| Fellow Citizens: This email is packed with information – read carefully! |
Please support Randy Zackrisson, the write-in candidate for school board. He has to be elected by Samuel Miller voters, but he will be a voice for everyone in the county. Spread the word, donate your time, and/or contribute as you can with a donation. Check out interviews and radio podcasts on his website: https://www.writeinrandy.com       You will read below the reasons he is needed – and please – continue to share information with the community. • Email care.acps.web@gmail.com • See the Take Action items on the CARE website for submitting curriculum complaints or writing to the school board • Ask C.A.R.E. if you have questions about what you can do as a parent • Speak at the School Board Meeting this Thursday, 9/9 at 6:30 pm (agenda analysis coming via separate email) First weeks of school prove troubling: Curriculum impacts from Anti-Racism policy and equity lens: • 8th Grade Civics: Mandatory racially-focused survey for civics • 9th Grade Lang. Arts: Reading list has political activism books • 11th Grade Honors English: Classics lack diversity, not taught SOL testing results • Pass rates were: reading 69%, math 54%, science 59% • Per ACPS in NBC29 story “$6M is going to learning recovery” – but is it? See CARE post for planned spending on vans, counselors and summer programs • SOL results are not on this week’s school board agenda COVID ACPS seems alarmist regarding COVID • Quarantining students just in case: Per the policy presentation, students in quarantine are not able to use virtual learning; they must get their assignments from teachers as if they were sick for 10 days • Disabled students denied in-person learning because of masking, and parents were notified two days before the start of school • ACPS takes the most extreme position if data conflicts (see notes section of Chart 4 of this week’s presentation) Anti-Racism training mandated for all ACPS staff (see training slides attached) Viewpoints expressed in the training assert systemic racism, whiteness theories, and that gifted programs are racist; Staff must acknowledge and affirm the content in the training via a survey (see survey content here). 9/11 Watch items: Never Forget September 11! VDOE is encouraging teachers to replace the facts of 9/11: • VDOE had a training session for how to teach September 11 lessons that suggested the focus be on racism. The video was taken offline after national news picked it up, but CARE found a link to the original slide deck and the resources suggested for lesson plans. • It is recommended that parents be on the lookout for re-framed narratives of the September 11 attacks on the United States of America • LISTEN THIS FRIDAY at 12pm: CARE member and Veteran NYPD Detective who was on the scene at ground zero offers his perspective of changing narratives on the Schilling Show Deleveling in Math • VDOE changing how math is taught: Virginia Math Pathways Initiative (VMPI) • Math will no longer be leveled or tracked – all levels of learners will be in the same classes • A C.A.R.E. citizen watched all of five community engagement sessions and captured notes (attached). Anti-charter school legislative agenda • Per the official ACPS legislative agenda: “We oppose any constitutional changes that would decrease local control of public education by allowing external authorities to establish a charter school in a community without local school board approval.” • Practically speaking, this would largely invalidate the point of a charter school if the dysfunctional methods of the public school are mandated for the charter school Social and Emotional Learning • VDOE is preparing Model Policies for Social and Emotional Learning Editorial comment: One question that comes to mind: Teachers now need to be Culturally Responsive micro-certified, must adhere to all student’s pronouns and any transgender transition plans, must integrate equity-lens practices, must prepare to teach all levels of students at the same time, and must engage students in SEL – how is it possible to also provide a first-rate curriculum as well? |
Citizens Advocating for Responsible Education