I remember how it was -- JR
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Pushing Parents Out, Biden Administration Further Weaponizes ‘Education’
When it comes to education policy, the Biden administration is making the radicalism of the Obama years look mild by comparison.
The goal is to ultimately replace parents with bureaucrats and “experts” to facilitate the indoctrination of America’s youth. That transformation is accelerating.
Not only are the education system and America’s children being weaponized against America, federal law enforcement is now being weaponized against parents who speak out about it.
If left unchecked, catastrophe awaits. However, the more monstrous the federally directed abuses in schools become, the more outraged Americans join the fight.
The future of the nation is literally on the line in this issue. The outcome of the battle between who will raise children—government or parents—will determine the fate of America.
Parents, Get Out of the Way
The attitude toward parents in Washington has long been hostile. Hillary Clinton famously claimed in 1996 that it “takes a village” to raise children. What she really meant, of course, was a government village.
In fact, during the Obama years, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan publicly called for some children to be in government “boarding schools” 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Others should remain in school, including “after school programming,” for 12 to 14 hours each day, he declared.
A policy document (pdf) drafted by the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services called for home visits by government officials and argued that parents could be “equal partners” with government in the rearing of their children.
But as fringe as those totalitarian views may sound to normal people, the extremism has now been taken to a whole new level under the current administration.
When Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona if parents should be the “primary stakeholder” in the education of their children, it would have been easy to spit one’s coffee on the floor.
“Stakeholder”?! What?
Of course, parents should never be viewed as mere “stakeholders” in the education of their children, “primary” or otherwise. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, “stakeholder” is defined as “one that has a stake in an enterprise” or “one who is involved in or affected by a course of action.”
To call a mother or father a “stakeholder” in one of the most important facets of their child’s life is like calling a pilot of a private plane a “stakeholder” in whether his plane will land successfully or not. Technically it’s true. But it’s an outrage nonetheless.
Mothers and fathers should be in charge of their children’s education—not bystanders or “stakeholders.” This has been the case in virtually every human society for millennia. It’s also what the Bible clearly prescribes.
But the Biden administration, by contrast, does not believe parents should have any say in the “education” of children.
Cardona could not even bring himself to concede that parents should be the “primary stakeholders” in their children’s education.
“I believe parents are important stakeholders,” Cardona responded to Braun’s question, adding that “educators” also “have a role in determining educational programming.”
Indeed. That’s a nice way of saying: Parents, get out of the way, the Biden administration and its “experts” know better what and how your child should learn.
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Minnesota surgeon says he was FIRED after telling school officials at public meeting that parents should have the right to decide if their children wear masks to school
Dr. Jeffrey Horak spoke before the school board at a public meeting in the town of Fergus Falls on October 11. He gave a speech against the school's temporary mask mandate, which had gone into effect the day prior.
'You mandate this across the road - that's a tough place to go,' Horak told the board. He then suggested there was a higher power in charge of the students' behavior over the school board.
'Who does God put in charge of these kids? Their parents. God gave each one of these kids... to their parents and they speak for them. They may be wrong, they may be dumb, they may be perfect in their decisions. But it's still their responsibility. It's not yours. God gave it to them. Honor their wishes, either side of the fence.'
Just nine days later, on October 20, Horak claims he was fired by Lake Region Healthcare (LRH), being told his 'views were no longer congruent' with the provider.
Dr. Jeffrey Horak, a surgeon in Minnesota, told the Fergus Falls school board on Oct. 11 that parents should make the decision about whether or not their children wear masks.
He says he was dismissed from his job nine days later. Horak was asked to either resign or be terminated.
'We live in America where freedoms are held close. I am a man who believes individuals have the right to do their research and decide what is best for them and their children when it comes to their health. I don't believe governments or institutions should dictate that,' Horak said in a statement during the rally on October 25.
A Lake Region Healthcare spokesperson said they were a subsidiary of Lake Region Medical Group and claims that their board of directors 'made the decision about discontinuing Dr. Horak's practice, not LRH.'
Dr. Greg Smith, president of the board, said they made the 'decision to discontinue Dr. Jeff Horak's employment contract after a thorough review process.'
