A Missouri school board representing a district with nearly 90% white enrollment has refused to answer questions about the hiring of a district chief who holds racially offensive views.

New superintendent Dr. Jana Parker, who is white, has repeatedly posted about, or linked to articles about, how “whiteness” and white racism are an intractable problem and “white fragility” is ubiquitous while trying to get white people to understand their whiteness.

Some also have questions after the new school board superintendent attributed the learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic to racism rather than the damage caused by school shutdowns demanded by teachers’ unions.

The district said when it introduced the superintendent in early January it wanted the community to know more about “her vision” for the district. But the school board has steadfastly refused requests by The Lion to learn more about her previous racial comments.

The hiring comes as the district has offered early retirement to nearly two dozen teachers and staff as enrollment continues to plunge.

The Webster Groves Board of Education hired Dr. Jana Parker at the beginning of 2025 to replace outgoing Superintendent John Simpson, who decided to retire after the 2023-24 school year, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Assisted by the Missouri School Board Association, Webster Groves had a “deep pool of candidates” to choose from, according to board President Todd Allen, yet still settled on Parker, reported the Post-Dispatch, despite her controversial views.

In part, the decision to hire Parker was made to bolster “equity” in the district, which serves 86.4% white students, 6.1% black students, 5.8% multiracial students and 1.8% Asian students, said the board.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Jana Parker as the new superintendent of the Webster Groves School District!” the district said via X. “Dr. Parker brings a wealth of experience, a deep commitment to equity, and a passion for student success. Stay tuned for opportunities to meet her and learn about her vision for our district.”

But school reform evangelist Corey DeAngelis posted screenshots of shocking, racially charged content from Parker’s social media account that raises serious questions about the suitability of the hire.

“She’s a big fan of [critical race theory advocate] Ibram X. Kendi,” said DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Culture Project. “She has posted: ‘White Fragility is Everywhere’ ‘It’s Time for White People to Understand their Whiteness’ [and] ‘Dr. Seuss was racist’.”

On her X account, Parker later asked, “But Does Antiracism Training Work?”

Parker then pointed to a New York Times article that said antiracism workshops are not enough to fight racism caused by white people in the U.S.

The Times piece, full of violent imagery about race, said white denial of racism inherent in simply being white was the “real rusty razor to the carotid artery” of race relations, despite how much antiracism training white people are made to attend.

Parker also said educators have a “responsibility to NOT be colorblind” when doing their job.

But perhaps the most controversial social media post by Parker was the claim that students weren’t falling behind because of COVID-19 lockdowns demanded by the teachers’ unions.

Rather, Parker approvingly shared a quote claiming the learning loss during COVID was because tests are measuring students “against a white, upper-middle-class neurotypical, ableist…” ideal.

While there is room for debate if race played a significant role in learning loss during COVID-19, there is a consensus, even among liberal boosters of public education, that the greatest factor in plunging test scores was the lack of in-person learning.

“A variety of data – about children’s academic outcomes and about the spread of COVID-19 – has accumulated in the time since,” wrote the New York Times in March 2024. “Today, there is broad acknowledgment among many public health and education experts that extended school closures did not significantly stop the spread of COVID, while the academic harms for children have been large and long-lasting.”

DeAngelis reported that in her blog, which is only available on an internet archive, Parker said the beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss is a racist.

“So this is an outright anti-white racist, according to her own social media posts, and she’s about to be a superintendent of Webster Groves School District in Missouri, which is a huge problem,” DeAngelis told a group dedicated to school reform at Webster Groves.

The Lion reached out via email to all the members of the Webster Groves School District Board of Education.

School board member Jo Doll asked The Lion to contact board president Todd Allen for more information about Parker. The Lion sent multiple requests by email and phone to Allen but received no reply.

This is not the first time Webster Groves has gained notoriety over diversity, equity and inclusion policies (DEI). In fact, there have been nearly a dozen reports about the district skirting Missouri law to meet the equity goals set out by the board.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey investigated the district over allegedly showing a video presentation on gender identity and sexual orientation without parental consent. Last February Bailey sent a cease-and-desist letter to the district demanding it stop using “all human sexuality materials and instruction” except in cases where students have parental consent, reported local Fox News 2.

“I’ve also received reports that Webster Groves School District has instituted race-based criteria for its employees and applicants,” Bailey said later via X.

In April 2023, the district came under fire for allowing the LGBTQ book I am Jazz to be read to 2nd graders, violating state law.

A group dedicated to eliminating woke, DEI policies at Webster Groves Schools noted Parker has said “schools HAVE TO talk about gender identity.”

“Would be a good time to remind Webster Groves School District (and all districts) that talking about gender identity is against the law without allowing families to opt out,” the group added.

Photo: Webster Groves Board of Education members and then-Superintendent Dr. John Simpson pose for a picture after receiving an award in September 2024 (Facebook)