A Maryland Dad Steps Up

Read this story about a Maryland dad who got involved after his son's 8th Grade English class was exposed to a transgender activist's video. That video, a 2017 TED Talk, can be viewed via a link in that story.

Matt Schoenfeldt wrote, in part, "We make a practice of reviewing the health lessons at our son’s middle school, but naively never thought to look at English lessons. We were surprised by this 'lesson' openly advocating the LGBTQ+ agenda and using a trans activist’s propaganda speech disguised as English instruction."

This dad, a career military officer, sought and attained a fairly quick meeting with the principal, the teacher and a director from the school district. He refers to them as the "unwitting accomplice, the patsy, and the pusher", respectively.

The "pusher" in Richland Two would be Helen Grant, the school district's Diversity and Multicultural Inclusion Officer. How many teachers in Richland 2 would be the "patsies"?

What are your stories about challenging "Culturally Relevant Teaching" and indoctrination of Richland 2 students under the guise of "education"? More like "re-education", I'd say.

STAMPED, by Reynolds & Kendi

When I heard that the book STAMPED, by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, had been used in the Richland 2 SOAR program, I decided to read it. What's it all about?

I was familiar with Kendi's book from readings about Critical Race Theory. Since the Richland Library had four copies of it in English (I mistakenly reserved the Spanish-language copy first), that's where I got it, instead of buying a printed copy or reading it on Kindle.

That was my first good decision - not spending money buying it!

As I read on the inside flyleaf "The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power...", I thought, "Oh, here we go." I hadn't known exactly what to expect, but that set the stage.

Then I began to read the Introduction, which is by Kendi. Kendi refers to this book as a "re-mix" of his book, Stamped from the Beginning. I thought, "Maybe I should read that one first." Kendi praises Reynolds as "one of the most gifted writers and thinkers of our time." (Page x). I thought, "Seriously?"

Then Kendi wrote, "I watched the televised and untelevised life of the shooting star of #Black Lives Matter..." (Pages x-xi) How do you watch an "untelevised" life?

Kendi wrote about the heart-breaking deaths of boys, naming Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown (Page xi), and I'm already wondering, "How am I ever going to get through this book?" And I haven't even made it to the first page yet; I'm just at the third page of the Introduction (misleadingly numbered as Page xi (that's "11", for the kids who are reading the book and don't know what "xi" means).

My opinion has been formed. This book is trash. But I'll keep reading, because I want to know why Richland 2 selected this book for any program.

Kendi referred to co-author Reynolds as "The novelist". Is this book going to be a story dressed up like it's real? 

What balance is being given to Richland 2 students? Kendi uses the word "antiracist". Does he really mean his own version of racism?

Smart guy, that Walter Williams

Who was Walter Edwards Williams (1936-2020)?

If all you knew about him was what is quoted above, you'd say he was a pretty smart guy.

I encourage you to take a.few minutes and read about Walter Williams on Wikipedia.com    Learn about his upbringing, education, military service, degrees and friendships.

Wikipedia has this to say, "As an economist, Williams was a proponent of free market economics and opposed socialist systems of government intervention. Williams believed laissez-faire capitalism to be the most moral, most productive system humans have ever devised." 

And this: "Williams believed that racism and the legacy of slavery in the United States are overemphasized as problems faced by the black community today. He pointed to the crippling effects of a welfare state and the disintegration of the black family as more pressing concerns. 'The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn't do, and that is to destroy the black family.' "

And "Williams viewed gun control laws as a governmental infringement upon the rights of individuals, and argued that they end up endangering the innocent while failing to reduce crime."

Not just a pretty smart guy. A very smart guy.

What questions are being asked in schools?

Could this be happening right here in Richland 2? Ask your kids now.

Read this FoxNews article about questions being asked of students in Fairfax County, Virginia schools. The questions are being asked of students in 8th Grade, 10th Grade and 12th Grade. Answering the questions is reported not to be mandatory.

I can hear the teacher's explanation now. "Who wants to answer these questions? All others, report to detention after school."

What questions?

"Have you ever had sexual intercourse?"

"How old were you when you had sexual intercourse for the first time?"

"During your life, with how many people have you had sexual intercourse?"

"Have you ever had oral sex?"

Questions are also asked about "their sexual orientation, whether they are transgender, and their race."

How old are kids in 8th Grade? 13? 14?

A long time ago I learned that, just because someone asks me a question, I don't have to answer it. Just because someone wrote down or printed a question on a piece of paper, I don't have to answer it.

Have students learned that yet? 

My stepson came home from middle school one afternoon and said, "Guess what I learned in school today. Stand up for what you think is right, even if you are standing alone."

Then he added, "Except in school, where you get in trouble."

Have today's students learned to say, "I am not answering those questions, and I don't know to tell you why not."

SCSBA Leaves NSBA

Last Friday, November 5, the South Carolina School Boards Association (SCSBA) voted to withdraw from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and to request a refund of its 2021-2022 membership dues.

I suspect many school boards in the State went down the throat of the SCSBA over the NSBA's letter to the White House. That furor led to protesting parents' being labeled as domestic terrorists, and parents won't stand for that.

