A group of demonstrators confront St. Paul teacher Jim Enders, whose comments offended them, during a St. Paul School Board meeting at the school District Administrative Office in St. Paul on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Susan Montgomery, lower center, shouts during the public comments section of the St. Paul School Board meeting on Tuesday evening. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Chaunteyll Allen gets a fist pump after giving a speech against the St. Paul School Districts racial policies at a St. Paul School Board meeting. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

A young girl seems oblivious to the tension in the standing room only St. Paul School Board meeting room during a School Board meeting at the St. Paul School District Administrative Office in St. Paul on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Susan Montgomery tries to get answers from the School Board after the public comments portion of the meeting was disrupted. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)



10 year-old Taye Clinton, is given hugs after he spoke at the St. Paul School Board during a meeting at the St. Paul School District Administrative Office in St. Paul on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Linwood Elementary principle Bryan Bass is confronted by parent Susan Montgomery outside the St. Paul School District Administrative Office in St. Paul after a School Board meeting on Tuesday. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Black Lives Matter activists shouted down a substitute teacher speaking in support of Como Park Senior High teacher Theo Olson on Tuesday evening, causing a 15-minute delay of the St. Paul school board meeting.

Jim Endres was met with jeers from the crowd as he implored the school board to “support your teachers.” When Endres remained at the speaker’s podium through the interruptions, exceeding the two-minute time limit, an elementary school student approached and demanded equal time.

About 20 others joined the boy, Linwood Monroe Arts Plus student Taye Clinton. Some accused Endres of standing against students of color by defending a teacher who Black Lives Matter St. Paul has labeled racist.

Olson is on paid administrative leave while the school district investigates comments he made on Facebook and a personal blog.

As the shouting continued, school board members left the room, the microphone was turned off and the lights were dimmed.

The group moved outdoors when Clinton and his mother, Susan Montgomery, approached the boy’s principal, Bryan Bass, with demands for better treatment for students of color.

Clinton and Montgomery had addressed the school board earlier during public comment time, which precedes the regular board meeting. Clinton said his teachers are disrespectful and have dismissed his activism.

“Last time I came, you guys didn’t listen to me,” he told the board.

Montgomery complained of uncaring teachers and curricula that fail to engage students of color.

“If you don’t like our kids, do not teach in our schools,” she said.

In an interview after the confrontation, Endres said he attended the meeting to defend Olson and other teachers who should be able to speak up without fear of losing their jobs. Teachers, he said, should be seen as resources for solving problems in school.

“Teachers love and care for their kids,” said Endres, who substitute teaches in suburban schools.

Controversy over Olson’s comments and job status brought out several speakers on both sides of the issue Tuesday. The district beefed up security in anticipation of competing rallies, which did not materialize as billed.

St. Paul Republican Party chairman John Krenik told the board he had been badly injured by students while teaching in the 1990s. He urged them to support teachers and restore civility in the schools.

Joanne Hodgeman, a parent who has criticized Olson’s writing, called for a “standard for social media interactions” for teachers.

Another woman complained about Olson’s colleagues who have worn “I support Theo” buttons while teaching.

Beth Jackson said her eighth-grade daughter, who played for Como’s basketball team this year, will not attend Como next year, in part because of damage Olson’s blog has caused.

“We’ve made up our minds to leave the district for high school,” she said. “I just can’t trust you with my baby anymore.”

During the board meeting, Superintendent Valeria Silva lamented a string of crises at Como this month. A Como student was shot to death on a weekend, a teacher was hospitalized after a student attack, and the athletics director is suspecting of stealing more than $100,000 in ticket revenues.

“We must not ignore the seriousness of the recent incidents,” Silva said.

But she said staff haven’t given up on repairing their school.

“They are committed to doing the difficult work that our students deserve, and doing so in a way that will heal their community, making them stronger for persevering through adversity,” she said.