Editor,
Last Wednesday the South Whidbey School Board were served with a letter and public disclosure requests by parents who oppose the current curriculum, policies and health requirements in our public schools. This letter and requests were also sent to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
The respectful letter/complaints requested that School Board Directors look at the information they were given and consider leaving the Washington State School Directors Association, not follow a state statute passed in the last legislative session, not follow state health requirements, and put a small group of parents’ agenda curriculum items in place — thus bypassing the state curriculum requirements from the Office of the Superintendent of Instruction (who was demonized). The public comments ended with a subtle threat.
The state’s requirement that all school boards be registered and part of the Washington State School Directors Association has been state law since 1947. To leave the association would cause the School Board Directors to break the law (RCW 28A.345.020).
The recent law (RCW 28A.343.100) passed by the 2021-22 state legislature requires all School Board Directors (not students, nor administrators, teachers or school district staff) to attend training on cultural competency, diversity, equity and inclusion at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
The end of the letter being read indicated that if their “requests” (demands) were not met, then the parents who signed the letter would remove their children from the school district for the 2022-23 school year.
This is the next step in the “Taking Back School Boards” campaign happening across the nation. Since Washington State House Bill 1807 (which mirrors the education laws passed in 20 states outlawing critical race theory, sex education and masking/vaccine requirements) from the last session never got out of committee, groups of parents bolstered by WA4Change, Parents Defending Education, Parents’ Rights in Education, Informed Parents of Washington, Patriot Prayer and, here on the island, probably the 3 Percenters are attempting a different right-wing tactic.
Should this tactic not work and they remove their children from public schools, then there will be a push for school vouchers so they can subsidize the private schools their children will attend with property taxpayers’ money that should be going to public education.
Finally, the letter encouraged the board members to discuss a proposed initiative from Rep. Joel McEntire. From the brief gist of their comments, it is a bill that would change the current law to WSSDA participation as optional, thus weakening the public schools structure in this state. I would encourage the South Whidbey public to provide their comments to Rep. McEntire.
Note: CRT is only taught at university level and our district has chosen a moderate curriculum for sex education — not the offensive curriculum displayed on the WA4Change website. Our district gives parents the option to not have their children participate in the instruction.
Added note: WA4Change will be holding a Patriot Gathering on Apr. 16th at Bayview Hall to discuss other tactics for opposing CRT, sex education and other curriculum that they only endorse.
Charlene Davenport
Clinton
