As this issue goes to press, the board of directors for Bend-La Pine Schools is gathering for yet another school board meeting—this one located at Bend Senior High School, a larger venue for yet another raucous showing from local conservatives chasing a series of boogeymen they believe have infected local schools. School board meetings in this region were once benign affairs that drew little controversy or concern—and even while big issues of comprehensive sex education (or the lack thereof in BLPS), for example, were decided upon in those meetings, they registered barely a blip on most people’s radar. Not so anymore.
Over the past year or so, Americans from every corner of the country were galvanized around a renewed sense of social justice and racial reckoning. They rejected a president whose toxic rhetoric was fueling a race to the bottom. They stood up at protests and put signs in their lawns. Locally, they voted in a blue wave of new elected officials. For many, this represented a lot of effort, and for some, all that activity over the past year was enough. The protests have died down. The lawn signs are still present, but gathering dust.
Except.
Except that now, with our local school board populated by three people of color—two recently elected—some extreme local conservatives have taken it upon themselves to pack school board meetings and to use these meetings as shouting matches where they can complain about the false assumption that critical race theory is part of the formal curriculum, and that their kids shouldn’t have to wear masks at school, even while the Delta variant rages across the land. Some also believe that teaching comprehensive sex ed that includes information about LGBTQ individuals turns kids into deviants. These are their battle cries. They are part of a national push to be the most obnoxious and most toxic versions of themselves in the name of wearing down the middle-of-the-road parents. With their theatrics they have put a spotlight on their fear of seeing three members of a school board represent more diverse backgrounds.
Groups such as the “Moms for Liberty” have cropped up all over the country, advocating for a vague notion of “liberty” that means their kids can say and do whatever they want inside the halls of the public buildings that generations of Americans—Black, White, Asian, Latino and Indigenous, all—have paid to build. These groups want their children to be educated—but only insofar as that education involves nothing that can shape a different way of thinking from their own.
Right now, the throngs packing these meetings nationwide are winning. They’re winning because progressives—and even the vast majority of people who occupy the middle—are resting on their laurels, proud of the accomplishments of the past year and imagining the battle is won because Trump lost the election.
There is nothing to be done about this besides picking one’s self up off the couch and showing up in numbers, too.
If the roots of this behavior were more shallow, it could have been eradicated by now. But it’s in these interim times—these times between elections and between massive public demonstrations—that this type of behavior creeps back in and causes good people, like the ones recently elected to the school board, to vow never to serve in a public office again. Right now, many of the people who put themselves out there and ran for office this last election are regretting their decision—and that’s how xenophobia and racism win. Our community is better when it is represented by diverse voices, and knowing that some of these people are being shouted down into future obscurity is tragic.
Bend-La Pine Schools’ new Superintendent, Dr. Steve Cook, says he wants to lead from the middle, as he told our sister publication, Bend Nest. But he’s new to this community, and by seeing the loud, brash showings at recent school board meetings, he too may begin to believe that what this community wants is not to be led from the middle, but from the side that is loudest at these meetings.
Those who showed up to protests and actions any time over the past year or so should also be showing up now, because an election is only the beginning.
This article appears in Aug 11-18, 2021.
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The worst of it is that these new warriors for warped thinking–regardless of how they formed who who writes their scripts–absolutely reject any attempt to reason or discuss calmly or reach common ground. This “our way or the highway” philosophy of public discourse, I believe, is deliberately designed to disrupt our institutions and create chaos. In the old days it was canards like death panels and sharia law that were employed to inflame passions. My take home: The point is not CRT or masking or vaxxing or whatever becomes the fanciful wedge issue of the hour; the real object is to derail democracy.
This is what happens when you elect school board members who feel unaccountable to the parents. Our education systems are failing precisely because we are more worried about teaching equity instead of basic skills. This is indoctrination and creates a divided society. It has no place in education. Sadly our schools have become indoctrination camps and the statistics are showing it. Take a look at how your schools compare #37 on math skills. How will children ever succeed? People better start showing up to make the teachers unions and school boards accountable to the ones paying their salaries or accept a very bleak future with adults who cannot critically think and become divisive members of our society. Antifa anyone?
