You know we’ve been talking about CRT for a while on my show. You know we’ve had a large focus on PHM schools’ CRT (or as they like to call it SEL) curriculum. I’ve also told you that Elkhart Community Schools, South Bend School Corporation, and other local school districts are implementing CRT this next school year. These are the facts. I have the curriculum, the documents, the witnesses. A common tactic is to hide CRT curriculum by not labeling it CRT and by only cherry-picking parts of the collegiate CRT curriculum to teach in public schools. A rose by any other name is still a rose.
PHM parents are organized and have been very effective at generating attention for this issue. My radio show and Real News Michiana led the way with coverage of what was happening at Penn. Parents called into my show and sent me documents proving CRT was, in fact, being taught at Penn High School. Real News Michiana went further and obtained the curriculum. Penn then lied about CRT being taught in their schools. That lie was exposed. Now they are on a media blitz trying to ‘clarify’ what’s being taught. Penn also issued a public notice of a public commentary hearing on the issue in the middle of my show as we discussed it. PHM parents and faculty led the way with only two media outlets (RNM and me) covering the story. That exposure forced other outlets to finally take notice and cover it, but only from a PHM friendly angle. Many outlets didn’t even reach out to the parent group fighting CRT in PHM schools.
I’ve also been telling you I have sources inside other school districts who are exposing CRT all around Michiana.
Earlier this week I told you about the video being used for Elkhart Community Schools faculty orientation. That movie, Segregated By Design, was show to ECS faculty for orientation this year. The movie is by The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America author Richard Rothstein. Rothstein has been roundly criticized for years for his rewriting of American history. Faculty were also led in various ‘antiracist’ activities portraying whites as inherently bad and oppressive. These are the people who are tasked with teaching your kids. Good news is that many of them are not on board with CRT propaganda in school. Bad news is that many are.
Less than two days after my segment on CRT in Elkhart schools, ECS sent this email out to parents:
Elkhart Community Schools Statement: Critical Race Theory
ECS Families,
In a recent letter sent to principals and superintendents by Indiana’s Secretary of Education, Dr. Katie Jenner, Dr. Jenner sought to clarify the position of the Indiana Department of Education regarding the teaching of critical race theory. She wrote that critical race theory is not appropriate for K-12 students and Indiana schools should not be teaching it. Elkhart Community Schools agrees and aligns our efforts for educational equity with the Indiana Department of Education. In addition, Elkhart Community Schools aligns with the Indiana Attorney General’s “Parent Bill of Rights.”
Elkhart Community Schools believes in:
The Elkhart Promise: Every student is known by name, challenged and supported by highly effective staff, and in partnership with the community will graduate career/college ready and life ready.
Helping our families understand how school works and providing access to resources to help ensure student success.
Building relationships with students and families to help our students learn, grow, and master curriculum.
Prioritizing the academic success of our students, while recognizing and supporting students’ social and emotional needs.
Alignment with IDOE curriculum standards related to Social-Emotional Learning and Employability Skills, including the five core social emotional learning standards to foster the development of the following cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
An expectation for student behavior that centers on positive support for the characteristics represented in the PRIDE acronym: Persistence, Respect, Initiative, Dependability, and Efficiency.
Fully supporting Elkhart’s diverse communities and acknowledging that all Elkhart students benefit from learning a full and factual account of our country’s historical events, shortcomings, and progress aligned with Indiana state standards for curriculum.
Guaranteeing every student a challenging, fair, and equitable education, not only helping them reach growth expectations on State Academic Standards, but also developing their knowledge, talents, skills, and mindsets to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.
Knowing students by name is individualized and personal. Any effort to lump people into a collective group and attribute characteristics to that group based on generalizations or stereotypes has no place in Elkhart Community Schools. Staff are not to teach curricula outside of the district adopted curriculum connected to state standards as outlined by the IDOE; consequences for employment can result from doing so. Efforts we take as educators to build understanding need to be rooted in reflection and respect and restoration of the individual with the goal of doing our best for each person’s unique dignity. Therefore, as a district, Elkhart Community Schools has not adopted nor will not endorse Critical Race Theory.
Please see the following video statement from Dr. Steve Thalheimer, Superintendent of Schools: ECS Statement regarding Critical Race Theory
On the surface, this looks good. If nothing else, parents and faculty who’ve express concern about CRT principles being taught in Elkhart schools have forced ECS to address it publicly. They couldn’t sit quietly and not address the issue anymore.
