Survey Responses Part 3
COALITION UTAH asked State Board 7 candidates about POLITICIZED & MEDICALIZED SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS. Here's what they had to say...
Politicized & Medicalized School Environments - 5
A) Can you provide some specific examples of harmful DEI practices, programs, policies, or pedagogies currently present in schools?
B) What actions will you take as a Board member to protect students from political, racial, sexual, environmental, or social activism, including DEI, in their school environments?
A) I don’t have a current DEI example to share, however with that being said I’m opposed to the harmful DEI ideology. HB261 was to eliminate DEI from Utah schools in January of 2024. My worry is the DEI was or will be redesigned or restructured and still end up in our school curriculum.
B) I will work to pass rules and policy to remove DEI or its equivalent wherever it is found.
A) I remember an example that happened at my daughter’s high school. There was an English class that was teaching students about white male privilege. White students were left feeling guilty based on their skin color and sex. Parents contacted administration and were left with more questions than answers. Parents didn’t feel as though they were being listened to. There is no reason why this is being taught.
There is another example of a girl who was required to make an athletic team when her abilities didn’t warrant her a spot. In the name of inclusivity, she was to participate in all activities. This is not fair to anyone who was previously cut due to their inabilities and it is also unfair to the team to be held back from mastering and performing at the level intended.
At a local middle school, a boy who identifies as a girl, was using the girls locker room to dress for a dance class. When the mom of a child who felt uncomfortable addressed this issue with the principal, he took over a week to respond. The father then followed up and was told that state policy was being followed. The parents complained to the state, the school was audited and was found out of compliance.
B) Administration needs to be better informed about state policies so things like this can be addressed quicker.
A) Provo having an lgbtq lavender graduation is an example of a harmful Dei practice. Just as we do not want to discriminate, demean or ridicule children who have these unique situations,
we also do not want to promote these behaviors as they certainly lead to significantly higher rates of depression and suicide than the norm.
If we care about children we need to care about all children not only those in minority situations. Whether they be racial minorities or social minorities we need to care for these children but not celebrate things which harm children.
All vestiges of Dei should be removed not just the labels but all of the tentacles that exist in Utah schools.
B) My votes will be to overturn such policies.
A) Schools and teachers should not be promoting any ideologies or viewpoints to students. Teachers should remain neutral when addressing any state standards that mention social issues. I do not and will not shy away from promoting active citizenship. I teach my students that if they are passionate about an issue, they should get involved or be an active citizen. We must teach the next generation not what to think, but rather how to think critically, make informed decisions and be involved.
B) [Not provided]
A) I guess I have been lucky. I went to school in Weber County during the 60’s and 70’s. I had no harmful practices based upon these things. As a teacher and a principal, once again I personally have not seen anything harmful based upon these things.
What guides me is treating all people with respect and seeing their potential as human beings. My students never know what my politics is, religious beliefs are, or anything else mentioned in the question. If I had a teacher that was telling students any of these things, I would have that crucial conversation one-on-one. My faculty always heard that in my first faculty meeting before school began. We are there to teach and mold students, but in social moderation and political and religious neutrality.
B) As far as how I would handle it if it was occuring in a school or district, See my response above about what I would do if there was a policy that was not being followed or ignored.
I guess I see this as more of a higher education issue, not a elementary or secondary public school issue. We do not hire based upon DEI, we do not admit students into programs based upon DEI. One of our rules in administration is there are no secrets from parents.
A) We need to completely rid schools of DEI. We have made feel-good steps toward that goal, but it isn’t enough. ALL students should be protected from any social activism in school. Schools should be politically neutral with zero tolerance for DEI.
B) [Not provided]
Politicized & Medicalized School Environments - 6
Schools are increasingly providing School-Based Health Centers and Teen Centers and hiring more medical and mental health support personnel.
A) Do you believe it is the schools’ responsibility to provide mental health and medical services for all students?
B) If yes, how will you support this specifically? If no, how will you oppose this specifically? Please cite any relevant policies, programs, or practices.
A) No, I do not support school-based health and teen centers. While I understand the intention behind providing accessible services to students, I believe parents should be the primary decision-makers in their children’s health care—not schools. Many of these centers can offer services without full parental involvement, and that raises valid concerns about transparency, values, and accountability.
B) I support keeping health care decisions in the hands of families and encouraging stronger partnerships between parents and local health providers instead.
A) No, it is a school’s responsibility to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic. It is not a school’s responsibility to provide medical and mental health support.
B) With all aspects of education, be it policy, curriculum, etc., I will always use my voice to make suggestions and work with others to promote positive change.
A) I don’t believe the mental health of our children should be overseen by schools for the same reasons I don’t think schools should be managing any of the items in the prior questions. School counselors should be helping children with school related curriculum choices not Mental Health.
B) My votes will be to overturn such policies.
A) I am not opposed to school districts providing mental health or medical assistance to families in need. A student should have good mental health if we are expecting them to have academic success. Communication must exist between school mental health counselors and parents.
