The Berrien County Election Commission has approved the language included on four recall petitions filed against members of the Lakeshore Public Schools Board of Education while rejecting two others. The petitions were filed against Board President Jason Beckrow and Trustee Rachel Wade, and the commission held clarity hearings on their language Monday. Now that some of the petitions have been approved, they are good for 180 days, but signatures can only be collected for 60 of those days. The Berrien County Election Commission has to calculate the number of valid signatures required to put the recall elections on a ballot. The petitions are over mask rules.
Meanwhile, recall petitions have also been filed against three members of the Bridgman Public Schools Board of Education. The Berrien County Clerk’s office says Bridgman resident Michelle Staneart-Gast filed the petitions last week. They target board President Eric Ramso and Trustees Nancy Hawley and Wayne Hall. The language on all three petitions is identical, saying the school board members should be removed from office for approving a mask rule for students without giving parents the option to exempt their children. The Berrien County Election Commission will hold a hearing on the clarity of the recall petition language on May 6.
