Meeting With AG Rokita Moved To Accommodate Larger Crowd
Staff Report
WARSAW — Due to strong interest, an upcoming meeting in which Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita will discuss Critical Race Theory, has been moved to a larger location.
The meeting had been scheduled to take place in the Old Courtroom in the Kosciusko County Courthouse at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 8.
It will now be held at the Winona Heritage Room, 901 Park Ave., Winona Lake, at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Kosciusko County Attorney Ed Orsmby issued a news release on behalf of the county commissioners on Monday, July 5, announcing the change, noting that the Winona Heritage Room, formerly known as Rodeheaver Auditorium, has 10 times the capacity as the old courtroom.
As a result, the special meeting of the commissioners has been officially cancelled. Instead, the commissioners, “in their individual capacities,” will host Rokita as part of a “public learning session,” the news release said.
“In addition to parents, students and teachers, this topic and gathering offers every business, employee and taxpayer in the county a chance to learn from each other, and therefore, it’s entirely appropriate for the county executive branch to understand the community’s perspective as the board executes its duties on behalf of those constituencies,” the statement from Ormsby said.
While the news release issued Monday did not mention Critical Race Theory, the meeting is intended to give Rokita a chance to explain his “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which looks at the legal rights and the roles of parents in understanding their children’s education and other matters.
Rokita has expressed great concern over the concept of Critical Race Theory.
The news release included a link to Rokita’s parents’ bill of rights on his website, which addresses CRT directly.
Moving the meeting also resolves concerns over the fact that a county council meeting is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the Old Courthouse that night.
The commissioners’ next regular meeting will take place at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 6, in the Old Courtroom.