I hope all of you have had the opportunity to rest and spend time with family and friends over this winter break. As the spring semester begins, so does the push for new, alarming agendas coming from the Board of Education and new interim superintendent. I have not posted an update since Ken Witt was officially hired, but I suppose that isn't something we have much time to focus on. I will try to keep this update brief and to the point. Please, I urge you to read on.

ITEM 1: 

First and foremost, there will be a regular school board meeting tonight, Wednesday, 1/11. It will be held at 6pm in the District Offices. If you can come to show your support of our teachers, kids, and schools, please do. 

If you want to watch virtually, this is the livestream link. 

This is the meeting agenda.

ITEM 2:

This board meeting has an action item on "Social Studies Academic Standard Resolution". Further clarification has revealed this to be on the approval of a new history curriculum from civicsalliance.org called American Birthright. This curriculum description can be found here. While this curriculum has included important civil rights events as well as foundations of American history, it is a classic example of historical whitewashing. A direct passage from the American Birthright curriculum description: 

"Furthermore, we judge that a great many pedagogies actively inhibit student learning, including action civics, so-called 'anti-racism,' civic engagement, critical race theory, current events learning, inquiry-based learning, media literacy, project-based learning, social-emotional learning, and virtually any pedagogy that claims to promote 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' or 'social justice'"

History education has always been a touchy subject in America. It is difficult to portray how dangerous American Birthright is to the nation's youth without being called unpatriotic or other, worse titles (communist, fascist, socialist, lots of fun words to be thrown out there). As Americans, we should be aware of the ideals our country was founded upon. Never in my education in Woodland Park have I been told to be ashamed of mistakes America has made in the past, a common criticism of history curriculum. What I have been taught is to analyze the shortcomings and mistakes of our past, and to then use my brain to critically think: How can we not repeat the events that have done harm to other humans in the country's past? How can we, as young Americans, contribute to our country so that we can seek equality and truly bond together to compromise, as compromise is what our country was founded on? How does our generation define the United States and what can we do to better our country? With all of this said, upon further research of American Birthright, it is clear that this curriculum will greatly harm children of all ages by teaching them to be completely oblivious to the "unwanted" side of American history by sugarcoating principles that have more concepts attached to them. 

ITEM 3:

As a result of the constant fear, strife, and sense of doom this school board and interim superintendent have created in our schools, students have formed an alliance. The Woodland Park Student Alliance was created by students, for students, and is not affiliated with the Woodland Park School District or any associated staff in it. It is not operated or overseen by any adult or member of staff in the district and operates as a rogue student body. It was formed to bond together students who want to preserve and protect their education and values. Strength is in numbers. The Woodland Park Student Alliance is dedicated to fight for student voices to be heard, as they have been ignored and suppressed by this board as well as the interim superintendent in his old district. The board should prioritize the protection and betterment of their students, not the political and religious agenda they currently push. If you are a student in Woodland Park, I encourage you to look through the alliance's site and Instagram. Soon we will have archives and a virtual library for actions the board and interim superintendent have taken in the past/or will take in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to support the cause of saving our schools. Once again, if you can, please show up to the board meeting today. Information is above in this post. There is a policy update from Mr. Witt, the above mentioned history curriculum action item, and they have cut our public comment time in HALF, to 30 minutes.