Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

AlbrechtSchoenheiser t1_irbm2v4 wrote

I live in the region and I have friends that teach in the region. One of the biggest problems is that there are crackpot parents getting elected to school boards and attempting to push their beliefs on the rest of the school district. The Pennridge school district in Upper Bucks county has had problems with this type of behavior as well. The board has several times pushed an illegal policy only to have their own lawyers tell them that they can't do it. The sooner the radical right disappears, the better.

186

KyleRichXV t1_irbsn3w wrote

It’s starting to happen in my district as well - a bunch of people belong to Moms 4 Liberty and are planning on doing psychotic shit. One sitting board member just publicly encouraged people to check out the “No Left Turns” FB group at the last school board meeting.

55

pekepeeps t1_irchlcw wrote

This is the very well funded moms for Liberty Facebook crap. They are very well organized in PA and are hosting meetings in PA this month:

October 13th Berks county

October 20th Lehigh County

November 1st Cumberland County

They are funded by DeVos, Koch, Heritage, Turning Point. Their Director for PA is a Republican for hire that was fired from her school board years ago because she said early education was meaningless.

They want to burn it all down.

Join up on their Facebook pages and get involved in the meetings to see just how outrageous their goals are. They will dox people, go after good people in your community, your neighbors and they love the fights and drama they create. All to further their religious goals. How far will they go? Apparently planting any evidence they see fit.

39

KyleRichXV t1_ird4sv4 wrote

Yeah unfortunately I know, and two school board members are attending the rally meeting in the future to understand how best to increase the “grassroots presence”, as the M4L leader put it, in our district. There are already plans to “do away with CRT” and form a committee to overlook the district’s curricula. It’s so bizarre. The frustrating part is I don’t understand a way to prevent them from doing this.

2

Spiritual-Flan-410 t1_irbnr7h wrote

This is my school district. It's awful that this is happening. Right wing nut jobs are running for school board positions all over. Democrats HAVE to get on the ball and start running for local offices.... ESPECIALLY school boards.

40

rubikscanopener t1_irbt626 wrote

This. The far right started figuring this out in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Half the battle is just showing up, which deeply conservative groups do extremely well.

29

Mysterious_Bobcat483 t1_ire4p3h wrote

Early 80s too. Reagan, Fallwell and the rest. This is what the US punks were so pissed about. Source: was one

1

IamSauerKraut t1_ircus6k wrote

In my county, the local dems group puts few folks up for school board and provides little if any support, even if the candidate is from amongst its own group. But if someone (especially if a woman) not on the committee runs for a different office, they trip all over themselves to knock on doors, donate, and put out signs.

Bizarre, really, all those lost opportunities. And the business of not even supporting their fellow members. Wonder why so many of their spots go unfilled.

3

Professional_Fun_664 t1_irbssv8 wrote

Look what happened in Loudon and VA when Dems did. They went full-stupid in the opposite direction and then when the crazy exceeded it's limit, parents put an end to the "woke" shit and voted red.

−29

IamSauerKraut t1_ircuxta wrote

Loudon admins handled that sexual assault matter poorly, but the school board did not hold them to account. They essentially bent over to be spanked.

3

Professional_Fun_664 t1_ird4qk3 wrote

Didn't the school board vote to not notify the parents that it had happened? The board didn't do shit and that was the main reason most were voted out.

2

IamSauerKraut t1_ird7bgo wrote

I can find nothing with respect to the board taking any vote to not notify parents. Only indication comes from non-media sources, and I find those suspect.

6

Professional_Fun_664 t1_ird87m1 wrote

Ok. I was under the impression the board was the ones that tried to keep it under wraps until the dad of the first girl found out. Then when he went to raise hell about it at the board meeting, they had him arrested and moved the rapist to another school where he did the exact same thing at that school.

−1

IamSauerKraut t1_ird8sw4 wrote

I can only go by what I found with a quick search. Did not do a deep dive. Loudon did wrong by that parent and his kid. No doubt about that. Does not mean I agree with attacking LGBTQ students due to the behavior of the one, tho.

2

Professional_Fun_664 t1_irdb665 wrote

No, and I don't think so either. I have a problem with schools pushing an agenda that the parents don't agree with. I don't think schools should be teaching any far left or far right stuff. High school? Fine. Whatever. I've always told my kids to form their own opinions. They shouldn't have any belief system just because someone else told them they have to think a certain way. They also know that if someone has to scream, they have no valid points and think they can force you to cave. But there is no reason for any of that garbage to be taught to a 7yo in an elementary school.

1

IamSauerKraut t1_irddk8u wrote

> there is no reason for any of that garbage to be taught to a 7yo in an elementary school.

I hear this often these days, same as the agenda thing, but no one ever really says what "that garbage" is. Kids are going to be who they are; parents who are NOT the parents of a gay kid should have no say in who that kid should be.

6

Professional_Fun_664 t1_ire1px9 wrote

I get what you're saying. I happen to believe I know my kids better than their teacher does. My wife's friend just put her son (4yo) in preschool last month. The preschool teacher asked what his preferred pronouns are. She said, "He's 4. He doesn't know what a pronoun is yet. Last week he was convinced he was Spiderman. This week he's the Hulk."

1

Shawna_Love t1_irbzc4j wrote

Why are the worst people always attracted to positions of power?

28

AlbrechtSchoenheiser t1_irbzjqm wrote

That is a great question that the Washington Post tried to answer last year: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/why-power-attracts-the-wrong-kind-of-people/2021/11/17/21057ca0-3da5-11ec-8ee9-4f14a26749d1_story.html

17

Zestyclose_Minute_69 t1_irc3ofd wrote

Thank you for the article. I had some blasé semi-sarcastic comment but read the article before I made myself look like a short-sighted idiot.

13

AlbrechtSchoenheiser t1_irc57gi wrote

"Thank you for the article. I had some blasé semi-sarcastic comment but read the article before I made myself look like a short-sighted idiot."

Unlike 99% of reddit.

Thank you for actually taking the time to read it.

10

PoiLethe t1_irdsd2r wrote

Because they want power and corruption.

1

RememberCitadel t1_irc4j6u wrote

Well it is actually worse than that. Half of them are just super crazy and want to control the way things are and don't even have kids in the district if at all.

17

AlbrechtSchoenheiser t1_irc5lbz wrote

You are 100% correct. There are people showing up to PTA meetings to bring up their concerns about district policies regarding children and then you find out that the person showing up and asking those questions doesn't even have a child in the district. It's ridiculous. They are saying "I just want to protect the children," but what they actually mean is "I want to protect my Fringe political beliefs from further criticism and dissent."

22

PoiLethe t1_irdt03z wrote

I mean you can twist it either way. People with children just trying to enact policies that benefit their child. (Like a coach). But i am a childfree person on the side of education being a priority. I'm not...like someone who could run really for other reasons. But I'd support someone else whose childfree. But the main thing is having people on the board that support the concept of education to begin with, not people trying to dismantle it.

1

carlydelphia t1_ircgjaf wrote

I live in lower montco. Can't move. Any further south, they shoot. Any further north they ban blacks and gays. How's my kid supposed to get an education...

2

PoiLethe t1_irdrk7w wrote

Oh gawd. Reminds me of those parents that volunteer to be coaches only when their kid is sports age so they can make sure their kid gets the special treatment and basically ignore anyone else on the team that isn't their kids friend group.

It's never about the actual sport and teaching kids how it works or about the kids, it's about abusing the system, "life hack" to get your kid ahead of everyone else because everything's a competition and you're kid deserves the best.

1