Wednesday, February 08, 2023



Washington’s Centennial Elementary backpedals minority-only club after parent outrage

A Washington elementary school had planned on banning white students from a new “safe space” club until backlash forced it to reconsider segregating its fifth-graders.

Centennial Elementary in Olympia had kicked off the calendar year with a new “Black, Indigenous, People of Color” student group for fifth-graders that only accepted its minority students, according to an email shared by Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Washington).

“At this time, this group is limited to students who identify as BIPOC,” Principal Shannon Ritter wrote in the January email.

“For these students, this space allows them to hang out, check-in and possibly talk about their experiences as a student in the minority as they build community, connections and confidence.” “It is primarily a safe space for them.”

The club was created as part of a districtwide-wide mentorship program, a spokesperson told local radio talk show KTTH. Centennial Elementary was also in the process of lining up a similar group for its fourth-grade students.

The group was scheduled to meet once a week during lunch. School staff would help facilitate conversations, the district said, but it would mainly be a student-led group that put an “emphasis on historically unrepresented populations.”

But the new club had already caused a rift in the community — white students barred from the club had shown interest in joining the new group, leading administrators to contemplate forming an allied counterpart, according to the email.

Parents and adult community members condemned the initiative, claiming it was only furthering the racial divides it hoped to eliminate.

“How can they advance racial justice, as they claim, by creating racial injustices? This whole way of thinking is so backwards and wrong. What happen (sic) to be kind and treat others with respect?” parent Denise Frank wrote in one of the hundreds of comments left under Walsh’s initial Facebook post.

“How is this not racism when kids are joining a group solely based on race/skin color?” Rebecca Weisenhaus questioned.

“We need to teach it doesn’t matter if we’re different color. Our character is. We are Americans. Stop the racial bullcrap,” said Debbie Gabriel.

Centennial Elementary reversed its BIPOC-only policy Tuesday, about a week after the new group was announced to parents.

“Groups like this are important for elevating voices and are instrumental in helping our district design a responsive educational experience that meets the needs of all students,” a spokesperson told KTTH.

“At the same time, we recognize that they cannot be exclusionary. Moving forward, we will ensure that school leadership and staff are specific about the purpose of these groups, while simultaneously removing any exclusions to participation.”

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Virginia Democrats try to block bill banning teachers from hiding students’ transgender status from parents

Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday that would put an end to public school districts deliberately keeping parents in the dark about students’ gender transitions, despite all of the Democrats voting against it.

Virginia House Bill 2432, or Sage’s Law, would require schools to inform a parent if a minor student expresses to a school employee that they are experiencing gender incongruence – or that their biological sex differs from how they identify.

Under the bill, schools would also be obligated to inform parents if the student requests that the school affirm their gender transition, as well as obtain at least one parent’s permission before implementing any plan concerning any gender incongruence experienced by a minor, including counseling.

The bill passed the state House Tuesday, with one Republican and all 47 Democrats voting against, and it’s now heading to the state Senate.

Del. Dave LaRock, a Republican who introduced the bill, called it a "common-sense measure" to protect parental rights.

"Today @VaHouse voted 50-48 to send HB2432, Sage's Law, to @VASenate," he tweeted. "I am grateful for my GOP colleagues' support for this bill to ensure parents aren't excluded when a child transitions at school, or charged with abuse/neglect for affirming their child's biological sex."

"I am disappointed that all Democrats voted against this common-sense bill. I urge all Virginians to contact their Senator urging broad bipartisan support for this important legislation," he wrote.

Sage’s Law is named after a transgender teen who ran away from home in Virginia and was reportedly sex trafficked after a Maryland court refused to return the teen home over child abuse allegations that the family "misgendered" the child.

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Professor claims SUNY colleges are 'brainwashing' students with several mandatory diversity courses

From Florida to now New York, public universities and colleges are requiring new students to take diversity and inclusion courses in order to graduate – but one State University of New York (SUNY) professor is labeling it as "brainwashing."

"We're seeing it all throughout the country," professor and Campus Reform fellow Nicholas Giordano said. "And if we look at it, it's not just the college that we have to worry about. We also see it in the K-12 system, that it's being infused into curriculums throughout that system as well. That's why I say it's moved beyond indoctrination. Now, it's just full-out brainwashing."

Giordano sounded off on "The Evening Edit" Monday after Members of the SUNY Board of Trustees passed a resolution outlining the addition of several required courses, which included a new social justice category.

While the resolution was passed in November 2021, the social justice course requirement goes into effect for all new students seeking a bachelor's degree beginning in the fall of 2023, and will begin in the fall of 2024 for first-time students obtaining an associates degree.

The Suffolk Community College professor claimed he doesn’t believe that most Americans are "aware of what’s happening" inside classrooms.

"In order to graduate, you're going to have to take these diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice courses. In addition, courses are currently being revised at colleges throughout the country to incorporate this, as well," Giordano explained. "So it's not just one course that you're going to be taking, it may be several courses. And this is going on in every degree program that exists out there."

The addition of these programs has been proven to cost state taxpayers millions, with other states such as Florida reportedly spending $28 million during the 2022-2023 calendar year to incorporate diversity and inclusion and critical race theory (CRT) curriculum.

Founding member of the University of Austin, Peter Boghossian joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss how the educational institution will focus on meritocracy and freedom of speech.

"When we look at what they're trying to do, if you look at the learning outcomes," Giordano pointed out, "it's basically set in stone that equity and inclusion and social justice, it's a political agenda that's being pushed. They're stating that the system is institutionally, inherently racist, always has been, always will be; they're promoting the idea of social justice."

"But we all know," the professor continued, "that they're not going to promote sane and legal immigration policies or social justice, or limited government or fiscal responsibility. It's about promoting a political agenda as opposed to thinking critically and getting students to think for themselves as we prepare them to go into the workforce."

Fox Business host Kennedy and panelists Karol Markowicz, Kevin Walling and Hannah Cox discuss President Biden's student loan handout and whether or not college is worth the price. video
Kennedy hits the streets to ask: Is college worth it?
Fox Business host Kennedy and panelists Karol Markowicz, Kevin Walling and Hannah Cox discuss President Biden's student loan handout and whether or not college is worth the price.

While the SUNY system today includes a total of 64 schools throughout the state of New York, Giordano predicted enrollment to decline following the inaugural semester of these required classes, which according to the memorandum, will "analyze the role that complex networks of social structures and systems play in the creation and perpetuation of the dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity."

"Colleges have to realize that they're facing enrollment declines. The business sector, the employers, are now saying that there's no degree requirements because they see what's going on at colleges," Giordano said.

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