HIDING THE K-12 “EDUCATIONAL BALL” FROM PARENTS

The “Identity Arrogance” Is Amazing

David Barnhizer

“We do have critical race theory in how we teach,” [former Indianapolis Schools Administrator Tony Kinnett said before being fired for exposing the scam]. “We tell our teachers to treat students differently based on color. We tell our students that every problem is a result of ‘white men,’ and that everything Western civilization built is racist. Capitalism is a tool of white supremacy.” Tony Kinnett said those concepts … are interwoven throughout “math, history, science, English, the arts — and it’s not slowing down.”

Kinnett explained that Indianapolis Public Schools teach CRT and lie about doing it with “clever tricks” to create a false impression.

“In education, there are two things that consist of learning: We have curriculum, which is what the students are learning; and then we have pedagogy, which is how it’s taught,” he continued. “So we can officially tell parents, ‘We’re not teaching critical race theory. It’s not in the Indiana academic standards.’ But all of a sudden, the classroom door shuts, and the teacher starts teaching through a lens of this race essentialism that pits students against each other based on their color.” “Indiana educator says school admin’s use ‘very clever trick’ to ‘lie’ to parents about teaching CRT”, Jon Dougherty, 11/5/21.

A “Woke” Teacher asks: “How do we ‘destroy, dismantle’ those [White] systems?”

Alveda King warns:

“My uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wouldn’t recognize this regressive version of the civil rights movement. Nor would his life and leadership mean anything to today’s critical race theorists. He preached a vision of the world which focused on character, not skin color. To today’s critical race theorists, my uncle was hopelessly naïve. They reject the vision that the civil rights movement fought for, and they will not stop until our institutions are torn down and remade.”

Everything in American culture is seen as a “tool of oppression” by CRT activists, the Woke and NeoMarxist “Progressives”. GQ Pan explains the tactic.

“Almost anything, including the foundations of Western civilization—such as rationalism, the rule of law, and private ownership of property—can be considered tools of oppression, according to [Critical Race Theory]. As a teacher… “[First you] are intending to awaken [the kids] to the oppression that they aren’t aware of but that they are actively participating in,” the presentation reads. “Then how do we ‘destroy, dismantle’ those systems?” “[We] have to be extra careful about what is being said, since we can’t just say something controversial now that we’re in people’s homes” [because of remote learning] the presentation reads.” “California County Instructed Teachers to Hide Marxist Teaching Materials From Parents”, GQ Pan, 4/15/21.

A Self-Declared Educational “Expert” Chastises Parents for Daring to Interfere in Their Children’s Education!

One supposedly knowledgeable “expert” recently ranted about the “outrageous” fact that parents would dare to seek to interfere with what the SEL and CRT-oriented teachers were doing with their children. That Woke advocate, Christina Wyman, equated such teachers with highly trained and skilled surgeons. The irony is that the reports on serious failures in K-12 education that are located throughout my book Parents Defending K-12 Education’s analysis, show with disturbing clarity that many America’s schools are failing the nation’s children.

The test results and the measures of student “proficiency” in basic areas—including reading, writing, mathematics and much more—establish severe deficiencies in what the teaching “experts” are doing with our children. Nonetheless, Wyman dares to contrast the teachers’ supposed “surgical” level expertise with she obviously considers the “unwashed” mob of parents who have the audacity to question school curricula and the motives and capabilities of teachers, school administrators, and school boards. She actually proclaimed: “[With very few exceptions] parents, community members and politicians who aren’t qualified to teach should keep their noses out of school curricula," Brian Flood explains below.

“NBC News hammered for piece declaring parents aren’t qualified to make decisions about school curricula: NBC Think article compared teachers to surgeons”, Brian Flood, 11/19/21.

"Schools face parents who want to ban critical race theory — and don't get how teaching works," [wrote] Christina Wyman. "Parents and politicians across the country are interfering with the curricula that public schools use to teach students. State legislatures are passing laws to keep critical race theory out of schools, literary classics like Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’ are banned for sexual content, and school libraries are coming under attack for containing books about gender. There are even parents who are trying to shield students from learning about mental health and suicide—as though helping children build emotional fortitude is a bad thing," Wyman wrote.

