From:

Larson, Garrett (MDOR) <garrett.larson@state.mn.us>

Date: Wed, Nov 7, 2018 at 9:37 AM
Subject: RE: SAMS Reminders
To: Amy Kujawski <akujawski@stanthony.k12.mn.us>
Cc: Renee Corneille (rcorneille@stanthony.k12.mn.us) <rcorneille@stanthony.k12.mn.
us>, barrykinsey@comcast.net<barrykinsey@comcast.net>, loksnevad@stanthony.k12.mn.us <loksnevad@stanthony.k12.mn.us
>, cpalmer@stanthony.k12.mn.us <cpalmer@stanthony.k12.mn.us>, ascamehorn@stanthony.k12.mn.us<ascamehorn@stanthony.k12.mn.
us>, leahslye@stanthony.k12.mn.us <leahslye@stanthony.k12.mn.us>, mdv@iphouse.com <mdv@iphouse.com>

Amy,

I'm sorry that e-mail is not as conducive to you as a face to face conversation. You will have to forgive me this as I am a busy parent and
a tax auditor by trade. When I ask hard questions, I like them to be in writing so we both can see what was said. Or in the case of our
string of e-mails over the last several days what questions you refused to answer (see below).

I was informed by my 7th grader on Wednesday evening that the school went forward with the fundraising carnival hosted by Step It Up,
and that students with different wristbands were specifically excluded from portions. Additionally, I learned that students who asked to
return to the school building and study or partake in a learning activity were denied this option, and were instead forced to continue to
watch their peers enjoy activities they were denied.

The company YOU hired moved forward with a carnival at your approval that specifically allowed only a portion of students to participate
in things. Students whose financial contributions (which as 11-14-year-old children they have no control over) were lacking were forced to
sit on the side and watch their peers enjoy son-cones and additional games and activities. In a public school you separated the children
by the amount of money they were able to contribute, and you don't seem to have the slightest amount of shame over it. While you may
have never experienced having to choose between a contribution to the school or groceries – there are families here that do, and you
shamed their children along with others for not participating.

To force children to sit and watch while others can have fun based on financial contribution during school hours is cruel. This isn't like an
activity night where the students can just not go. You forced them to sit and watch peers have fun they were not allowed to have. Again,
let me reiterate students who asked to return to the school building and study or partake in a learning activity were denied this request.

When other fundraising entities give out rewards for earning more, they do it quietly. Girl Scouts is an easy example. When they give out
cookie rewards, they just give them to each scout. They don’t give them to the Scouts with time left in the meeting and force the girls who
didn’t earn as many prizes to watch their friends play with the new things.

Just to make clear. I would have had zero problem with this carnival had it occurred after school with only the students who participated
invited. Then those students who didn’t fundraise could have gone home. Instead you forced them to sit and be embarrassed while
watching peers have more fun.

But much like my issue with the pie in the face fundraiser last year that Dr. Corneille and I had an email exchange over you are forcing
kids to watch others get benefits of being able to donate money or have it donated. To say this doesn't disenfranchise students is to be
blind to reality.

What this tells me is that SAMS, under your leadership, is willing to disenfranchise students based on how much money they are able to
contribute. This is a public school, you need to educate and include everyone. Forcing students to watch from the sidelines as other
students are granted more privileges based on their financial contributions is unconscionable.

The fact that after you received concerns of this process, including possible solutions, which would not have caused harm to the students
you did not follow them has me honestly incensed. Your job as an administrator is to make sure these things do not happen.

I’m sorry the outside fundraising company you used didn’t give you sufficient notice of how they planned to run this event. That is not the
students fault. I’m sorry you only sent the information to the parents Tuesday and were unwilling to make quick adjustments when a
concern was raised. That’s also not the student’s fault.

Yet your failure to do your due diligence in hiring this company and being willing to address a serious issue with the plan you made due to
a lack of time/foresight did most assuredly punish the students. You shamed and embarrassed students due to their perceived financial
worth to a public school. Financial worth and contributions they have no control over.

At no point in the multiple fundraising e-mails I got did it mention a carnival where some students would be more equal. If this was not
part of the original plan that was pitched to you why did you allow it to change? If it was a part of the original pitch to use this company,
then why would you ever even consider doing it during school hours?

YOUR ACTIONS caused students mental harm. If you think they enjoyed sitting on the side watching their friends and classmates who
raised money participate in extra incentives and privileges that they were not allowed to do hurt them then you are out of touch. Again,
let me reiterate students who asked to return to the school building and study or partake in a learning activity were denied this request.

I have CC’ed the school board member and Dr. Cornielle on this e-mail as I am unwilling to allow this to be rug swept as a “Learning
experience” You received suggestions to alleviate the known emotional harm this would cause before it happened, and your lack of action
caused children to be hurt. This is behavior I am unwilling to accept in an administrator at SAMS. In my opinion you failed in the stated
goal of being inclusive. In my opinion, you failed when given an option to correct the initial bad planning, and you allowed students to be
marginalized because you wouldn’t act in the best interest of all the students.

Garrett Larson, Revenue Tax Specialist

Special Taxes
Cigarette, Alcohol, and Tobacco Unit

Minnesota Department of Revenue

Office: 651-556-4714

Cell: 651-230-3071

Fax: 651-556-5326

www.revenue.state.mn.us

Working together to fund Minnesota’s future.