The problem is that INDOE curriculum has SEL in it. SEL is what Penn used to push CRT principles in the classroom. We know SEL can be a vessel for CRT. Elkhart schools saying they won’t teach CRT but will teach SEL shouldn’t be an automatic comfort.
In the case of PHM, they used SEL to promote CRT principles and to promote Robin D’Angelo who authored the book White Fragility. Spend five minutes looking at how awful that book and her philosophy is. PHM also used SEL to promote Ibram Kendi, a bigot and noted promoter of expanding discrimination towards white people.
While ECS has been put on notice that parents and faculty are paying attention and will not stand for students being abused, and make no mistake, CRT is abuse, I’m only cautiously optimistic. Forgive my hesitancy to trust the word of Dr. Steve Thalheimer after he lied to and then attacked parents after the school referendum failed.
A former cafeteria worker at Lacache Middle School in Chauvin, Louisiana, has been arrested on multiple charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile for allegedly hosting parties and sleepovers with teenage boys at her home.
The occasions allegedly entailed “sexual encounters” as well as the consumption of alcohol and the viewing of pornography, according to the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO).
Dawn Marie Baye, 38, of Chauvin, was arrested following several weeks into an investigation launched by the TPSO after it received a complaint from a concerned parent of one of the children involved.
According to the TPSO, on April 21 “deputies received information that multiple juveniles had gone to an adult female’s house on several occasions whereas they consumed alcoholic beverages and watched pornography movies; furthermore, that there were sexual encounters. The ages of the boys were between 13 and 16 years of age.
“During the investigation, detectives learned that there were sleepovers at the adult female’s residence during the time that these parties occurred.”
I was an average school going kid who has a pretty average life. Waking up, going to school etc.
But there was this kid “Andrew” who I hated very very much. This kid used bully me all the frigging time. I was annoyed by this kid and what he did to me. He used to make jokes about me, kick me, punch me, even steal from me. He made me look “gay” to everyone.
Now years later I am in high school and this same guy was in my class and he did not change one bit. Except for bullying me only, he bullied others too. But I had a perfect plan to get him back this time. So I decided to make fake social media accounts ( Multiple different accounts on instagram, facebook, snapchat). I made a list of things that triggered him, one of those things that triggered him the most was his body weight.
Every day I used to spam his account(s) with fat shaming quotes, jokes about how he managed himself to get diabetes. I also made all other boys and girls of my class and other classes to fat shame him ( Note: these guys were also subject of his bullying).
He was so annoyed of this that one day he completely stopped coming to school. And after some days we got news that he took his life.
Now all my friends are calling me asshole for taking things to far. I also had to explain this to the school authorities and principle, though some students have my back in this case. His parents are very mad at me and the others.
Update:
I know I am terrible and and huge asshole for doing this. Apparently I have this huge burden on me. My parents have been distant from me for past few weeks, also I lost all my friends. I am in the limelight at the school for about some time. Only my cousin talks with me.
I don’t know what to do. I feel guilty of all of this. I feel like commiting suicide too. I feel like dying too. Everyone hates me now. My school has suspended me and I am going to be put to therapy and counselling. I don’t know about much about what’s going on as I am not allowed to leave the house . But I may be put through 3 months of probation as I overheard this from my parents.
My this academic year will be over soon. And even if I got out of all of this, I may have to repeat a entire year again as I may be missing my exams. I would be withdrawn from my scholarship.
I currently read my old comics and novels as I am banned from using any electronic devices in the house. I am typing this from my grandma’s phone as she is asleep and my parents are sitting out on the porch. I may not get any chances to see any replies. But I am sharing this to get it out from my head. Thank you if you had read through all of this.
John Hawkins basically says ‘too bad’ the kid killed himself. He does make sure to point out that he would never want that to happen but to hold his victim accountable for turning the tables is wrong. I agree.
Have we gone so far down the rabbit hole now that we can’t even retaliate against bullies? We can justify and endorse punching people on the street because we disagree with their politics but we aren’t supposed to defend ourselves against bullies?
Look, most bullies bully because they are compensating for their own low self-worth. We all get that. However, to blame this guy for turning the tables on his lifelong tormentor is asinine. What if he just punched the bully right in the nose and this embarrassed the bully so much he still took his own life? Would he still be held accountable then?
Clearly, the bully had issues that weren’t treated. Everyone in their inner circle either ignored or didn’t see the signs. The school never really intervened either. After years of this behavior, no one did anything?
This is obviously a case of the bully’s family, school faculty, etc. using this poor kid as a scapegoat for their own guilt for having not done anything to divert the bully from this path. Now they have someone they can pin the blame on so they don’t have to feel guilty for not helping the bully when they clearly needed it.
