Written by Carolyn Rogerson
No place for hate sounds like a good motto for a kinder, gentler world. A good thing to teach children. Perhaps just another way of expressing the golden rule, “Do Unto Others as You Would Have Others Do Unto You”. To parents, grandparents, and all concerned folks:
The “No Place for Hate” program pledge isn’t just a student’s promise to be kind. A participating school district is committing itself to a strict set of rules and classroom time devoted to participation, in order to be a registered NPFH member school. If you are not familiar with the 56 page ADL “No Place for Hate” Coordinator Handbook and Resource Guide, I suggest you take a look at adl.org. It opened my eyes to how the movement intends to instruct grades K-12 students with an ideology intended to quickly move from kindness to social justice and beyond. Along the way, there appear to be suggestions on how to supplant parents, guardians, and family with a school-based indoctrination system. ADL requires schools to register and report on progress and infractions. Please, don’t take my word for it. adl.org
Read the Welcome and Getting Started introductions. Note the “Additional Expectations”. Go to “Activity Planning Recommendations”, page 19, read, “Move On From Kindness. Schools Need to Foster Social Justice”. Then please read, “Let’s Get It Right: Using Correct Pronouns and Names.” Page 24, 8th paragraph instructs teachers to hide information from parents and guardians. Teachers may distribute a “get to know you survey”. This is where the questions of gender, pronouns, and names are innocuously placed among the “what did you do last summer” inquiries. Teachers are then instructed to ask the student, “whether it is alright to use that name and pronoun in communications home to parents/family members and in parent-teacher meetings”. Since when are teachers to deny parents/guardians important information regarding the mental, emotional and physical welfare of their own children? Children struggling with gender confusion, identity dysphoria, and bullying are extremely vulnerable. How many teachers have the necessary education to be a positive asset in dealing with these very complex situations? How many children will become victims of predators (teachers, coaches, counselors) who will take advantage of their vulnerability? Parents must assert their rights to educate and protect their children against such shady indoctrination.
While presenting the “No Place for Hate” program, the Equity Committees have said implementing the ADL instruction does not take away time from Academic studies. However, reading through ADL’s requirements, you will learn that self-assessment surveys and subsequent classroom discussions are to take place. Time is to be devoted every morning for discussion and updates; journals are to be kept recording any in-school and outside-of-school incidents that go against the NPfH pledge and teachings. Three instruction books are suggested for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 at about $47.00 each. Is this where you want your education tax dollars and Schools Foundation donations to go? Project assignments associated with NPfH are to be scheduled in each grade throughout the school year. Related art projects are to be created in all grades and “prominently displayed around school campus”. All this sounds fairly time-consuming to me.
Are you happy with this addition to your school district’s curriculum? Make your opinions heard at the next school board meeting and every one after, until you are satisfied that neither ADL or any other politically motivated group is influencing your children against your values.
