Illegal In California

The Death of Public Education

What follows is a resolution I asked Superintendent Cheryl James Ward, currently on leave, and Trustee Michael Allman of the San Dieguito Unified School District to put on the School Board’s agenda for review and public comment followed by a vote to embrace or reject. The Superintendent told me it violated California State laws AB 101 and AB 24. Allman had other priorities. Seems that the standards and values as expressed in the resolution are in conflict with the mandated ethnic studies curriculum. I requested Ward delineate specifically the violations. I have to date received nothing specific about what in the text of my proposed resolution violated the law.

Read and contemplate the values and standards that are no longer acceptable in public schools in California. It will give you insights regarding the nature of a deceptively pleasant sounding curriculum called ethnic studies. Agee or disagree with the values and standards described in my resolution, I believe it will be revelatory. I trust many people will be surprised and enraged. The common sense core traditional values enunciated in my resolution speak for themselves.

RESOLUTION

DISTRICT VALUES

The San Dieguito Unified School District is pledged to the highest standards of scholarship. We respect the unique humanity of each of the students put in our charge. Our respect for each student is best expressed by the words of Victor Frankl, “There are two races of men in the world, but only these two — the race of the decent man and the race of the indecent man”. In combination our pledge is reflected in the iconic words of Martin Luther King, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”.   

By whatever name, sponsor or source we reject curriculum that violates the values as expressed through the sage words of these iconic men. Diversity of opinion is the most crucial form of diversity. It nourishes our children’s critical thinking skills.  These are skills they will need to successfully navigate the world as thoughtful adults. Any assumptions about a student’s opinions, lifestyle, values, privileges, character, bigotry or morals based on ethnicity, gender, heritage, nation of origin or race is profoundly disrespectful of the humanity of each student as a unique individual. This basic recognition of each person’s unique status holds true for our student’s parents as well.

The school’s responsibility is to educate in the areas of scholarship. Social engineering in the form of attempting to change cultural norms is not the responsibility of taxpayer funded schools. Public schools are not the appropriate place to train students as activists for political or cultural causes of any sort. Our children are in school to learn, not be pressured to demonstrate for any cause. Encouraging students to embrace causes held by administrators or teachers is prohibited. 

CURRICULUM DIRECTIVES

We are tasked to teach math and computation. Math must be taught devoid of politics and social engineering. Math (geometry, calculus, trigonometry etc.) answers and solutions are not race or culturally sensitive. They are correct or incorrect based on rules and formulas. These are the tools our students need to function as adults and in STEM related occupations. We will never deny high performing students the advanced courses they qualify for because of other students’ lack of achievement. 

English must be taught to give our children the skills necessary to speak, read and write with clarity of thought using proper English, spelling, punctuation and syntax. Critical thinking skills flow from competence in reading comprehension and writing. We will not permit the use of alternative spelling or meaning of words to accommodate political or social causes. 

We are committed to exposing students to the great works of literature. Selected reading will be chosen based on the quality, clarity and historic impact of the author’s writings. No books will be chosen to accommodate religious, racial, nationality, gender or heritage balance. We will lean heavily on the literature that has met the tests of time. Classic literature has served prior generations well. Our students will be functionally illiterate if we fail to expose them to the classics. Our students will be handicapped by their failure to recognize and understand thousands of references employed by the great writers and in historic speeches if not exposed to classic literature. 

The time dedicated to historyis limited. It is our responsibility to be sure our students understand the good, bad and ugly aspects of American and world history. They must learn about the abomination of the western slavery, slave trade and America’s pre and post Constitution participation. It must however be taught in the context of world-wide participation in slavery as practiced by all civilizations throughout history to include the native American tribes in North and South America as well as in the Caribbean. Students must also be taught about slavery as practiced in Asia, Africa and the Islamic world in the past and as practiced today. Finally, they need to learn about the participants in and origin of the emancipation movement.

Historical figures are included in the curriculum based on their contributions both positive and negative to national and world events. The race, gender, nationality or heritage of historical figures have no bearing on the individuals we choose to highlight. There is no such thing as historical racial, ethnic or gender balance when discussing the importance of historical figures and events. 

Civics will include testing, age appropriate, for a comprehensive knowledge of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Federalists Papers. Our objective is to teach the students the sources of their freedom and the opportunities that flow from that freedom. It is our responsibility to be sure they understand their unique good fortune and how easily it can be lost if not learned and preserved. Students are incapable of objective criticism of the past or present before they have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the past.

Teaching science and biology must not include any political or social bias. The students will be taught and tested based on comprehension of scientific and biological facts. Any political or social implications is a role played by parents not teachers. Above all else, to the extent to which theories are included, it is the teacher’s responsibility to include those theories as analyzed by scientists who disagree as to the accuracy and implications of the theories. There are basic truths in science. Those truths must be understood to pass any science class. The constantly changing implications of theories derived from the use of scientific studies and models must not be taught as unerring scientific truth. 

CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT

Every class session will be audio and or video recorded. To protect the children, videos will only show the teacher and any visual aids he or she uses in class. Every lesson-plan and all curriculum will be made available to every resident in the district. Teachers are public servants. The classroom is a public space. Teachers should be proud of what they do in the classroom. Parents and district residents will be accommodated to observe classes in person upon appointment.

The first period of every school day will begin with the teacher leading all students standing for the pledge of allegiance facing an American flag. Students will be required to stand facing the flag in respect but not required to recite the pledge. 

Cursing will not be allowed on campuses or in the classroom by teachers or students. Teachers are prohibited from wearing shorts or flip-flops while on campus. Teachers are prohibited from wearing political slogans or images on their attire while on campus. Students will address teachers by their last names. Teachers are authority figures. Teachers are not student peers or babysitters. They are not paid to act as political influencers while in the classroom.  

CONCLUSION

These basic standards and values have been marginalized over decades because of time spent in the classroom pursuing other priorities and concerns. Priorities and concerns that have nothing to do with academics occupy time more appropriately spent on academics. This resolution demands a return to mission. Considering the concomitant multi-decade decline in public school student performance, it is past time to turn back in the academic direction