"Parents have always tried to interfere with curricula, as I observed when teaching middle school in the mid-2000s," she continued. "Part of the problem is that parents think they have the right to control teaching and learning because their children are the ones being educated. But [she added] it actually (gasp!) doesn’t work that way.”

Wyman then compared parents wanting to have a say in what their children learn to someone barging into an operating room during surgery on their child. "Teaching, too, is a science. Unless they’re licensed and certified, parents aren’t qualified to make decisions about curricula. In fact, parental interference can actually hinder student advancement," Wyman wrote. "An educator’s primary goal is to teach students to think. Parents who attempt to influence curricula with their personal opinions, ideologies and biases hinder that goal.” Wyman, who spent some discussing her own schooling and Ph.D. in curriculum, painted parents as under qualified to chime in unless they have achieved the same level of education that is required of most teachers. …” [With very few exceptions] parents, community members and politicians who aren’t qualified to teach should keep their noses out of school curricula," Wyman wrote.

Note to Christina Wyman: Teaching contains some elements of science but it is a Special and Unique Art delivered through the teacher’s heart and mind

First of all, contrary to Wyman’s claim, teaching is not a science but a diverse collection of methods and techniques, a manifestation of many types of life experiences, and more. For some, it may be “about” scientific material but it is not at all “scientific” in itself. Nor is there any guarantee that the individual teacher is an “expert” in the areas of emotional and psychological subtlety and insight that would be required to deal with the wide array of characteristics, background, emotional experiences possessed by 15-30 students in a K-12 class setting.

What Wyman asserts is pompous and intellectually bereft. But even more frightening is that school boards, teachers and teachers unions, and educational administrators are getting away with implementing this system of propaganda and brainwashing. By the way, I wonder how Wyman would feel about the recent report noted below regarding the hiring of large numbers of un-credentialed individuals to teach in the LA school system, a system afflicted by continual turnover, stress and failure.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/la-unified-hired-1700-teachers-without-full-credentials-this-school-year_4388475.html. “LA Unified Hired 1,700 Teachers Without Full Credentials This School Year”, Micaela Ricaforte, 4/6/22.

“More than three-quarters of the teachers hired by the Los Angeles Unified District (LAUSD) this school year were not fully credentialed, according to a quarterly report by the LAUSD Board of Education. The LAUSD hired 2,336 new teachers during the 2021–22 school year, among whom only 607 teachers, or 26 percent, were fully credentialed by the state to teach, the district reported during a March 29 Board of Education meeting. … {S]ome public school districts, including the LAUSD, hire teachers without credentials through an internship program in which interns can earn their preliminary teaching credentials while gaining field experience. The remaining 74 percent of LAUSD’s new hires who are uncredentialed will likely earn their credentials through LAUSD’s Intern, Credentialing, and Added Authorization Program (iCAAP). [Hundreds of the] newly hired teachers with clear credentials are eligible to receive a $5,000 signing bonus and will be assigned to the district’s 300 highest-need schools—including those with high rates of chronic absenteeism, foster and homeless youth, and suspension rates—according to the Board of Education report.”

What Are They Trying to Hide?

What are they trying to hide? Tennessee parent Laurie Cardoza-Moore said: "What are they trying to hide? What is the problem? Why won't they let us sit in?" the homeschool mom of five asked. “[It is] because they are teaching our children propaganda that they should not be teaching," she said. She added: "We have had a major problem in education, not just here in Tennessee, but across the country where they are indoctrinating our children with propaganda. “Tennessee mom says parents asked to sign 'ridiculous' waiver they will not eavesdrop on kids' online lessons: 'What are they trying to hide? What is the problem? Why won't they let us sit in?’” Caleb Parke, 8/22/20.

Santa Clara teachers were ordered to hide Marxist materials from parents. “Teachers in California’s Santa Clara county were reportedly instructed last year to hide from students’ parents their “ethnic studies” teaching materials, which describe the United States as a settler colonialist regime responsible for genocide and white supremacy.” “California County Instructed Teachers to Hide Marxist Teaching Materials From Parents”, GQ Pan, 4/15/21.

