Robbinsdale School Board Censures Member A Second Time

The embattled Robbinsdale School Board has rebuked one of its own members a second time this year.

Board Member Sharon Brooks was censured on Dec. 16.

The censure is tied to a disagreement surrounding race between Board Member Caroline Long and Brooks.

Long says she is Black. According to the censure, Brooks, who is also Black, has questioned Long’s racial identity and made comments related to her race.

School board documents say Long filed a complaint against Brooks “alleging that [she] engaged in colorism and racism at the meeting held on Aug. 26.”

That’s the meeting when Brooks was first censured.

Censure documents cite several instances where Brooks discussed Long’s race during the Aug. 26 meeting.

The dispute continued into a Dec. 2 work session, where the censure claims Brooks “engaged in conduct that a reasonable person could find to be retaliatory.”

According to the censure, Brooks “claimed that Director Long’s allegations were ‘cloaked in a lie by someone who said publicly she identifies as Black.'”

Brooks allegedly stated “Colorism is real but it’s much more harsh,” and “I’ll show you some Black harassment,” during the work session.

A majority of the board found she “tarnished the desired image of the school board,” and violated the district’s discrimination policy.

The embattled Robbinsdale School Board has rebuked one of its own members a second time this year. Board Member Sharon Brooks was censured on Dec. 16.

Board Votes 4-1

The board voted 4-1 to approve the censure. Brooks was not allowed to vote, while Board Member Helen Bassett cast a dissenting vote.

Brooks said she was “embarrassed” by the board’s actions and felt she’s being held to a different standard than other members.

“This is extreme,” she said. “This is very extreme, and it does lean towards dysfunctionality. And a loser.”

Board Member Kim Holmes said the censure wasn’t a cause for joy.

“We are a self-policing body — it’s not a court of law, nobody is claiming it is,” Holmes said. “These are the tools that have been provided to us, this is our option.”

With the censure, Brooks was removed from her committee assignments. 

The board says it may take additional action against Brooks if her conduct continues — and that could escalate to an attempt to remove her from the board.

This comes as the district is grappling with a $20 million budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.

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