On June 26, 2024, Real News Michianapublished an article about Doug Chaffee. Doug Chaffee is the former Principal of Penn High School and is currently running for PHM school board. Doug Chaffee is also the father of current PHM school board member Matt Chaffee. RNM recently published an article about Matt Chaffee as well.
In the article about Doug Chaffee, RNM claimed that Doug Chaffee engaged in a “terrifying attack” against Matt Chaffee’s girlfriend at the time.
Doug Chaffee reached out to me asking if I’d be willing to publish his response. He expressed that he felt I was the only media outlet that would be fair to him and publish his response without taking sides.
Here’s Doug Chaffee’s statement on the Real News Michiana article about him:
Clifton French of RNM has taken our conversation from September of 2023 out of context. He has not provided the full text messages between us, and he has completely twisted my words to him to create a “hit piece” on myself and my son. I am guessing Mr. French has not released the full audio recording he claims to have due to threats he made about killing his ex-wife and others on that same call. My son and I are no longer going to entertain these defamatory articles as our focus is serving the PHM community and its constituents. Thank you to everyone who supported and continues to support the Chaffee family in our endeavors to better our community.
– Doug Chaffee
I can not verify the claims made by Doug Chaffee, but I’m told his attorneys approved the release to me. I’m also told there‘s more to come in future releases.
For a guy who runs a foundation that sends young people to trade schools all over America – trade schools where I’m pleased to report, no one is calling for the extermination of Jews – today’s headlines are once again offering another excellent reason to consider redirecting…
This is the PHM high school student handbook proposed changes for next year. The school board will have first reading of these proposed revisions publicly this coming Monday. On May 20, the board will vote to approve potential changes.
Page 18 might be of particular interest. Notice the red ink?
You can read the full proposed student handbook here.
A recent district-wide email went out to PHM employees notifying them that current DEI officer, Derrick White, will leave that post and take over as Director of Alternative Education and Special Projects starting on July 1. This leaves the PHM DEI officer position open and vacant. I wrote about this change recently.
In my previous article, I wrote that PHM is eliminating the DEI officer position. People took issue with my using the word ‘eliminate’ because the board hasn’t voted to officially eliminate it yet, and may not vote to do so. This was a fair criticism. However, numerous sources inside PHM tell me there are no plans to fill the DEI officer position in PHM. This would effectively leave the position open indefinitely and it would only remain in derelict status. Given that DEI is being rolled back all over the country right now due to political pressure, I can see this position remaining vacant and effectively being eliminated. Arguing over semantics about whether a perpetually vacant position is actually ‘eliminated’ seems like a waste of time and energy. My sources say the position won’t be filled. If that changes, I’ll tell you.
In 2023, DEI jobs fell 5%, and so far they are down 8% in 2024. 30 states have introduced legislation to ban DEI in public education at all levels. Many have succeeded and DEI is being rolled back in many states. In last years Indiana legislative session, HB 1338 would have effectively banned DEI in Indiana education. It didn’t pass, but SB 202 did pass in the 2024 session. DEI has become politically toxic and is in retreat in the corporate world as well as public education.
Now, that doesn’t mean the battle is won. As I’ve highlighted on the show for many years, DEI, CRT, etc. are hidden within other programs like SEL. Just because PHM appears to be leaving the DEI officer post vacant and striking DEI language from the high school student handbook doesn’t mean the tenets of DEI are going away. A point highlighted by Accuracy In Media’s deep-dive investigation into Indiana public schools hiding DEI and CRT from not only parents and the public, but from school boards as well.
Alternative media, activists, and parent groups pushing back against DEI are effectively driving it underground but the fight is long from over.
Penn-Harris-Madison has eliminated its controversial and ineffective DEI officer position.
It has been confirmed PHM school’s first ever diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Derrick White, will be moved to Pennway Alternative Day School, the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation’s alternative high school.
Strengthen Our Schools-PHM District, an active parental group, has had the elimination of the DEI position as atop priority since it was created in 2020. Their efforts have proven successful.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a doctrine that promotes racial division and stokes animosity among racially diverse groups using false premises such as current American society being institutionally structured to benefit Whites at the expense of non-Whites.
Update:
Eliminating the DEI position appears to be a combination of fulfilling a need at Pennway and not filling the DEI officer position after it was vacated. Sorry if it looked like Strengthen Our Schools facilitated the end of the DEI position with a recent action. I was in the parking lot buying a chainsaw when I broke the news. Cut me some slack.
As of the evening of April 15, sources inside PHM confirm no plans to fill the DEI post.
Rumors about possibly merging it with another position are out there but my sources say that would be a deviation from the current plan with one jokingly positing if the rumors are true, it’s because I wrote about it.
Breaking: conservative radio host directly responsible for appointment of new PHM DEI officer … is a traitor to the cause. News at 11. 😂
Update 2:
Some have taken issue with my using the word ‘eliminated’ since the PHM board hasn’t voted yet. That’s fair. Technically, the position hasn’t been ‘eliminated’ yet. PHM sources say there are no plans to replace Derrick White in that position, leaving it vacant, not eliminated. I regret the confusion.