Good luck, this is why many are leaving this state.
Jprdh (writer on this thread), you are incorrect about why our education system is failing. The reason why Oregon is not a leading state in education is because we have the least amount of school days, our curriculum is lacking especially in elementary school and our governor has also reduced the education/graduation standards this past week. Students can just move up a grade because they showed up (blue ribbon phenomena), not because they succeeded in academics. Our curriculum is way behind for our children to be ahead to compete and be prepared at a global level. Foreign language should be taught starting in kindergarten when the language part of the brain is still developing, not in middle school. Elementary students need a full time art and music program learning an instrument as it’s highly correlated to math and science. We also need a proper science curriculum in the elementary schools. Children are capable and their brains are most pliable at a young age. We also don’t have the celebration of “Black History Month” in our curriculum and that needs to be integrated as well. We also need to teach the factual history of our nation and how it was founded so that we can understand it, acknowledge it and do better moving forward. Anatomy, puberty and sex education are important and when I hear the religious right people at school board meetings say their children are being ” indoctrinated”, “sexualized” or ” being taught the ways of Lucifer”, well these parents are given the right to opt out of this education piece if they wish. I have had to sign papers for all of my children understanding what they were going to be taught.
As far as these public school board meetings go, most of the people that were in attendance do not even go to BLPS. They are outsiders disrupting and listening to “Q” about infiltrating local public meetings and running for seats so they can spew their hate and extremists messaging. They have total disrespect for our teachers, administrators and board members who by the way are not paid positions but do this volunteer service work from wanting a better education for our children. So “Fosterfell” (writer on this thread) is absolutely correct in stating that these meetings are the efforts to derail democracy. They don’t even sit around for the work portion of the meeting or understand what it means to read an agenda as they kept interrupting the work meeting. They just want to talk about their backwards ways, argue and cause disruption of work that needs to be done. And personally I don’t feel BLPS should give them a platform to do so. The only people that should be able to speak at these meetings are stakeholders, not outsiders with their crazy agendas of derailing democracy.
Agreed, not enough school days. Could be a product of teachers unions as I’ve never heard a teacher utter the words “I wish we could work more days”. And Nicole P I think that more teaching of the three R’s and foreign languages should be mandated. But I question why CRT is being pushed so hard when we can’t seem to teach basic skills. Why do so many sensible people want to take time away from educators who just want to teach? I know nothing about you but I’m willing to bet that you became a really good human without CRT training. Like Me, you just figured it out. Obviously I don’t remember the moment yet I’m confident that the first time I learned about slavery I figured out it was bad. I’m just a normal white guy that was born and raised in Oregon with thousands of friends many of whom share the same or similar backgrounds and I can’t think of any that are racist or raising little racists. We live in a world where anything goes, if you wake up tomorrow and decide to identify as a male goat, good for you. The majority will shake their head, murmur that you’re a nut and leave you alone. My point is that more people need just ignore (pr flip ’em the bird) the very small group of ignorant racists. Like you said we need to TEACH READING WRITING AND ARITHMETIC! We can’t continue to take important time away from teachers that want to educate young people.
Personally I’m thrilled that more ppl are coming to school board meetings. There were far too few attending meetings for far too long. If the board chooses they could assure that attendees have students within the district. One person above suggested it was just outsiders sent into agitate. Speaking of agitation – I long for days of old where authors of articles wrote in a clear, non inflammatory, non biased manner. Anymore our news, from the national down to this local Bend Source Weekly, is so full of bias and hate. If our “news” would pull its claws in I think our citizens just might start to follow suit. If anyone here could provide a link to posted full curriculum outlines of CRT and the current Sex Ed – for all levels – I’d appreciate. If not I will phone the BLPS office tomorrow and request copies. If I’m refused then I’ll demand full posting and state I just might attend some classes. I want to see what’s in these courses myself rather than latch myself to the narrative of either persuasion.
