This article is a rebuttal to Mary Scyocurka’s Open Letter To Esther Valdes Clayton
Written by Esther Valdes
In an article titled “An Open Letter to Esther Valdes Clayton,” my concern for the welfare of the children which I represent as a Trustee at the Coronado Unified School District, was intentionally mischaracterized. Usually, I would not respond to false allegations, but when they HARM my advocacy in protecting children, I will respond to mischaracterizations regarding my record and future work in the area.
Since 2016, as a newly elected Trustee to the Coronado Unified School Board, I have devoted my time, talent, and treasure to combatting the sexual indoctrination of our children, from K-12th grade. In 2017, I partnered with Attorney Dean Broyles, the President of the National Center for Law and Policy, to challenge the California Healthy Youth Act (AB 329) and challenge SB 48 and the History-Social Science Framework, which sought to teach children as young as 5, how to masturbate, by showing them explicit pictures during class time. Together with Mr. Broyles, we canvassed many Hispanic and English-speaking churches to gather attention to stop this curriculum from being implemented. Moreover, on February 27, 2018, we held a press conference before San Diego Unified School District, in which I was chosen to speak against this sexually-explicit curriculum and to gather support from the Hispanic, African-American, Muslim and Christian communities, to oppose the indoctrination of our school children.
In 2018, I was asked to speak at Church United, in a convention of more than 200 Christian Pastors, opposed to sexual education in the classroom. I discussed in English and Spanish, the dangers that this posed for our children, their families and communities. Because of my work as an Immigration Attorney in the Latino community, the message resonated and we equipped other school board members, parents, and clergy, to oppose these curriculums at their district. Since that time, I have been invited to speak at dozens of Christian Churches, been interviewed on Spanish media, in combatting sexual curricula, such as that which is injected into Critical Race Theory. Since 2018, I have partnered with my friend and mentor, Brenda Lesback, in doing media outreach to Hispanic parents, to inform them about the the lack of parental notification, sexual indoctrination of the California Healthy Youth Act, the Teacher’s Union “woke agenda,” the LGBTQ agenda, and Planned Parenthood curricula, invading our public schools. In 2019, I was asked by one of the largest Spanish language radio stations, “Radio Nueva Vida,” to tape public interest segments informing parents as to the sexualized agenda prevalent in public schools. On September 9, 2020, the School Board met with the San Diego County Office of Education “Equity” Coach. During that meeting, I vigorously challenged her false assertions that America was “institutionally racist” and made it known that our District rejected “Critical Race Theory,” in all its forms as well as its false narratives associated with intersectionality and race. Finally, on June 16 of this year, I was the invited guest for a national Christian program, to discuss fighting sexual education at the school board level, and expounded upon the sexual indoctrination in our schools and how we must fight for our children.
No, I have not gone “woke” or liberal. In fact, I am just getting started in fighting for our kids.
In her “open letter” to me, Ms. Scyocurka mischaracterized my record at the Coronado Unified School District. The fact that these allegations come from a fellow Republican is alarming. As the President of the Republican Women of Coronado, she is well aware of my ongoing fight from the school board dais in fighting at least the following: California School Board Regulations on compelling teachers to use sexual pronouns on children of their choice, attributing punishment to students under “bullying provisions” for failure to use correct pronouns, and each of the aforementioned issues. At all times, I have spent hours reading and researching Supreme Court law, and informing myself as to “opt-out provisions” to PROTECT the children of Coronado. Ms. Scyocurka is well aware that I opposed the Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate components dealing with any form of critical race theory, and sexual indoctrination. In fact, we are currently reviewing alternate options due to the protestations of parents, who countered the administrations assertions, that there was in fact sexualized components of the curriculum. During the School Board meeting, I questioned the Director of Student Learning, and pressed the issue, until I confirmed it to be true, which was contrary to what we as a community were initially lead to believe, and in that capacity, had initially supported.
The animosity presented in the “Open Letter,” is nothing more than a smear due to 4 members of the Board, including myself, having signed a “Letter of Apology” to Orange Glen High School, stemming from a racial incident in which tortillas were tossed at the Latino players of Orange Glen High School. The facts are that I spent hours preparing, and analyzing the incident. I was not rushed or pressured. As a UC Berkeley Law graduate, and practicing attorney, I know at least the fundamentals of the law, analysis, reason, and evidence, to ascertain that an apology needed to me given. As a Latina, I was wounded and hurt by the actions, as were the overwhelming numbers of Latino students, parents, and educators who witnessed and or saw the racial incident. I am now being maligned as having called Coronado and its residents as racist. I have NEVER called anyone a racist, at any time, at any place. I impugned the actions as being racist, and never a person or community. Any such statement is a lie, as is the lie that the apology letter caused death threats to our community. The amount of undeserved hate towards Coronado, has been latent and palpable since at least the George Floyd riots, when rioters attempted to “Take the Bridge,” and cause harm to the “Christian” “military” “white” “privileged” Coronado community. This hate is palpable and based on class envy and jealousy. I know, because I have been fighting against it for the past 5 years whenever I represent Coronado at conferences or inter-district meetings. It is part of the critical race theory movement, and sadly, the community that I love, is a target. I will always defend Coronado against this bitter class envy and divide.
Madam Scyocurka, I will not stop defending Coronado, my Conservative Values, and the Fight for our Children, even if I am maligned by my some in my own Party. I will never stop advocating for our Children, even if I am left alone in the fight.
