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Tom Hayden's avatar

For one, the PTA Equity Project and PTAs generally are a private organization, receive no federal funding, and are not funded or run by the taxpayers. They can do whatever they want, so throw that out.

I don't think anyone should lose funding due to having an equity policy on their website. It's just words on a website and lots of districts boast about bullshit. You, of all people, should sympathize that folks shouldn't be punished for speech.

The question from the OCR is, is there any damage to students from specific policies? The SLF people say yes and the 2021 Trump Administration seemed to agree - and it derives from the Beyond Diversity Training. I'm personally a skeptic that teacher professional development somehow violates the law which pertains to students.

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Sandy's avatar

Of course the funny thing is that D65's boasting about "equity" is largely bullshit and isolated to wasteful symbolic gestures (Foster School) and gutting things like advanced math and reading specialists. The "equity lens" has also justified unnecessary expenses like Horton's security detail. (Remember when he blamed his car getting broken into on the Deemer lawsuit, even though the lawsuit was filed a week after the car window incident?)

So now we have Trump's BS vs. D 65's BS. Great.

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Tom Hayden's avatar

Stay tuned, I'm working on a follow up to this piece that discusses this.

I think the iron is hot to rethink how we talk about equity. For instance, it's debateable if the "equity lens" is even ethical or legal for a fiduciary, like the Board. Not that they ever actually use it for anything (ask Bessie Rhodes how the equity lens works). There's been so much BS and I think it's time to say "this approach hasn't worked" and try something different.

We should have a school district that people of color want to send their kids to, not because we're screaming equity as loud as we can, but because we have a good ass school district.

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M A's avatar

OMG. It is time to rethink use of the word equity! It got us Horton. You can get anything you want (to quote AliceтАЩs Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie) just use that famous word

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forumposter123@protonmail.com's avatar

Yes, equity policies are racial discrimination and illegal. You should lose funding if youтАЩre in violation of the law.

Yes, training teachers to discriminate based on race is bad and shouldnтАЩt be paid for.

This is such basic stuff.

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Tom Hayden's avatar

Thanks anonymous for your deep insight

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forumposter123@protonmail.com's avatar

In the year of our lord 2025, "don't discriminate against people" is apparently a deep insight on the left. This may be related to your recent electoral performance.

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Tom Hayden's avatar

At least you can admit that it's discrimination because you say it is, not because there was actually genuine harm (besides your sensitive feelings)

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forumposter123@protonmail.com's avatar

So to be clear you:

1) Discriminate against certain races (this is easy enough to prove mathematically and has been proven in court cases).

2) Advocate the teaching of discrimination to children and their educators.

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Tom Hayden's avatar

Prove mathematically? Show me your math then

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Tom Hayden's avatar

I wasn't asking you to share links to random articles, I was asking YOU to make an argument. Also, half of these things aren't related to what we're even discussing here. We're not talking college admissions where I think asian parents especially had a legitimate case for harm.

Take my kid in D65, he's white - what harm is being done to him such that the federal government needs to step in to stop things like offering the "books and breakfast" program to black kids?

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Penny's avatar

For what itтАЩs worth, the Books for Breakfast program has no identity restrictions. They donтАЩt even mention identity categories on their website:

https://www.booksbreakfast.org/

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Tom Hayden's avatar

They don't, which is why I used this as an example. There are lots of community programs like this, designed to help lift up black or hispanic folks but not necessarily exclusionary to white folks. But these dudes get offended at even programs like this.

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forumposter123@protonmail.com's avatar

If he's being excluded from that program based on his race then he is being harmed and its illegal.

If there was a program at your school offered only to white kids you would be up in arms about it. If flipping the races changes your opinion you are part of the problem.

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Tom Hayden's avatar

I am willing to put my real name behind my arguments and donтАЩt need to hide behind an anonymous account. I think YOU are part of the problem, Mr Anonymous. You believe in the cause so strongly that youтАЩre not even brave enough to use your real name. Own it.

My kid is not hurt by this program because I never applied to have him be part of it.

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Feb 17
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Tom Hayden's avatar

Ok? You didnтАЩt answer my question: what are the damages to students?

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Feb 17Edited
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Tom Hayden's avatar

This is just blathering nonsense and has not been my family's experience.

"In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight. Such an environment operates as an echo chamber, in which students are forced to accept these ideologies without question or critical examination. In many cases, innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics. "

Having your feelings hurt is not harm. Turns out you guys are the snowflakes!

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