KerryJo Felder faces mounting calls to drop out of Minneapolis school board race

A Minneapolis school board candidate is facing calls to drop out of the race days ahead of the election amid allegations she endangered her stepchildren on a recent trip to visit colleges in Maryland.

KerryJo Felder is running for one of two at-large seats on the school board. She's married to the father of two students in the district and refers to herself as their "bonus mom."

The children's mother, Vann Daley, in a Facebook post published Oct. 24 accused Felder of nearly causing a car wreck while she was allegedly intoxicated by "assaulting everybody including my ex while he was driving."

Reached for comment Wednesday, Felder declined to answer questions from the Star Tribune.

Daley attended a news conference Wednesday, where she outlined the allegations. Nafeesah Muhammad, an education activist and parent of students in the district who was also there, said she believes Felder is "unfit to lead."

"We need leaders who are role models," Muhammad said.

Local news site Southwest Voices published a statement attributed to Felder last week acknowledging the social media post "expressing valid concerns about my behavior this past weekend on an out-of-state trip."

"I want everyone to know that I am taking this situation very seriously and working to repair harm however I can with everyone involved," Felder wrote.

Contacted by the Star Tribune and asked about the behavior, Felder said, "That wasn't me." She later provided a statement echoing what she'd previously told Southwest Voices. It said she is consulting a doctor about a "potential substance abuse issue" and will soon meet with a mental health professional. Felder said she is on painkillers due to a case of severe osteoarthritis.

Daley has since called for organizations that endorsed Felder, including the Minneapolis teachers union and the city chapter of the DFL, to drop their support of the candidate.

Felder has previously served on the board overseeing Minnesota's third-largest school district. She was first elected in 2016 to represent District 2 in north Minneapolis and lost re-election against Sharon El-Amin in 2020.

There are five open school board seats on the ballot this fall. None of the board members whose term is up at the end of this year is running for re-election.

That means this month's contest will dramatically reshape the school board in the midst of the district's search for a new superintendent and as decision-makers address the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on students' emotional and academic well-being.

Scores on state assessments this year show students slid far behind in math and reading. The impact was particularly pronounced among Black and Latino students, who are behind by nearly two full grade levels.