New Hanover County educators persist in their attempts to replace you as parents by continuing to ensure your children are taught what to think, not how to think.   

Another Indoctrination Tool in Their Arsenal

We have been discussing CRT related topics being taught in your public schools for more than a year.  It now appears that a new approach has been adopted by your Superintendent and Board of Education Members.  In a power point presentation that was presented during the March 1, 2022, Board of education meeting, it became obvious that “Social Emotional Learning” (SEL) is now the tool of choice to further the socialist ideology of teaching your children what to think.

WHAT IS SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING?

In researching SEL, several definitions were identified. Those wishing to forward their own objectives will give us the feel-good definitions.  However, parents across America have discovered SEL is just more of the same CRT ideology–a goal to indoctrinate our children. That’s why we say it’s CRT with a hug.

The Pioneer Institute, Public Policy Research, recently stated that proponents of  Social-emotional learning (SEL) “bill it as a transformational tool that will propel students to greater academic achievement and personal fulfillment.”  Unfortunately, as a new Pioneer Institute study makes clear, the research evidence to back up these claims is thin and unpersuasive.

Moreover, the risks posed by SEL to students’ privacy and health are significant. Not only are the goals of SEL ill-defined, but they also raise significant, unanswered questions about what attitudes should be promoted.

Parents become deceived because they don’t understand the mish mash of psycho social babble. Here are just a few of the issues:

1. SEL focuses less on academic content and knowledge and more on values, mindsets, attitudes and feelings that are inappropriate for any school to teach. These need to be taught by parents.
2. SEL has become the latest panacea in a long line of progressive “education reforms” that have only served to distract from the fact that American public school children are failing academically.
3. SEL creates a relativist worldview. A sense of right and wrong and good virtues is replaced by self-orienting pop psychology and group norms.
4. SEL champions such as the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) are now “brazenly trumpeting an even more troubling aspect of SEL: the opportunity to turn impressionable students into leftist activists.”
5. SEL encourages Collectivist Group Think instead of what MOST parents want for their children–critical thinking skills.
6. 6. SEL encourages psychological profiling by endless assessments and surveys of parents, children and teachers to ask personal questions. It is a complete invasion of privacy.

Why Parents, Grandparents and All Citizens Should Be Concerned:

• Over the last few months, we have received reports of surveys being given to students.  A Title IX survey was given to secondary students (developed by the company Second Step as part of the Social Emotional Learning curriculum in PE) and a social and emotional health survey (developed by the company Panorama) has been provided at selected Elementary schools.
• These surveys ask probing questions that violate the privacy of a student and could introduce severe mental health issues.  We recently discovered an article discussing a second grader’s attempted suicide twice due to two teachers probing the student about gender self-identification.
• In a recent article by Josie Barnhart, Teacher and Board of Education Candidate, she points out that New Hanover School Policy 4720 is being used to gain the required consent from parents or guardian prior to administrating these types of surveys.  Josie also informs, ironically the policy was changed in June of 2021 to state that parents could request a copy of surveys and would have to opt out for their child to not be included in the survey process.

Burning Questions regarding SEL and The BOE’s Intentions:

• Are teachers qualified to probe psychological and emotional aspects of a child’s developing mind?
•  Are the Board of Education Members, the Superintendent and other Staffers insured to cover inevitable Malpractice lawsuits?
• What is the real reason the Board opted to pursue progressive, leftist, and Marxist ideology and abandon most efforts to teach our children the essentials, math, science and reading?  
• Will the progressive Board members again vote to lower standards to ensure no one notices their complete failure in educating tomorrows workforce?

Together, we can take back our schools.

Recognizing that most cannot currently afford to send their children to private schools, where you do have a voice, the next best thing is to support the four conservative Board of Education Candidates in November 2022.  We promise a return to teaching your children the core subjects and leave the moral, ethical, emotional, and cultural development to you the parent.

If necessary, we will continue to fight this fight alone, but we would be much stronger with you on our TEAM.  We request you consider Joining our Team or contributing.  No amount is too small.