Other students on the bus were allowed to keep their hats on.
He boarded his bus to Hidden Oaks Middle School, and within seconds, the bus aide can be heard talking to Johansson.
“Boy, if you don’t that that hat off this bus… take it off. Take that hat off… take that hat off…” the bus aide, who has not been identified, is heard saying.
“I was really confused, I was like ‘I can’t wear this?’ “Johansson said.
LISTEN TO THIS: A Martin County school bus aide is under investigation for yelling at a student then grabbing his #Trump#MAGA hat off of his head for 'hat day' at school. The school does not have clear policies against wearing political attire. @WPTVpic.twitter.com/NjxvgZKY3W
Here we go again. Another story where students wearing pro-Trump gear are clashing with administrators.
Heidi Jones told AZ Central that her daughter, Logan Jones, was suspended after school let out that Friday. The students were taking pictures in their gear after school, when they noticed a police resource officer was taking photos of them.
The resource officer asked Logan for her name, but she refused to answer any questions until her mom was with her. She was taken to the administrators’ office.
Tori Farris, a student who was also there at the time, told AZ Family that the police officer approached them while they were taking pictures and said: “We would like you to take off the merchandise and get off the campus.” When they asked “why” and started leaving the campus, he started taking photos and asked them to come the office.
Heidi Jones said that when she arrived, she was told that her daughter Logan had been suspended for 10 days.
To be fair, this is after school was over. So they let them wear the MAGA gear throughout the day. Or did they…?
Heidi Jones, one of the moms, said that everything was fine until lunchtime, when administrators asked anyone wearing MAGA gear to remove it. She said the students all did what they were asked.
Jennifer Farris, another mother of a student involved, confirmed with AZ Centraal that assistant principals were asking students to remove pro-Trump gear. Farris wrote on Facebook:
Wow. Today was USA Day at Perry High School. A bunch of kids wore things that said Make America Great Again hats, shirts and brought banners. ALL those kids were asked to leave school property!!! When the kids said no and defended themselves saying they were allowed to wear things to support their PRESIDENT the kids were SUSPENDED for 10 DAYS!!! Channel 3 and 5 are on their way to do a story it but please help support these kids and spread this information .. we can’t let our kids be censured this way!!!
That isn’t good.
It looks like 8 students were sent to the office according to AZ Family.
Here’s the interaction between mom Jennifer Farris and the school’s principle:
“You’re going to ask my daughter to leave school because she was wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ sweatshirt?” Farris asked Serrano in the video.
“Nope. That’s not what happened,” he responded.
Farris then questioned why a flag would not be allowed on campus, referencing the ‘Trump’ flag the students had carried.
“She’s not the one that had the Trump flag,” Farris said, referring to her daughter. “And even if she did, why can’t she have a flag on America day for school that says Make America Great Again?”
Serrano responded in the video.
“To carry a flag around is not a good use of the flag, it’s disrespectful,” Serrano responded.
We’ve heard the ‘flags are disruptions argument before.’ Usually referring to rebel flags.
Remember, the students allege the school resource officer approached them after school and told them to “take off the merchandise and get off the campus.” That contradicts the principal alleging that this was only about the flag. If it was only about the flag … why were 8 students sent to the office over it? And let’s not forget they are alleging faculty ordered students to remove MAGA items?
Sidebar: You should give your name to officers. However, the student alleges the officer called her “darlin.” That’s a serious #MeToo offense. I’d expect the feminist groups to defend her (hahaha) after the patriarchy spoke to her in such a belittling way.
“I am writing to clear up misinformation circulating on social media and media, specifically that students have been disciplined for expressing their political viewpoints or wearing political attire. This is false.”
He then said the issue was that the political signage (Trump flag) was causing a disruption and was creating a “safety concern.” He then says the school resource officer asked the kids to leave campus but they refused. This statement contradicts the students who say they were complying.
The Chandler Unified School District claimed the issue with the MAGA flag:
“was related to the interactions it was causing, not that carrying a flag in itself was disrespectful.”
There is no express ban on political signage in the handbook but the school has the discretion to deal with such issues.
In all of the articles and videos I’ve seen of the incident, none allege there was a violent encounter between students or anything of the sort. On the surface, it looks like faculty tried to get the students to remove MAGA gear during lunch then were ready for them to get off of campus as soon as possible after school let out. No real reason has been given by either side to justify it. So, naturally, it looks like faculty didn’t approve of the clothing since they didn’t highlight any potential threat arising from MAGA gear being worn by students.
