We at the SBEA would like to address the MB Superintendent’s comments in his 5/25 school newsletter:

…While schools, companies, and corporations around the nation have taken a stance on moving towards a world where racism and intolerance no longer exist, I know that many schools and school districts are being criticized for those efforts….

The school district is finally acknowledging the nationwide parent pushback against the indoctrination of their children in the classroom. However, to characterize parent concerns as an implicit acceptance of any sort of racism is utterly incorrect and inappropriate. Parents have legitimate concerns about the doctrines of Critical Race Theory being woven across all aspects of the curriculum. They see what is happening and are concerned for their children and for the future of education. While our school boards publicly deny they support Critical Race Theory, all of us observing their actions know those are empty words.

We ask that they take a step back, not criticize, but respect our input and listen to what we are saying.

The The Child Soldiers of Portland is probably the most important read for concerned parents and community members. Written by Chris Rufo, it chronicles the decline of schools in Portland, Oregon.

While this may seem a remote possibility locally, everyone should take this very seriously for a few reasons:

Manhattan Beach Schools will soon hire a new Superintendent. How much influence will parents have over the decision? The school board has already demonstrated their unwillingness to heed parent concerns. Will the new Superintendent support the efforts to indoctrinate students, or will he/she focus on traditional education values that have resulted in MB schools being ranked in the top 5% in the State of California.
Hermosa Beach Schools have a new Superintendent who embraces many of the the same philosophies, and has a willing school board who follows his lead. The Hermosa Beach Diversity Task Force used Portland schools as their example of what could be followed with the DEI initiative and board resolution language.

Everyone should read this article very carefully. This should serve as the inspiration for everyone to begin speaking out against the many initiatives currently in process which are leading both school districts down this same path. The article can be found here: The Child Soldiers of Portland.

This video was shown to 3rd grade students in the Beaverton School district: 3rd Grade Lecture. She is indicative of the kind of people invited to speak to students. This is why everyone should be very concerned about our schools hiring consultants to either speak with the younger students or conduct teacher training sessions so the teachers can impose these views on children.

Once the students are back in the classroom, parents will lose all visibility. If parents can no longer trust the schools, we are in a very bad place.

Tigard-Tualatin Interview

We had the opportunity to speak with a 15 year old attending the Tigard-Tualatin school district and the parent of a 2nd and 5th grader. Excerpts of our interviews are as follows:

15 year old

The first 20 minutes of every school day is dedicated to SEL. We no longer have school on Wednesdays, but we still have the 20 minute SEL. The teachers are told to read what they are given, and sometimes I do not think they agree with it, but they have to read it anyway. They lecture about the great work BLM is doing; how Asians are afraid to leave their homes due to white people; how the gay community is afraid to be themselves. I have always felt our school is very embracing of everyone and don’t understand why they are saying this.

The teachers are telling us white people are the ones with the power, and if you are white, cis (cisgender) and straight, you are the problem.

When the students are silent and do not comment, the teacher allows the silence to continue until someone is forced to say something.

They have other exercises they have us do that are really weird such as: push your finger on your forehead to calm yourself down.

Parent of 2nd and 5th grader

The only reason my kids have learned about racism is because they learned it in school. I have NEVER had any issues with anyone due to their race. Ever. It is not even a subject because there is no issue. But this is now a constant drumbeat coming from the school.

The older kids are becoming proselytizers. My son’s 8th grade Spanish tutor asked my 7 year old if he knew what racism is. Then, as I listened to him going through the school Spanish curriculum it shifted from food and holidays to a discussion of Lemon Grove (a 1931 court case about de segregation). At that point I stopped the tutoring session and said this is not appropriate. I contacted the school, expressed my concerns about the subject matter and they said they considered this to be appropriate for a 7 year old.

Manhattan Beach School Board Happenings – May

On a 5-0 vote, the Manhattan Beach School Board approved the substitution of Slay for Catcher in the Rye. Parents wrote in, asking for time to read the book and provide comment. Students from Diversify Our Narrative also wrote in supporting the book Slay. The school board dismissed parent concerns.

This book is focused on identity politics, includes over 300 references to race, includes over 50 obscenities, discusses white supremacy, criticizes the police and includes references to the protagonist having sex in the house with the consent of the mother. The book also contains several instances of an offensive word which served as the rationale for the removal of Huck Finn. Bottom line – we question the literary value of this book.

This is representative of the movement towards Critical Race Theory being woven across all aspects of curriculum in Manhattan Beach Schools.

See discussion here, prompted by Mike Matthews asking about how the lessons on social justice/equity/inclusion are woven in throughout academics : Weaving CRT across curriculum . Parents should listen to this very carefully.

Some direct quotes from the teacher:

“I see this being embedded into everything we do”.

“These are not a standalone thing”.

“It is part of our whole entire day, a continuum”

Removing classical literature and replacing with books that support the current orthodoxy is just one of the many steps towards their pathway of completely changing the curriculum and philosophy.

Every step moves us further away from excellence in education.

Hermosa Beach School Board Happenings – May

Although Sheri Atwater is no longer going to conduct teacher training sessions (great news!), expect the Hermosa Beach Superintendent to search for an even more strident and radical replacement.

Most of these consultants rely on Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for curriculum, so it is important to better understand them. SPLC is a disturbing, highly political organization that has developed an extensive curriculum used by educators who believe in Critical Race Theory. Teaching/Learning for Justice is their vehicle for educating impressionable youth. Sheri confirmed several times that she relies on their anchor standards which can be found here: Anchor Standards

Important to note – there is a standard playbook used by the schools and consultants. They begin the process with children “choosing their identities”. Among other things as you read through the Anchor Standards, they discuss how teachers nurture the students to “develop language”, identify the “dominant culture”, and are taught to perform “collective action”. If all of this sounds as if they are laying the groundwork for what happened in Portland, it is because this is all steeped in Critical Race Theory, which drove the changes in Portland.

SLPC tailors curriculum based upon grade levels. No child is too young to begin their indoctrination process. See here: Learning for Justice. A few examples of their teachings: K-2 education should include anti-bias education and create artwork to convey social justice issues. 4th graders are not too young to discuss gender equity. 3-5th graders have a lesson plan in which students skip school to join a march. How is this NOT indoctrination of our children?

Please let what is happening in Portland serve as the wake up call that parents can no longer remain silent.

We are witnessing the decline in education.

The time is to SPEAK UP is NOW.

Talk to your school board members and tell them you disagree with their DEI initiatives and that it is harmful to our children.

Schools should stick to education.

Parents are the ones who infuse their children with values.

Dropping Enrollment at
Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach schools

What we have all been suspecting has been confirmed. Parents are leaving both districts. A reasonable question that the boards should be asking is WHY. However, from watching meetings, our school boards (oddly) do not seem to be curious about why parents are pulling their kids from the districts.

When parents pull their kids out of school, the money goes with them.

Manhattan Beach is projecting a $1.9M shortfall in school year 2022/2023. Current enrollment is down 11%, 738 students vs. school year 2019/2020.

Hermosa Beach is projecting a $1.5M shortfall in schoolyear 2022/2023.

Current enrollment is down 12%, 160 students vs. school year 2019/2020.

Both school districts think they can make up the enrollment loss with permit students. They will learn that people only permit in if they feel their children will get an excellent education. Once they realize that education has taken a back seat to race, equity and social justice initiatives they will quickly tire of the school commute, and most likely, they will leave too.

We hope school board members read this newsletter and realize how serious this is. Feel free to forward!