Race and sexuality advocates made a show at the 9 Feb 2022 CUSD80 board meeting spreading misinformation in order to affect policy. Video at the end of the article.
Critical Race Theory in Practice
How do you stop discrimination based on race? By stopping to discriminate based on race. Because resources are always limited, positive and negative discrimination are two sides of the same coin. Elevating one group of people by affirmative discrimination is the exact same thing, and has the same effect, as lowering another group by negative discrimination.
In a display of critical race theory (CRT) applied in practice - as usual dressed up as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) - Chandler Unified School District (CUSD80) Equity and Inclusion Director Adama Sallu led a procession of CUSD80 students in order to "celebrate black excellence". Wearing huge earrings, a massive and expensive looking bracelet, and a golden head garb, Adama Sallu - who is being paid 6 figures - addressed the superintendent as "our phenomenal Mister Superintendent Frank Narducci".
Explicitly excluding Whites, Asians, Latinos and everyone else, only black students were celebrated in the display. Some of the students wore T-shirts showing the pan-African flag, which is seen by some as a sign of black supremacy. The presentation also highlighted that schools in CUSD80 have so called black student unions. The Black Student Union, BSU, then handed out prices. The BSU President, wearing a bull nose ring through her septum, made clear that only black people were considered for the prices. The BSU President herself was one of the recipients of the price.
Chandler City council members Ellis and Harris, both black, attended the proceedings. The celebration of black excellence also thanked CUSD80 board member Lindsay Love. Love is not the first black person to serve on the CUSD80 board, she is however the first black woman. Love is disliked by many parents in CUSD80 for her militant leftist views and policies, and her attacks on parents who speak out against critical race theory. She was however enthusiastically applauded during the black excellence celebrations at the CUSD80 meeting on Feb 9, 2022. Love has indicated that she will not run for re-election in November this year.
The celebration of black excellence concluded with a group of black students coming to the microphone and proclaiming collectively: "We are black excellence". The proceedings failed to mention that Chandler already had a black mayor, Coy Payne, a Republican, and already in the 1960s had a black City Council member, heavy weight boxer Zora Folley.
Showing a good understanding of science, most of the students were not wearing masks during the proceedings, in stark contrast to many of the speakers during Citizens' Comments.
Budget Opacity
During Citizens' Comments, school board candidate Kurt Rohrs asked superintendent Frank Narducci how much money the district has in its contingency fund. Narducci indicated to Rohrs that he could tell him this number after the meeting, but would not comment in public. The district has drawn all of the 15% budget override funds that voters narrowly approved in a closely contested special election in November 2021. Rohrs back then vehemently opposed parents and taxpayers against the budget override.
LGBT Misinformation Advocacy
A procession of - sometimes emotional, rather than logical - CUSD teachers, most from language and arts fields, and some students, then spoke out against parental involvement in their children's education, also called KB policy. Their goal was to petition the board to repeal policies allowing parents to opt their children into classes that teach sexual contents outside of sex-ed. The following misinformation was spread:
They claimed that CUSD80 requires permission slips (opt-in) in order to teach books written by gay authors. This is not true. The district requires this if characters in a book are gay. This is an important distinction between identity of the author and contents of a book.
They claimed that the district requires permission slips (opt-in) by parents to pre-empt legislation currently being discussed at the state level. In truth this legislation has already been passed, as Assistant Superintendent Craig Gilbert pointed out.
It was claimed that the permission slips are required for all classes involving sexuality. In truth it is all lessons, except sex-ed classes.
It was claimed that teachers aren't allowed to teach certain subjects. In truth the issue is merely about giving parents the right to opt-in to subjects related to sexuality, rather than being left in the dark or having to opt-out.
It is correct that the suicide rate among LGBT teens is higher than among straight teens. Speakers failed to mention that this is so because of the astronomical suicide attempt rate - around 40% - among one subgroup, transgender - T - students. This is not caused by discrimination against gays (or transgender), as some speakers implied, but by the fact that many transgender people have underlying mental health issues.
One teacher implored the board to require universal masking of students and that not doing so endangers the safety of students. In truth masks do not slow the spread of Covid-19 and young children and teens are barely affected by it. A recent study by Johns Hopkins University found that lockdowns do not slow the spread either.
One speaker claimed that everyone deserves that their feelings are respected. In truth, facts don't care about feelings and can hence hurt them.
One of the teachers speaking indicated that she would not comply with the district's KB policy, meaning she will not hand out opt-in forms before teaching sexual contents.
In previous board meetings board president Barb Mozdzen is on record commanding the audience not to clap during citizens' comments, threatening those that do clap with removal by police. In this particular session however Mozdzen allowed it. At the end of citizens' comments Mozdzen thanked the mostly far left speakers - many of whom are district employees - and also personally thanked Katie Nash, the President of the Chandler Teachers Union, by name, for speaking out against the aggregate expenditure limit, AEL. The AEL is a budget control mechanism by which the state legislature can force budget discipline on profligate school districts. In his address to the board, school board candidate Kurt Rohrs had claimed that the AEL would barely affect CUSD80.
The next board meeting is on 23 Feb 2022, 7pm, at the CUSD80 administrative complex on W Frye Road. Comments to the board have to be made by 12 noon on 22 Feb 2022.