District of Columbia | October 28, 2021
Angry Parents Are Not Domestic Terrorists
District of Columbia | October 28, 2021
Ihave been hard on Republican members of Congress in this space for not being effective in pushing back on wokeness in power, but I gotta say, some GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have been exemplary in giving Attorney General Merrick Garland hell over the Justice Department’s decision to sic the FBI on concerned parents, based on a phony letter ginned up by the National School Board Association. The letter suggested that some parents could be domestic terrorists, and was created by the NSBA in consultation with the Biden White House. After the truth came out, the NSBA disavowed the letter.
AG Garland was on the Hill today being grilled by Senators. “Grilled” is kind; more like flayed and roasted alive. Look:.. (Excerpts from the American Conservative)
District of Columbia | October 28, 2021
Inflating Grades For Social Justice
District of Columbia | October 28, 2021
At a party over the weekend I was introduced to a college professor, and fell into conversation with him about teaching and Covid. Then I asked about how wokeness affects his teaching. I had no idea of the man’s politics, but I would bet the farm that he is a liberal, given that his academic field skews heavily to the left.
He told me that there is a lot of stress on professors at his university regarding grading students of color. He said everyone is afraid of being accused of racism if a black student doesn’t like his grade. The anxiety around this is deep, he said.
I tweeted out something about it, and received this e-mail today from a reader who asks to be anonymous. I slightly changed a couple of things to make it harder to identify her husband:
My husband teaches philosophy at an American university, and while he likes the work, he misses our original home, ([European country]). We moved to the United States [deleted] years ago.My husband and I both never saw ourselves as “left” or “right” until his university experience started. The level of political correctness here is just out of control: special rules for “trans students,” an expectation that someone’s deviant sexual practices be not only tolerated, but CELEBRATED. And as far as fairness goes, forget about it. Last semester, my husband gave one of his black students a B on a writing assignment. The student reported him to the Dean, claiming racism, saying that she was an A student and didn’t deserve a B. She didn’t even specify why her paper was so good! She just essentially said everyone else gave her A’s. The Dean called my husband in, and essentially bullied him into changing the grade, reminding him of the students’ “legacy of being oppressed.”I’m sorry, but this is all too much. My husband felt humiliated. He’s wondering if he should look for another job. We feel trapped. Please feel free to publish, as we both get tired of people claiming to you that this kind of political correctness is “fake.”.. (Excerpts from The American Conservative)
District of Columbia | October 27, 2021
House Republicans Asked AG Merrick Garland to Withdraw Memo Tasking Feds to Investigate Parents
District of Columbia | October 27, 2021
Republicans on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary have asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to withdraw the memo (PDF) he wrote in response to the National School Boards Association’s letter (PDF) to President Joe Biden requesting that the federal government investigate parents under the Patriot Act for “domestic terrorism.”
Parents across the country have been attending local school board meetings to speak out against “transgender” policies, mask mandates, and the teaching of “critical race theory.” Many of those parents are angry, and the NSBA claimed that concerned parents have threatened violence.
(See BCN’s National School Boards Association Apologizes to Members for Letter Asking Feds to Investigate Angry Parents at Local School Board Meetings for background.)… (Excerpts from Black Community News)
District of Columbia | October 21, 2021
Garland expected to face intense questioning on controversial school board memo, other ongoing crises
District of Columbia | October 21, 2021
Attorney General Merrick Garland is scheduled to testify in his first oversight hearing with the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday – offering both sides of the aisle opportunities to press him on key issues. Texas’ abortion ban, voting rights, the border crisis and the Jan. 6 riots could all come up as big topics that have caught attention during his brief time leading the Department of Justice (DOJ). Republicans will likely hone in on Garland’s recent memo, announcing that the FBI would investigate threats or intimidation by parents against school boards across the U.S. … (Excerpts from the Fox News)
District of Columbia | October 20, 2021
17 States Warn Federal Government Not to Threaten Parents Who Protest Local School Boards
District of Columbia | October 20, 2021
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) wrote a letter (PDF) to President Joe Biden in September asking for “federal assistance to stop threats” against school board members. Parents across the country are upset about what government schools are teaching their children, and school boards claim parents have threatened them.
The organization invoked the Patriot Act, a controversial law passed after Islamic terrorists murdered Americans on September 11, 2001. The Patriot Act expanded the federal government’s powers purportedly to deal with foreign terrorism.
The NSBA asked that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security, and the FBI review “acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials.”
Additionally, NSBA requests that such review examine appropriate enforceable actions against these crimes and acts of violence under the Gun-Free School Zones Act, the PATRIOT Act in regards to domestic terrorism, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the Violent Interference with Federally Protected Rights statute, the Conspiracy Against Rights statute, an Executive Order to enforce all applicable federal laws for the protection of students and public school district personnel, and any related measure….. (Black Community News)
District of Columbia | October 18, 2021
‘Unprecedented’ Supply Chain Problems Hit School Cafeterias Across US
District of Columbia | October 18, 2021
A growing number of school districts have said that supply chain bottlenecks have forced them to suspend services or food items.
A spokesperson for Denver Public Schools (DPS), Theresa Hafner, said Sunday that the district is “struggling to receive enough milk to serve to every child at breakfast and lunch every day,” saying that parents should provide reusable bottles for children.
“When the milk is available, we are prioritizing serving milk at breakfast at all schools and at our elementary schools for lunch,” Hafner told Business Insider. “I think the milk company is trying its best to give most schools at least some milk, but not a complete order,” she added.
Earlier this month, DPS told parents that it was experiencing “unprecedented supply-chain challenges with food and milk this fall.” As a result, some of the food served to students may differ than what’s on the menu… (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)