SEL - "the Insidious Teaching Tool You've Never Heard of"

 

                                                         SEL and surveys (data-mining)

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) - ever heard of it?

If you've been paying attention to the uproar over Critical Race Theory, you've probably heard of it. But do you know what it is?

Read this article (and/or listen to the podcast) from today's The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation. From this article, "The (SEL) program seeks to indoctrinate kids into leftist ideology by reinforcing a series of critical race theory-based morals and values."

Read about the firing of Jennifer McWilliams, who got canned from her Indiana elementary school teaching position northeast of Indianapolis. 

What happened to her job?

"When she voiced her concerns about the racist ideology, she was summarily fired."

Teachers here and around the country are learning to hunker down. Don't stick your head up out of the foxhole. Suck it up. Keep your mouth shut (if you like having a job and a paycheck). Do what you're told. Teach what you are told to teach, the way you are told to teach it.

Do not get on the bad side of your principal or any higher-up administrator.

Is the program "Leader in Me" here in Richland 2?

I remember a first-year, freshman English teacher in college who was brave enough, when asked during a faculty meeting to fill out what he considered a dumb questionnaire, to exclaim something about "utter nonsense", snap his pencil in half, and walk out of the meeting. I always wondered where he worked next.

Check out McWilliams' webpage at www.jennifermcwilliamsconsulting.com  Could we get her to come to Columbia and conduct a workshop (Special-Called board meeting) for the school board?

Are you familiar with data mining? That's collecting information from students and analyzing it, often without parental consent. Watch McWilliams' video. Click on the YouTube video above or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCErTSJkWTs

How much money does Richland 2 spend with Panorama Education for surveys?

Does Richland 2 have a REAL Ombudsman?

The following email was sent this morning to the Richland 2 Ombudsman, Kelli Johnson.

According to the Richland County (S.C.) website, 

"An Ombudsman is an impartial dispute-resolutioner, whose major function is to provide informal assistance to citizens and to assist citizens with county concerns and request for service.

• Receives and investigates concerns and requests for service.
• Develops or identifies a range of responsible options to resolve problems and facilitate discussion.
• Helps citizens find alternative solutions and develop new ways to solve problems themselves."

In most organizations, the Ombudsman is a strong and independent authority, often reporting directly to the CEO. An ombudsman is an advocate for the person with the issue - the complainant, the employee, the customer, etc. An Ombudsman has clout.

What is the role of the Richland 2 Ombudsman? She reports to the superintendent. Can she go to him and say, "We have a real problem here. This is a legitimate complaint. We cannot just sweep this one under the rug."

What will his response be?

Here's the email sent this morning to Ms. Kelli Johnson. Copies were sent to the outside attorney for the school district, the Richland County Councilman for our district, the executive directors of the Richland County Election Commission and the S.C. Ethics Commission, Gov. McMaster, the S.C. Attorney General, the S.C. Superintendent of Education, the five legal school board trustees and the two trustees-elect, and the superintendent.

For the Ombudsman.

Dear Ms. Johnson:

The Richland School District Two school board has two participants who have been usurping public office for three years, and I seek your assistance in having them removed from office.

I have reviewed the services offered by the Ombudsman, and I am writing for your assistance.

THE OMBUDSMAN CAN:

• Listen to clarify concerns to understand them thoroughly
• Help community members identify and explore options for solutions
• Provide information to help resolve concerns by researching Board policies as well as Administrative Rules
• Coach and empower individuals on how to prepare conversations that lead to collaborative resolutions
• Navigate individuals to the correct resources and people to address concerns
• Foster effective communication
• Track trends to help the district identify areas that could be improved

Significant dates:

11/6/18 Teresa Holmes and Amelia McKie were elected.

11/9/18 Richland County Election Commission certified the election.

11/13/18 The oath of office was administered to Holmes and McKie; they took office that night. However, on that date neither was eligible to take the oath of office.

