Friday News Roundup

It’s Friday! Time for the News Roundup.

Vermont Agency of Education Walks Back Request that School Districts Report Compliance with President Trump’s Anti-DEI Directive (VT Digger)

It won’t be easy for the Trump administration to convince Vermont to get rid of their K-12 diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Vermont prides itself as a place where those three concepts are valued, and to put it simply – Vermonters don’t like to be told what to do – especially by the federal government!

VermontDigger reported earlier this week that,

“Following a federal directive that schools ban ‘illegal’ diversity, equity and inclusion-related programs, the Vermont Agency of Education last Friday asked school districts to submit compliance certifications.”

“But just three days later, after initially defending and clarifying the decision in the face of public backlash, Education Secretary Zoie Saunders backtracked late Monday afternoon, informing superintendents the state would instead send a single statewide certification.”

…

“Saunders, in the letter to district leaders, wrote that the federal restriction includes ‘policies or programs under any name that treat students differently based on race, engage in racial stereotyping, or create hostile environments for students of particular races.’”

“Programs highlighting specific cultures or heritages ‘would not in and of themselves’ violate federal regulations, the letter said. ‘We do not view this Certification to be announcing any new interpretation of Title VI [Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination in schools based on “race, color, or national origin”],’ Saunders wrote, adding that the agency’s ‘initial legal review’ determined the federal letter only required the state to ‘reaffirm our compliance with existing law.’”

For now, at least.

Did Perry Schools Ignore Requests for Better Safety After Shooting? Some Parents Say So (The Des Moines Register)

On January 4, 2024 Dylan Butler, age 17, killed 11-year-old Amir Jolliff and high school principal Dan Marburger, and injured four students and two teachers before taking his own life on the high school campus in Perry, Iowa.

Now, The Des Moines Register reports that,

“A group of parents say they’re upset that the Perry Community School District seemingly ignored a petition to discuss safety measures at the school district in the wake of the fatal shooting last year.”

“The petition, signed by more than 700 people, asked for preventative safety measures such as secured entryways at each of the district’s three schools, weapon/metal detectors at entryways, a no-bag or clear/mesh bag policy on school grounds and police presence on-site during school hours.”

“That number of signatures, under state law, would force the item to the school board’s agenda for discussion. But the parents say – and past agendas and minutes show – that never happened.”

…

“The Perry School Board and Superintendent Clark Wicks declined to speak to the Register about the petition and did not respond to multiple inquiries about school board agendas, funding, district communications or preventative safety measures implemented in the wake of the shooting.”

Three points to be made here:

The Perry shootings were tragic, but these events happen all too often across our country.

There is no way to make school safe from shooters.

If you lead a public school, it is your moral and ethical responsibility to be responsive to the public you serve.

The Education Department Asked for Reports of DEI. It Might Get Something Else (The 74)

The 74 reported this week that,

“In 2022, newly elected Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin launched a tip line for parents to report lessons that made children feel guilty about the color of their skin. His aim was to address growing conservative alarm about the proliferation of critical race theory and other so-called ‘divisive concepts’ in the classroom.”

“But the result was something else.”

“Parents bombarded the dedicated email address with off-topic rants on issues from kids using outdated textbooks to districts that failed to pay for special education evaluations. In the end, the process likely attracted more critics than supporters to the governor’s cause. Singer John Legend urged Black parents to ‘flood’ the governor with complaints about ‘history being silenced.’ The state shut the tip line down nine months later, offering scant evidence of indoctrination.”

…

“On February 27, the U.S. Department of Education launched the End DEI portal. Its name leaves no doubt about its purpose – to uncover and eradicate examples of diversity, equity and inclusion in more than 100,000 schools across the nation. In a statement, Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice urged parents to ‘share the receipts of the betrayal that has happened in our public schools.’”

“[President] Trump made the issue a hallmark of his campaign, calling such policies ‘absolute nonsense’ and ‘illegal.’”

“On the department’s portal, a simple online form invites parents to report ‘illegal discriminatory practices’ that the department will use to launch investigations.”

“But the department didn’t say what made DEI illegal, and the concept has proved notoriously difficult to define. Schools have implemented race-focused activities like privilege walks in elementary school, drawing backlash from parents who say the lessons make their children feel ashamed. But others have blocked lessons of clear historical significance, such as a movie about Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to attend a school in New Orleans.”

“Even in its attempt to eliminate DEI, the department has found the concept to be something of a moving target.”

“A moving target” seems to be the theme of Donald Trump’s second term. What defines DEI? Should there be a Department of Education or not? Tariffs are good. Tariffs are bad. The stock market rises. The stock market drops. Government employees lose their jobs. Government employees regain the jobs.

Can the country survive four more years of this?

Moms for Liberty Has a “University.” What Is It Teaching? (EducationWeek)

I’ve always been a proponent of training parents to understand what to expect from a learning organization when it comes to their child’s education – especially parents of young black, brown, and poor learners.

But I don’t know if Moms for Liberty University (M4LU), a non-accredited group with a mission to “inform, equip, and empower parents with knowledge, understanding, and practical tools” is exactly what I had in mind.

EducationWeek reported this week that,

“The prominent conservative group, Moms for Liberty, launched its own ‘university’ in January and now claims more than 7,000 people have participated in its educational events.”

…

“The program is meant to be a place where parents can take an in-depth look at education issues.”

Given their track record, I highly doubt Moms for Liberty has the same training agenda as a curriculum benefiting public school parents of black, brown, and poor kids. Instead of supporting M4LU educating parents to serve as leaders of a “political advocacy group,” what we really need is a group to help parents find better schooling options for their kids.

There are too many bad schools.

Have a great weekend. Til Monday. SVB