In my last post, I talked about some of the false statements that Superintendent Bourff has made about Critical Race Theory. In this post, I’d like to give you two more examples in which the district was not telling the truth.
The first example has to do with the Lilly-funded “Social, Emotional, and Equity Learning” program (SEEL), which came up at the school board meeting on April 28, 2021. At that meeting, Assistant Superintendent Matt Kegley told the board (listen from minute marker 35:00) that the district “would be happy to share the program” and that they are “not in an attempt to hide what we’re gonna, you know, have for our lessons for our students.” He also said that the district’s “Mental Health Coordinator” Brooke Lawson was the person who was overseeing the development of that curriculum.
The SEEL program (sometimes called SEL) has been an object of much concern among parents in HSE and really across the nation. Parents fear that SEEL is a front for undermining their values and corrupting their children. So I thought I’d send an email to Ms. Lawson and ask to see the curriculum that Mr. Kegley said they were happy to share. Ms. Lawson scheduled a one-hour meeting with me and also FHS Principal Jason Urban to review the SEEL curriculum, but only in person, during working hours when most parents are unavailable, with no copies or pictures allowed. Sounds really transparent, huh?
Here’s a key part of our exchange via email before the meeting:
Me: “Will we have access to all the SEEL lesson plans?”
Ms. Lawson’s direct response: “I will have the SEEL lessons for us to review and discuss.”
Since I wanted to share what I learned about SEEL with other parents, I was frustrated that I would not be allowed to make copies. But at least it seemed that I would have access to all the lesson plans, and that I would be able to look through them for an hour and find out what was in at least a lot of them. I planned to take notes to educate other parents. Ms. Lawson was difficult in our email exchange. She refused to answer some of my questions. She made the review inconvenient. She switched the time of the meeting without asking me. But at least there would be a review of the SEEL lessons, as promised by Mr. Kegley.
Oops: they weren’t telling the truth.
When I arrived, there were a very limited number of lessons available for my review—it was simply false that all the lessons were made available to me. Rather, Ms. Lawson and Mr. Urban walked me through a lesson on a projector. Mr. Urban literally wanted to hold the clicker. There was no way to get a general sense of what was in the wider SEEL curriculum. This was not what I had been promised, it was not productive, it was a waste of my time, and it made me pretty angry.
Mr. Kegley had said that the district is “not in an attempt to hide what we’re gonna, you know, have for our lessons for our students.” And yet it sure seemed like they were, you know, in an attempt to hide their lessons. Ms. Lawson had answered affirmatively when I asked whether all the lessons would be available for my review. She had simply not been telling the truth—none of them had been. That’s not what they do. They do not tell you the truth.
Here’s another example.
I spoke to District Chief Equity Officer Nataki Pettigrew on April 25. I asked her if she could provide me with a copy of the video of the “Awareness, Advocacy, and Allyship” event that I mentioned in another post. I hadn’t had a chance to see it, and I wanted to evaluate it for myself. Ms. Pettigrew told me that she could not provide me with a copy of the video because she had deleted it. I didn’t believe her. So I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request the next morning, in person, at the district office. Oops again! When legally compelled, they were able to provide the video to me. As with the others, Ms. Pettigrew had not been telling me the truth.
These people are not telling you the truth. For them, words are tools to be used in manipulating public perception. The point of this post is to try to sensitize you to this fact. The things that they say to you on the phone, or in meetings, cannot be uncritically believed. It is actions that count. So when you speak to one of these people, you need to see that they act, and do not be pacified by mere words. You should go into these conversations with an action in mind, and get a date by which that action—or possibly a compromise action that you agree on—will be taken. If they will not work with you to produce action, publicize this on social media.
When I insist on action, I get nothing from these people. Not a single tiny concession, of any sort, ever. Unless, that is, I can legally compel them to act, with FOIA requests and other legal threats. This is not acceptable. This is not a working relationship. We must demand better.
One final thought: Ms. Pettigrew in particular has used this sort of tactic effectively with a number of parents. The parents reach out with concerns. Ms. Pettigrew expresses empathy and offers a meeting. The parents meet with Ms. Pettigrew and talk at length. Ms. Pettigrew seems to be taking extensive notes, with promises to bring this important information to an important meeting she’s having with an important person that week. Being a normal person, the parent assumes that Ms. Pettigrew is telling the truth and feels thankful for her willingness to meet and discuss things. But nothing comes of it.
She isn’t telling you the truth. Stop believing her. Demand action.