The ACLU has lost its way and is working to block curriculum transparency bills around the US. "Democrats and teachers unions are working to block bills proposed in at least a dozen states that would require curriculum transparency in schools across the country, arguing that parents’ access to their children’s learning materials online could lead to undue censorship and backlash against educators. Parents are entitled under federal law to request their children's curriculum for review if they attend a federally funded school, but schools are not required to post the materials online. … Democrats say curriculum transparency bills would only further embolden parents to censor certain materials and trainings, like those pertaining to critical race theory (CRT).” “Democrats, teachers unions fight to keep parents from learning what their kids are taught: Republican push for school curriculum transparency blasted by left as censorship plot”, Jessica Chasmar, 2/4/22.

No Critical Race Theory or Radical Progressivism Found Here. “Shawntel Cooper is African American, while her husband is white. She hasn’t been raised based on colors. She has been raised based on loving human beings just for being human beings, of their characters, not putting them in categories on color, or what color their parents are,” Cooper added. … Her daughter, while working on a school project for Black History Month, asked Cooper why people would say that there would be “no justice, no peace” until every white person was slaughtered. The girl recalled the news clips she had watched and was confused, especially because her father is white. She also started asking questions about whether she should be making friends based on skin color. This crossed the line for Cooper.” “Loudoun County Moms Set Out to Protect Their Children, Now They’re Trying to Save America: Faced with hit-lists, intimidation, and the FBI, parents risk all for their children's future”, Terri Wu, 11/30/21.

By the Way, No one is against teaching Black history. “Teaching more black history is fine — turning schools into ‘everything is racist’ is not”, Post Editorial Board, 10/3/21. “What good is teaching the achievements of African civilizations or the innovations developed by black scholars, if students can neither read the material nor solve basic math problems?”

"Two Ohio mothers spoke out Wednesday morning after their children were expelled from a private school due to the mothers pushing back against critical race theory. Columbus Academy is denying re-enrollment to several students, alleging that their mothers breached part of their contract by leading a public campaign against the school's purported attempt to "indoctrinate" students with left-wing ideas. "I feel like it is unfortunate that when you are speaking out and you are trying to say your truth, unfortunately, there are people who want to retaliate against you. In this case, they retaliated against our children, who are innocent," Andrea Gross said.”

“After discussing their concerns with the board of directors regarding what they called a “rapid change in the curriculum” at Charlotte Latin School in North Carolina, parents Doug and Nicole Turpin say their 11 and 13-year-old children became the targets of the headmaster’s retaliation when they were expelled last fall. “They were humiliated,” Doug Turpin, father of the two children, [said]. “They were ordered, without even knowing why, to clean out their lockers and were permanently removed from the school.” Now, some parents are seeking to restore the private school’s former transparency and working relationship between parents and teachers that they said had deteriorated since 2020. Parents became aware that there were changes in the school’s philosophy that took place during COVID restrictions when teacher-parent interactions were suspended. … The changes were a “dramatic departure” from that what had been previously taught at the school, Turpin said.” ‘They Were Humiliated’: Children Expelled From School After Parents Questioned ‘Rapid Change in Curriculum’”, Matt McGregor, 2/23/22.

“Race shaming and allusions to surgical castration in children’s literature—as well as accusations of xenophobia against political figures—are among the themes found in Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s “Indoctrination in North Carolina Public Education” report. Robinson said that he created the Fairness and Accountability in the Classroom for Teachers and Students task force (F.A.C.T.S.) to gather evidence of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the K-12 North Carolina school system. … What has surfaced are themes of CRT, bias, sexualization, and race shaming of children … Another submission involved a book titled “George,” by Alex Gino, which is a children’s novel about a transgendered, fourth-grade girl. According to the report, the book is used in North Carolina classrooms to illustrate the story of a biological boy in the fourth grade who wants to be a girl. “The book talks about cutting off male genitalia and hormone therapy,” the report stated.” “North Carolina Task Force Reports Themes of Critical Race Theory in K-12 Schools”, Matt McGregor, 8/26/21.

Connecticut Elementary School Teacher Jennifer Tafuto Resigned, Saying the “Racial curriculum, was stealing kids' ‘innocence’”. “A Connecticut elementary school teacher has resigned, deriding her district's "equity" curriculum as stealing students' innocence through an excessive focus on race. "They’re so young and naive and that to me was the hardest part about all of this," teacher Jennifer Tafuto [said]. "After 6 years as a teacher in CT, I decided to resign from what I thought would be my forever career because I felt more like a political activist than a teacher in my own classroom.” "We’re taking away that innocence because we’re trying to make them so obsessed with race and a characteristic that they can’t control. It breaks my heart and I just didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.” “Connecticut teacher resigns over racial curriculum, says it was stealing kids' ‘innocence’: Tafuto is latest of many teachers to criticize curriculum associated with critical race theory”, Sam Dorman, 8/31/21.