11/14?/18 Notarized oath of office documents were transmitted to the S.C. Secretary of State (SCSOS). The SCSOS should be informed that false notarized documents were sent to it, because neither Holmes nor McKie was eligible to take the oath of office legally on Nov. 13, 2018.

11/16/18 School board member term-of-office began.

12/4/18 Holmes and McKie filed their Statements of Economic Interests Reports (SEI) with the S.C. Ethics Commission.

* Neither Holmes nor McKie was eligible to take the oath of office on 11/13/18, because they had not filed their SEIs.

* Holmes and McKie first became eligible to take the oath of office on 12/4/18.

* Neither Holmes nor McKie has taken the oath of office on or since 12/4/18.

I have raised this issue regularly with the School Board since February 2019. It is absolutely within the purview of the school board to address this issue.

Administration informed me one time only that it considers Holmes and McKie to be legal board members, but it has never provided an explanation for why S.C. Code of Laws Section 8-13-1110(A) does not apply. That law reads, in summary,

1. the elected person files the SEI (by filing the SEI, the elected person first becomes eligible to take the oath of office);

2. the elected person then takes the oath of office;

3. the elected person then enters upon official responsibilities.

The order is clear: 1-2-3.

However, Holmes and McKie followed this order: 2-3-1, and that is not in compliance with State law.

For three years the District has improperly paid monthly stipends to both Holmes and McKie and has paid or reimbursed expenses for both.

In view of the District's published services of the Ombudsman, will you please help me explore the options to remove Holmes and McKie from the board? 

Sincerely,

Gus Philpott

847.971.7083

Resident, Richland School District Two

Critical Race Theory - what you didn't learn at the Board presentation

Were you disappointed by the presentation to the Richland 2 Board of Trustees about the difference between Critical Race Theory (CRT) and culturally-relevant teaching (crt)?

Frankly, I was the most disappointed by Helen Grant's response to Lindsay Agostini's question. Mrs. Grant couldn't even tell Trustee Agostini what CRT is.

If I had been the superintendent, the next day Mrs. Grant would have been looking for a new job.

Check out this website for information on CRT: www.uspie.org  It's the website of the U.S. Parents Involved in Education. Click on the tab right in the middle of the first line of subjects: CRITICAL RACE THEORY.

It's too bad that Mrs. Grant didn't spend some time on that page before the presentation. Her presentation was not about the Differences.

Oh, but don't worry. Just trust Helen Grant and Teresa Holmes, when they say, "Richland 2 doesn't teach Critical Race Theory." Seriously?

Of course, Richland 2 does not teach Critical Race Theory. Richland 2 doesn't teach theory.

Now what about all those elements of Critical Race Theory that are taught, emphasized, urged, encouraged to be used in the classroom?

Those are what concern many parents of Richland 2 students!!!

A Must-Read: CRT, Loudoun County. It's there; it's HERE

This article about Loudoun County (Va.) parents and their battle against Critical Race Theory (CRT) should be read and studied by every parent, community member, teacher, staff member, administrator and school board member in Richland 2 School District.

The title of the article is "Loudoun County Moms Set Out to Protect Their Children, Now They’re Trying to Save America".

I suggest printing it and then highlighting important words and phrases. 

Refer to it when you are emailing the board members, administrators and teachers. 

The indoctrination of students MUST stop. 

Am I exaggerating? Do you understand that CRT is comprised of equity, inclusion and diversity? Those are the three words you hear in Richland 2.

The Loudoun County Public Schools' "equity impact statement highlights LCPS’ commitment to 'a racially-conscious, identity-affirming, and culturally responsive learning space.'"

How much of that is right here, whether written down or just applied?

Don't Miss This - K12Dive article

Be sure to read this article in K-12 Dive Thanks to a Richland 2 parent for sending the article to me.

Measure it against your own experience with Richland 2. What will you learn about Richland 2?