B) [Not provided]
A) We have more mental heath issues in our schools now days. We have hired more social workers and school psychologists to help with this reality. As a former principal, it was a great resource for my students and teachers. We used a portion of LAND Trust money to support it.
Schools are the community’s best front line. In my life I have seen the neighborhood school become the first responders to social issues.
My junior year in high school it was decided we had too much teenage pregnancy, so a class in Parenting was formed. I had to take it to graduate from high school. In truth that was a great class. I used the teachings when I bought my first house and made a couples’ budget as newlyweds. The flour sack baby was not too helpful.
Recently, we had a high number of Utahns declaring bankruptcy. Schools were told to offer Finance Literature classes required for graduation. People were upset that Americans were not answering questions correctly about American Civics, so we have a Civics Test all students must pass to graduate.
The schools are the frontlines for social issues that is why many Supreme Courts decisions usually have “v. XYZ Board of Education.” Even though schools must be moderate in social issues we happen to be the best solution for those social issues. Education is a political football whether we like it or not, by both sides of the political spectrum. I once said to a group that in Utah we are sued by both sides of an issue even though one of them promoted the idea.
It comes down to what is best for the students. It must be looked at on a case-by-case situation. Just a thought, how many kids would not have glasses without school nurses doing eye tests? I have heard parents in my neighborhood say they had no idea until the school eye tests.
B) [Not provided]
A) There is no place in our public schools for any type of health center. I support the presence of a school nursing office to provide a solution to an immediate physical health related need. This would include cuts and scrapes, stomach illness, etc. However, providing a mental health screening is not in the pervue of our public education system. If an immediate mental health crisis were to occur the student(s) affected should only be brought to the nurses office so that there is an adult supervisor there while the parents are contacted. It is the parents role to get the student the mental health solution that is best for them and their child.
B) I will oppose any legislation or rules that go beyond this narrow scope. The child’s care is up to the discretion of the parents, not school administration.
Politicized & Medicalized School Environments - 7
Parents continue to voice concerns about sexually explicit content in schools, despite recent laws on sensitive materials addressing this issue.
A) Do you believe that students still have access to sexually explicit materials through the schools?
B) If yes, which provisions of current state law do you believe facilitate this access?
A) I do believe there are students who still have access to sexually explicit material through the schools.
B) Because of the current law that requires a threshold of LEAs be involved for a book that has porn to be removed. If a book is violating state law against sensitive material, it should be removed immediately without a threshold of LEA’s being needed.
A) I do believe, and know first hand, that students still have access to books that are not age appropriate. My child bought a book at a scholastic book fair that was being displayed on a table about animals. She loves animals. It was geared to her age group. I saw the book’s cover and thought to myself that it looked fine. The quote, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” is more true than ever in this day and age. The book was about a girl transitioning. It had nothing to do with cats. I was angry and frustrated to say the least. So, YES! Kids still have access to inappropriate books.
B) [Not provided]
A) I have several parental witnesses to this problem that the children are accessing pornography directly on their school issued Chromebooks.
Here is one resource on the matter: https://www.instagram.com/g_rated_school?igsh=MTZiOXhsbTRmZ2N5dg==
Please ask I’ll provide others…
We need more textbooks and No Chromebooks. Computers belong in the computer lab not in the classroom.
B) [Not provided]
A) Yes, I am concerned most specifically about students going around web filters on school issued devices (like chromebooks or laptops). I support parents who do not want said devices issued to their children and I also support consequences for students who are repeat offenders of intentionally bypassing web filters. Sexually explicit content should not be available to students through public schools.
B) [Not provided]
A) Just like moms and dads, if a student has access day and night to the internet, they have access to sexually explicit content. We do all we can with filters in the schools to block those sites, but students, moms and dads have ways around those filters at schools and at home. We will continue to make efforts to block those websites.
As far as books in our media centers and classrooms, there has been a major drop in our schools with materials that are seen as sexually explicit. English teachers, Social Science teachers, Health teachers, and Media Specialists are trained just on this. Frequently updated lists are made by the USBE as to which books and programs are acceptable and which are not. Those seen as not appropriate are pulled from the classrooms and media center.
A film must be G or PG and must be previewed by the teacher to be shown in a class. If it is PG-13, there must be an honest declaration of anything that might be objectional and must have a parent permission slip to view. R-rated or Mature Audience are not allowed in schools.
I believe it is less of a problem. We have parents, teachers, and administrators on book review committees to keep the list updated. Parent concerns are always looked at with fidelity. We are doing about the best we can do to quell any objectionable material in our classrooms and media centers. Some may murmur about the loss of some of the classics we studied in our day because of a description or a word, but they comply.
B) [Not provided]
A) This is one of the pervasive problems that we face because students have access to technology. One of the ways that they are accessing explicit content is on school issued Chrome Books. By using Google Sheets, links can be shared which will allow access to explicit sites. This must be stopped! I will work with the other members of the State Board to create viable solutions to protect students.
B) [Not provided]
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