Ramona Bessinger: “I’m refusing to propagate lies”. “A Rhode Island middle school teacher says critical race theory is finding its way into public school classrooms and creating racial hostility and mistrust among her students. … Bessinger said there was an "alarming" shift that took place during the 2020-2021 school year regarding the implementation of a new, racially focused curriculum. … Bessinger clarified that [while] “critical race theory" is not mentioned anywhere in the new curriculum, its "tenets" are implied in all of the lessons. "The CRT theory is reflected in the novelettes and the booklets and the projects and the storylines and themes," Bessinger said.” “Rhode Island teacher goes public with critical race theory curriculum: ‘I’m refusing to propagate lies’: Ramona Bessinger said there was an 'alarming' shift that took place regarding the implementation of a new, racially-focused curriculum”, Bradford Betz, Andrew Murray, 7/16/21.

Robynn Hora discovered a “treasure trove of CRT propaganda for teachers”. “Robynn Hora, a mom from Slinger, Wisconsin, was shocked to discover a "treasure trove of CRT propaganda for teachers" as part of a required course to volunteer-substitutes at her children's school. She and several other parents formed a CRT audit group to regularly review their children's grade school curriculum. What they found startled them. "We're seeing a significant amount of CRT embedded in the resources that are made available to the teachers, which they get from the state, from the government, and from the teachers' unions.” “We are the last line of defense against the indoctrination of our children,' Wisconsin mom”, Yael Halon, 8/10/21.

Kansas Math Teacher Resigns Over Critical Race Theory Training Mandate. “[The Shawnee Mission School District] implemented the Deep Equity critical race theory training for teachers. The district spent $400,000 on the training, which told teachers to "reject and resist any parents who disagree with" critical race theory, the Sentinel reported. "It’s all critical race theory stuff," Josiah Enyart [a 13 year mathematics teacher] said. "That was kind of the start where I realized, they’re really trying to bring this in and make it something.” “Kansas math teacher resigns over CRT training and renewed mask mandates, gets fined: Kansas school reportedly spends $400,000 on critical race theory training for teachers”, Emma Colton, 8/14/21.

Did you know? ALL white people perpetuate systemic racism. "Buffalo schools have adopted a curriculum that pushes controversial ideas about race, such as that all white people perpetuate systemic racism. In practice, that has translated into "scoldings, guilt-trips, and demands to demean oneself simply to make another feel ‘empowered,'" according to the whistleblower. One of the district's instructional materials also includes the assertion that "all white people play a part in perpetuating systemic racism.”

It’s Not Only Public Schools: “Critical Race Theory is infiltrating America’s most elite private K-12 schools”. “A website that features a database of information on critical race theory (CRT) curricula and training in higher education unveiled a new study [10/4/21] focusing on the controversial ideology infiltrating the top 25 most elite K-12 private schools in America. Of the top 25 private schools, the database found that seven had some form of mandatory anti-racism training for students and a staggering 20 of 25 schools had some sort of curricular requirement change based off of anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), or critical race theory. … The study director expects it to expand to the top 50 private K-12 schools by the end of this year.” “Critical Race Theory infiltrating America’s 25 most elite private K-12 schools, according to new study: ‘What happens at these elite private K-12 schools matters to the country as a whole,”, Brian Flood, 10/5/21.

“Critical race theory points out that only one group or race is systematically racist, and that they are irredeemable and can never be forgiven,” [said] Emery McClendon, a member of the Project 21 national advisory council. Project 21 is a group of conservative Black innovators and leaders. “Dr. King taught love and the need for mankind to seek to judge one another based on the content of our character, not on the color of our skin,” he continued. “CRT is a very harmful doctrine and at the onset of its training, causes Black students and others to always see themselves as inferior and helpless victims who are discriminated against with no possible solution for change, or advancement.” “Because the 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory have perpetuated a narrative of ‘systemic racism,’ it is all the more imperative that we refocus our efforts on why it is important to reach Dr. King’s dream of climbing to the mountaintop.”