Richland 2 "... has received recognition for rethinking grading policies with equity at the forefront". Do you have any idea what that means?

Supt. David "has prioritized the recruitment and retention of male teachers of color via his Premier 100 initiative." Does this sound like a racially-based program to you?

"(E)very school (has) a TLC, which is a tech learning coach".  Do you know what the SAMR model is? Here's a scary word: "redefinition". What does that mean at Richland 2?

How nice to read about "engagement and transparency" at Richland 2. I know some parents who will question that!

The article repeats the percentage of Richland 2 students who live in poverty: 56.2%. The number makes me wonder what the poverty level is, especially when I drive by the student parking lot at, for example, Blythewood High School.

What can you do? Get involved at your kids' schools. Attend school board meetings in-person. You get a totally different understanding when you are sitting there versus sitting at home in front of your computer.

When you do show up at a board meeting, ask yourself why the room is set up as it is, with the trustees lined up sideways so you can't see most of them. 

Ask why the superintendent occupied the place of honor in the corner between the trustees; that's where the board chair should sit. 

Ask why the superintendent even sits at the board line-up, which one trustee inquired about recently.

Ask yourself why the audience is seated so far away from the board members. 

Ask why staff is seated in front of the audience, rather than off to the side as it used to be.

Ask why there are so many deputies and R2 security officers present.

A great resource: School Reform News

Before today I was unfamiliar with School Reform News. I just read a second article, this one titled "Parents Want Authority over K-12 Cuirriculum Choices, but Teachers Evade Oversight".

Check it out. Skim through it. Read it more slowly.

Parents throughout the country are waking up to what is happening in schools. Parents have in the past trusted schools to educate their children. Schools have the kids for a large portion of the day. Now parents are finding out what really happens in many schools.

Attend a Richland 2 school board meeting in person. Get a taste of the action. In particular, pay close attention to Holmes, McKie, Caution-Parker and Manning. Their terms expired in November 2022. 

Efforts are mounting to replace all four then, if not sooner.

Remember when SEL was for SpecEd kids?

Social Emotional Learning - SEL

I remember the non-too-distant past when SEL was for special education students who were struggling with how to be included. 

And now? It's the indoctrination being jammed down kids' throats. Kids as young as kindergarten. Do parents even know what it happening in schools?

Thanks to the internet and parent action groups all over the country, parents are waking up and becoming informed. And the school districts hate it.

Witness the "statement" being read by the Richland Two (acting) board chair, trustee-elect Teresa Holmes, before each public participation segment of a board meeting. Remember the kinder, gentler introducation of public participation when Craig Plank was board chair? Nobody felt threatened when he made very brief statements about how public participation would be conducted.

Now?

OK, boys and girls. You'd better be nice and follow the rules or you will be gaveled into submission.

Be sure to notice at each board meeting how (un)evenly the "rules" are applied. At least she stopped drumming her fingers on her desk as the clock ran out on a speaker. No one commented on just how rude that was.

Thanks to whoever ordered and installed a timer on the podium so that the speaker could see the time remaining.

Back to SEL. Read this article from School Reform News titled "Schools Spending Billions to Indoctrinate Kids with 'Social Emotional Learning'. Parents in West Hartford, Conn. are up in arms. Just like parents should be all over this country, including right here in Richland Two.

Step out of the "smoke" being blown at you. When Helen Grant and Teresa Holmes say, "We don't teach Critical Race Theory in Richland 2", they are right. "Theory" is not being taught. Now break it down into its elements. They don't talk about that. In fact, Helen Grant couldn't even define Critical Race Theory (CRT) for the board at a recent meeting. Imagine that. The chief of diversity, inclusion and equity couldn't even define CRT. And yet, the topic of her presentation was the Difference between CRT and culturally relevant teaching (crt). If you can't define something, how can you compare it with something else?

Why didn't seven board members stand up and cry out, "WHAT?" I know why four of them didn't. The other three were being polite.