The small Minneapolis charter school where Renee Good sent her 6-year-old son has switched to online learning out of safety concerns after receiving multiple phone and email threats, the school told Sahan Journal. The school said it had reported some of these threats to local law enforcement.
The threats to Southside Family Charter School came after New York Post articles describing the school’s social justice focus and a series of social media posts from right-wing commentators.
“The attacks and threats to our school have been very hurtful, especially at this painful moment,” school leaders said in an email to Sahan Journal. “At the same time, we have received much support from our community. This moment has been painful but it has also brought us closer as a community.”
Southside Family Charter School, where Good was a parent and school board member, focuses on social justice and incorporates activism into education. The school was founded in the 1970s as a community initiative to help families, briefly served as an alternative school in Minneapolis Public Schools, and became a charter school in 2006. Field trips are a central part of the school’s mission, including regular civil rights trips to the South.
The school’s enrollment dropped from 119 students to 26 this year as it transitioned from a K-8 to a K-5 program. School leaders say it is powered by its teachers rather than a traditional administration, and the teachers responded to Sahan Journal’s questions as a collective through spokesperson Alberto Monserrate. (Monserrate is a Sahan Journal board member; board members do not influence Sahan Journal’s news coverage.)
The small school “is truly like a family,” school leaders wrote to Sahan Journal. They described an “inclusive curriculum” to meet state standards, as well as “travel studies where children and family members learn and build community outside of the school.”
“Staff and students prepare and eat meals together,” they said. “Older students mentor younger students regularly and learn with them as well. Visiting artists and field trips are part of our curriculum.”
Board documents reviewed by Sahan Journal show that Renee Good was appointed to the school board in August. As a school board member, she asked questions about the school’s recruitment plan. Board documents also show that she and her wife Becca brought pots for students to paint for a spring plant sale.
Describing Good, the school echoed comments made by her wife and family members.
“Renee was a person that was always willing to help in any way possible,” school leaders told Sahan Journal, adding that she made an effort to support both students and staff. “She was a daily positive presence. She knew staff and kids by name and made sure to greet them. Her smile and conversations each morning brightened our days and made each one of us feel seen.”
Conservative news articles and social media posts seized upon the school’s social justice focus.
A New York Post article published Jan. 9, entitled “Renee Nicole Good’s 6-year-old son attends ‘social justice’ school that teaches about George Floyd, warned staffers to report ICE,” spurred a right-wing backlash.
The article detailed the school’s focus on social justice, its stance against racism, sexism, classism and homophobia, its fondness for field trips, and its discussions of current events with students. It also said that teachers had been instructed to report any ICE presence — a common instruction at schools, where teachers are not trained on interacting with federal agents. In a separate article, the Post reported that Good became involved in anti-ICE activity through people she’d met at the school.
Documents from a December board meeting show that the school provided resources about local ICE watch efforts, including a hotline to call to report the sighting of federal agents.
“Our school is responding consistently with how most schools in the area are responding,” school leaders said regarding their policy about responding to ICE.
Right-wing social media attacks begin
The school’s social justice bent became fuel for a growing right-wing narrative that Good was not only an activist, but a domestic terrorist.
“I’m calling for all federal funds to Minnesota’s Southside Family Charter School to be REVOKED,” Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., wrote on Facebook. “This institution radicalizes students and pushes a left-wing agenda that demonizes ICE agents. The federal government should not subsidize anti-American education.”
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One TikTok video viewed more than 100,000 times asked, “So, Renee Good was trained to fight federal agents through a Minneapolis charter school?!”
An X account called “Retard Mode” posted that “Renee Good is the epitome of the modern-day liberal white woman,” saying that she had enrolled “the only child she has custody of in Southside Family Charter School,” noting its mission to “put social justice first.” The post went on to call for the revocation of the 19th Amendment, which grants women the right to vote. The post was retweeted 14,000 times and received more than 100,000 likes as well as a reply from Elon Musk.
In the wake of the threats the school received, it shut down its Facebook page and most of its web presence. The school’s website was also removed from the Wayback Machine, an Internet archive, between Monday and Tuesday.
Southside Family School asks for privacy, starts food shelf
In an email to Sahan Journal, Southside Family Charter School asked for privacy and understanding.
“At this time we would like to ask the community and members of the media to understand this is a very difficult and painful time for our school community and for Renee’s family,” school leaders said. “We would kindly ask everyone to respect our privacy and allow us the necessary time to grieve. We appreciate the community’s compassion, support, and understanding as we mourn together.”
The school also said it had started a food shelf to support families and community members in need. It invited members of the public to contact the school if they know anyone in need of food at info@southsidefamilyschool.org.
