahead. If that they had been consulted, he famous, the board would have discovered in regards to the applications already in place to assist younger males in San Rafael.
Members of the general public hear throughout public feedback on the San Rafael Metropolis Colleges board assembly on March 10, 2025. Almost two dozen folks spoke in individual and through Zoom concerning a proposed decision addressing “toxic masculinity.” (Framegrab through SRCS Communications/YouTube)
“To be clear, SRFT absolutely values our young men, and we work tirelessly to ensure that all of our students get the support they need but supporting young men and recognizing systemic gender inequalities are not mutually exclusive,” Agnew stated.
He additional highlighted that knowledge on the tutorial outcomes of San Rafael’s male college students had been notably absent from the decision.
“What is also telling is the timing of this resolution. To propose a resolution in recognition of men in the middle of Women’s History Month and just two days after International Women’s Day is at best tone deaf,” Agnew added.
Koerner used his time through the assembly to handle the principle criticisms of the decision, noting that he had final yr raised the problem of challenges going through younger males and had no intention of diminishing the achievements of girls by bringing ahead the decision throughout March.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the language concerning “toxic masculinity” within the decision was not useful.
“A better approach is to simply emphasize that a young man’s inherent nature is not negative but needs positive direction for the betterment of society,” Koerner stated. “The resolution is not intended to detract from the progress of women. It is about recognizing the challenges facing young men and exploring how we can improve outcomes in our community together. … I do apologize that it caused such a stir.”