“Missouri mother says son's school was told to hide race-based curriculum from parents: Administrator reportedly suggested principals create fake curriculum to send to parents”, Joshua Q. Nelson, 5/1/21.

“The mother of a Missouri ninth-grader said Friday she was "upset" to learn that Rockwood School District was accused of hiding certain race-based curriculum from parents. "We were very surprised at this," Janet Deidrick [said]. According to a memo obtained by The Daily Wire, the Rockwood School District hid race-based content from their curriculum after backlash from parents who were concerned. 6-12 Literacy Speech Coordinator Natalie Fallert wrote to all middle and high school principals that parents complained that the school was "pushing an agenda," suggesting that certain materials only be visible to students and not to parents on the Canvas remote learning platform.

The Daily Signal posted the contents of the memo: "This doesn’t mean throw out the lesson and find a new one. Just pull the resource off Canvas so parents cannot see it … Keep teaching! Just don’t make everything visible on Canvas. This is not being deceitful. This is just doing what you have done for years.”

“Missouri AG Sues Public School District for Refusing to Turn Over Critical Race Training Records”, GQ Pan, 11/18/21.

“Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has sued Springfield Public Schools (SPS) for allegedly violating the state’s information transparency law, citing the school district’s unwillingness to provide documents his office requested on behalf of parents concerned about critical race theory. Schmitt alleged that critical race theory has been part of teacher training materials in SPS for at least two years, and that the district has violated Missouri’s Sunshine Law to avoid being held accountable by concerned parents. At another training, according to the complaint, teachers and staff at SPS were required to consult an “oppression matrix” and identify which “privileged” or “oppressed” social group they supposedly belong to—a concept popularized by proponents of critical race theory. Yet another figure that was presented to the SPS’s Executive Leadership Team at an October 2020 training stated that “Make America Great Again,” “police murdering POC (People of Color),” and “celebration of Columbus Day” are examples of “covert white supremacy.” In a statement released to the press, the SPS condemned the lawsuit as a “loud, divisive, and misguided distraction” from the district’s work to promote equity. … “SPS has been very clear: Critical Race Theory is not being taught in our classrooms,” the statement read. “Our work is focused on equity, not CRT.”

A point the Springfield Public Schools system apparently doesn’t understand is that pushing “equity” contrasted with “equality” is at the heart of Critical Race Theory’s efforts to transform America. The distinction is one where everyone “has” or is entitled to “the same” distribution of benefits (equity), as opposed to everyone being entitled to having the “equal opportunity” to achieve whatever they are capable of achieving through the fullest development of their talents (equality of opportunity). Carrie Sheffield, an investigative reporter who attended the Springfield Schools when growing up, presents insight into the situation and a detailed analysis of how devious and politicized much of America’s educational systems have become. Her critique appears below.

“If the lies of critical race theory can creep into the classrooms of Missouri’s Ozark Mountains, they’re undoubtedly in your community — even if school administrators illegally try to hide it. … So it was a shock to read reports that Springfield Public Schools is instructing teachers that they are white supremacists for requiring use of the English language or calling police on a black criminal suspect. SPS teacher training also listed such examples of “covert white supremacy” as “education funding from property tax,” “mass incarceration,” “treating kids of color as adults” and the phrase “All lives matter.” The stated purpose of the more-than-40-slide training deck, … is to combat “systemic racism and xenophobia.” It features an “oppression matrix” identifying “privileged” oppressors including “white people,” “male assigned at birth,” “gender conforming CIS men and women,” “heterosexuals,” “rich, upper-class people” and “Protestants.”

Black parents don’t believe their children are inherently incapable. White parents don’t believe their children are inherently evil. SPS denies pushing CRT, instead claiming it teaches “equity.” But the materials speak for themselves. All too often, “equity” is another word for “socialism.” Dr. Ben Carson explained … that activists want a country “where the government takes care of you from cradle to grave, but you give them all power. That of course is antithetical to the American model.” To change that, “you have to get people to believe that the system is terrible, that it’s systemically racist, that it is evil.” “If critical race theory can creep into the classrooms of Missouri, it’s likely in yours”, Carrie Sheffield, 11/25/21.