Personally Im thrilled that more ppl are coming to school board meetings. There were far too few attending meetings for far too long. If the board chooses they could assure that attendees have students within the district. One person above suggested it was just outsiders sent into agitate. Speaking of agitation – I long for days of old where authors of articles wrote in a clear, non inflammatory, non biased manner. Anymore our news, from the national down to this local Bend Source Weekly, is so full of bias and hate. If our news would pull its claws in I think our citizens just might start to follow suit. If anyone here could provide a link to posted full curriculum outlines of CRT and the current Sex Ed – for all levels – Id appreciate. If not I will phone the BLPS office tomorrow and request copies. If Im refused then Ill request they provide full curriculums posted and state that I just might attend some classes. I want to see whats in these courses myself and make up my own mind rather than to latch myself onto the narrative of either angry persuasion.
Apologies for posting the same twice. After posting it appeared as tho posting had failed – so I posted again. If there were a way to delete I would. Ah well. I do encourage school board meeting attendance and involvement – we need more voices. The education of our children is our future. Ive certainly been hearing some near horror stories about curriculum changes. Thankfully I wont buy into without proof. Its so important that we have access to full information and be given the opportunity to make our own decisions. Im not liking that too many choices are made anymore by our state legislature and or governor without citizen input (voting). Like Governor Brown recently dictating that for the next 5 years, HS students need not show proficiency in reading, writing, and arithmetic in order to graduate. What???!!!
Skewed perspective in this writing.
These people showing up loud, rude and extreme are not representatives of the conservatives in the Bend-Lapine SD. They are just that: extreme and outspoken.
However, there is a very significant body of moderate conservatives who also share some (or some version) of their views. I happen to be one of them. And unfortunately, I’ve never been to a school board meeting despite having a vested interest (i.e. kids in the district!)
I do not believe that teaching our children to focus on their race, past injustices to people of their race, their potential victimization ‘status’, etc. is helpful to anyone’s cause. Do you think race relations are improving because of the actions of BLM over the past year? Because of CRT, and “the work” being done? Doesn’t seem like it to me. It seems like the opposite is happening.
CRT is not officially part of the curriculum, but it’s ideas are definitely creeping in, if nothing else in the inherent and unavoidable bias of the teacher’s presentation of their subject. As a former teacher myself, I also understand that education often rephrases objectionable ideas into softer terminology. This idea that America is some awful racist hell-hole that invented slavery, violence, and oppression is factually wrong and harmful. This country was founded in an entirely different time, and we have now recognized the sins of our fathers and changed our system so that all people are treated equally under the law.
Teaching students that somehow they are guilty of something that someone of their skin color did generations ago is morally wrong and against the idea of individuality and personal accountability. Dig deep enough into anyone’s ancestry and you’ll find what we modern-humans would consider shameful behavior.
And regarding the masking: Children are at such an incredibly low risk of serious illness/death (yes, including the delta variant) that it is not worth the real costs. The problem is that the costs of full-time masking in school for all children is subtle. Especially young children, who are learning to read people’s emotions, read lips, learning to follow instructions (which are heavily muffled through a mask), etc. Plus the lesson that they are a source of disease with every breath, that their friends or teachers or the guy at the grocery store may infect them.We are sacrificing their social, emotional and academic development for the sake of grown-ups.
Now even the local news is deleting comments. You have failed us all bend source, your job was to report and you got drunk on your power flavored kool-aid
Perhaps the author wants the other kind of extremists to show up: the ones who think a man can become a woman through removal of his genitals and wearing a dress, that a middle school kid should be taught they are guilty of ‘whiteness’, and that children who are more likely to die of the flu should be forced to mask 8 hours a day. Those extremists are the ones in control.