Richland 2 didn't exactly jump on the band wagon. At the last board meeting somebody suggested a Resolution be prepared for presentation to the SCSBA, and the Richland 2 board expected it at the next board meeting on November 16. Other districts got busy and got the job done, while Richland 2 was trying to figure out how to circle the wagons.

Good thing a building wasn't on fire. 

Will Administration keep going with the preparation of the Resolution?

What are Baron Davis' Side-hustles?

People around here know Baron Davis as the superintendent of the Richland 2 School District. For that he was paid $233,882.97 in 2020, plus  an $18,000 car allowance.

You'd think that being superintendent of a large school district (28,000 students and 3,000+ employees) would be a full-time job; right? Apparently not.

The University of South Carolina paid him $14,000 in 2020. He has put a tagline on his email signature that he is Superintendent-in-Residence. What does he do for $14,000? A lot of people would have to work over a month for that amount of pay.

The University of the Cumberlands is another of his employers. He draws a salary from that school, which is located in Williamsburg, Kentucky. That's about 342 miles from Columbia. When does he have time to teach there? Or does he teach online courses there? At what times-of-day are those courses conducted?

One of his students reported on ratemyprofessor.com: "Written assignments are very self-reflective. Turned in three before I received any type of grade on the first one that was submitted. Feedback on all assignments seemed to be a cookie cutter statement that may or may not have had anything to do with my particular performance on that particular assignment."

Another student "graded" him with "Dr. Davis was informative and a very intelligent man but he was horrible at getting assignments graded."

And then there is The NeoGenesis Group. That's Davis' own business, established in 2018, of which he is the President and CEO. Its website is www.noegenesisgroup.com

There seems to be some confusion, even on his own website, as to whether it's the NeoGenesis Group or the Noe Genesis Group.

On his Statement of Economic Interests Report to the South Carolina Ethics Commission, Davis reported the name as "The Noe Genesis Group".

In bold, capitalized letters on his website, it's "THE NEOGENESIS GROUP".

In tiny print at the top left of the homepage of his website, it's "THE NOEGENESIS GROUP".

In the "ABOUT NOEGENESIS" section of the website, one can read what the business is about:

"Founded and established in 2018, The Noegenesis Group is a solutions-focused and outcomes-driven Think Tank who's [sic] philosophical orientation of support is rooted in the belief that we are at all times working toward self-actualization and continuous improvement."

Maybe someone in the tank should think a little more about whether it's who's or whose? While they are tinkering with spelling, they might also review "ESTB 2018".

In view of three side-hustles, the logical question might be, "Is Richland 2 getting his full-time services for $233,000/year? Or did the majority on the board (Holmes, McKie, Caution-Parker, Manning) decide they could do with less than his full time for the $233,000?

Davis reported his income from The Noe Genesis Group on his 2021 Statement of Economic Interests Report to the Ethics Commission as Salary. That would lead one to think that The Noe Genesis Group is one form of corporation or another. Income from sole proprietor ships and partnerships is not "salary". But the S.C. Secretary of State has no business registration for either The Neo Genesis Group or The Noe Genesis Group. Interesting ...

McKie Fails to Report R2 Income

Every year every school board member is required to file a Statement of Economic Interests Report (SEI) with the South Carolina Ethics Commission. Most do.

Amelia McKie has racked up $57,100 in fines payable to the Ethics Commission, and you'd think that, after 7 years in public office, she would either know how to complete the forms herself or find someone who does.

When McKie filed her 2021 SEI, she neglected to report her income from the Richland 2 School District. 

There are several possibilities: 1. She decided not to accept the pay; 2. Since she isn't a legitimate trustee, the District didn't pay her; 3. She didn't think she was supposed to report it; 4. She didn't know what "Income from an [sic] S.C. Governmental Entity" was; 5. She didn't think a school board/district was a S.C. Governmental Entity. (The other six members of the board correctly reported R2 income.)

She did file her SEI on-time on January 12, 2021. Give her points for that.

But she failed to report her $9,600 income for the calendar year of 2020. I think it's a fair assumption that she received it. 

McKie reported personal income from NLLC, whatever that is. A filer is not required to report the amount of personal income.

McKie did not report any amount under Family Members' Income. Was she single by January 1, 2020?

All the other trustees and trustee-elect Holmes reported Richland 2 income. Holmes, Caution-Parker, Agostini, Scott (Elkins) each reported $9,600 from Richland 2. Manning reported $10,600. McFadden reported $1,600 (she took office in November 2020 and was paid for two months of 2020 service).

When a filer reports personal income from a business entity by its initials only, it is impossible to discern whether any conflict-of-interest exists. The Ethics Commission should require filers to spell out the name of the business. If a business is known by its initials, then there ought to be a public record of such a business in the office of the S.C. Secretary of State. The first result for NLLC from Google is Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Club. I'm going to guess that's probably not her source of income. Just a guess, of course.

Also, when the Ethics Commission allows a filer to use a P.O. Box, it is impossible to know where the filer lives. This is important when it is a school board trustee (or trustee-elect, as is the case with McKie) because, as I understand it, a trustee must reside in the school district.