He claims that this was merely a peer review decision.
'The reasons for Dr. Horak's separation are a confidential matter,' Dr. Smith said in a statement. 'To be clear, this was a decision that was made by Dr. Horak's peers who serve on the Medical Group Board, not by Lake Region Healthcare, the community-based hospital where Dr. Horak practiced General Surgery.'
Horak believes there could be several reasons for his firing, including not always wearing his mask after the state mandate was lifted, or a comment he made during a school board meeting about monkeys being able to tie knots being 'misconstrued' as racist.
'Or perhaps my termination is because I was empowering the parents,' Horak said. 'I may never know.'
On October 25, his local community in Fergus Falls showed up in the hundreds to hear him speak in support of the doctor.
'This isn't a conservative vs. liberal, or vaxxed vs. unvaxxed, or mask vs. no mask issue,' Angie Brown, a local resident who organized the rally, said. 'This is an issue of right vs. wrong and I am so happy that so many in our community recognized this wrong and were willing to show up, both to support Dr. Horak, but to also, in a peaceful way, voice their disagreement with Lake Region Medical Group.'
Horak spoke to the crowd and identified the reasons that they came together.
'One, you're becoming aware that your freedoms are being taken away. Two, professionals such as myself are being silenced, and then so are you. If it happens to me, it can happen to all of us,' Horak told the crowd. 'And third, you're afraid. We're all afraid. Today I want to empower you to say, 'I stand up with Dr. Horak. Truly, I stand with you.'
The mask mandate in Fergus Falls was in place for two weeks, ending on October 24.
'The Fergus Falls School District welcomes public comment and has a process in place for community members who wish to address the board,' Jeff Drake, the superintendent of Fergus Falls Public Schools, said Tuesday.
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British High School textbook withdrawn over ‘inappropriate’ Native American question
An A-level textbook has been withdrawn after a youth worker raised the alarm about an “inappropriate” question asking whether the treatment of Native Americans had been exaggerated.
Hannah Wilkinson tweeted her horror about the extract of the AQA/Hodder textbook, USA 1865-1975: the Making of a Superpower, saying: “In what world is this an acceptable question/exercise to ask students to complete on the history of Native Americans in late 1800s US?”
The extracts asked students: “To what extent do you believe the treatment of Native Americans has been exaggerated?”
The exercise also asked students to complete scales with “criticisms of treatment of Native Americans” and “defence of the treatment of Native Americans”.
The publisher Hodder Education has withdrawn the book.
It follows the removal of a passage in a GCSE textbook, also by Hodder, about Caribbean families in 2018 after criticism from MPs and campaign groups. A passage in AQA GCSE (9-1) Sociology said Caribbean men were “largely absent” from family situations. After an online backlash, Hodder said it would stop supplying the book for sale.
Wilkinson told the BBC: “It was deeply shocking to see how ingrained racial injustice is … The period we’re looking at is a period of American policy where Native Americans were treated terribly. The way the textbook framed it suggests that maybe the treatment of Native Americans has been exaggerated.”
Wilkinson offers history mentoring lessons to students who require extra support at Durham sixth-form centre.
In response, Hodder Education tweeted: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We agree that this content is inappropriate and are going to remove this book from sale. We will conduct a thorough review of the content with subject experts.”
AQA said: “We’ve spoken with the publisher [Hodder Education] and they’ll remove this book from sale and review its content.
“We’re also working together with publishers to ensure that new and updated editions of AQA-approved textbooks meet our commitment to EDI equity, diversity and inclusion.”
Earlier this month, the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, told the National Congress of American Indians the Biden administration would not shy away from the “shameful” history of the first arrival of European explorers.
She said: “Since 1934, every October, the United States has recognised the voyage of the European explorers who first landed on the shores of the Americas. But that is not the whole story. That has never been the whole story.
“Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for tribal nations, perpetrating violence, stealing land and spreading disease. We must not shy away from this shameful past. We must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on Native communities today.”
The teaching of American history that explores racism and oppression has become a political flashpoint, with fierce attacks from conservatives at school boards, universities, the media and beyond.
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My other blogs: Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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