The U.S. Department of Education has just released 192 pages of new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) federal regulations for schools. What is clear is that federal compliance, indoctrination, standardized testing and data mining are expanded at the cost of state, local and individual parental control of education. All schools, all special needs, homeless, ELL students and foster care students will be swept up and standardized. The Sitka School District supported this regulation and has consistently acted as a compliancy agent for federal control. The comment period on this regulation goes through August.
In addition, the Sitka School District has unilaterally suspended children’s rights and expectations to privacy for the personal and private activities of going to the bathroom, showering and sleeping. The district neither gave them this right, nor has any authority to suspend it. Children do not have to request this right — the district has to respect it. If there are special needs students, the district needs to make accommodations for them. They have no authority to require 1,200 students to ask for privacy.
They have also announced they will spend $300,000 on common core materials. After promising greater transparency in the budget process, they completely subverted and circumvented the process by announcing this decision immediately after the process ended with no mention. A $300,000 expenditure was never mentioned in the budget process. I have attended these budget meetings for 12 years and I have never seen such a lack of open and honest discussion.
Throughout history, immoral despots have understood that consolidating control of education is the key to social engineering a population. It is in fact the education model for totalitarian societies. The Sitka School District has jumped into the social engineering business with both feet. Across the nation there are hundreds of thousands of common core warriors fighting to end this. Fighting to control and oversee the upbringing and education of their children. Fight if you can. Refuse standardized testing. Demand privacy for your child. Call Gov. Bill Walker and ask him to sign HB 156 parental rights bill. Contact your representatives. Run for school board. Help end this.
Ed Gray,
Sitka