A backlash to diversity and equity efforts in schools has led to suggestions that teachers hide their lesson plans from parents in the Rockwood School District.
Earlier this month, the district’s literacy coordinator for grades six through 12 emailed teachers and administrators in response to parents’ complaints about a “culture and identity†unit in English classes.
According to the email, complaints centered around the book “Dear Martin,†which deals with themes of racism and police violence and also includes sexual content and profanity.
Lesson plans from the book include discussions on racial profiling, civil disobedience and affirmative action.
Rockwood parents are “looking for specific things to then complain about,†reads the email to teachers. “This doesn’t mean throw out the lesson and find a new one. Just pull the resource off (the online classroom management system) so parents cannot see it.â€
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The email said keeping information from parents is not “being deceitful†because “prior to the pandemic you didn’t send everything home or have it available.â€
After the email to teachers was posted on social media, Assistant Superintendent Shelley Willott said it was “unacceptable†and that she regretted the breach of trust.
“Asking teachers to conceal anything from parents does not reflect the mission, vision and values of the Rockwood School District,†reads Willott’s email sent Friday to parents. “As a district, we strive for transparency, and we recognize that open communication is vital between parents and staff to best serve the needs of our students. We also value you as essential partners and allies in the education of our children, and we are always willing to discuss questions or concerns related to all aspects of your children’s education.â€
Janet Deidrick, whose son is in ninth grade, said she was “heartsick†when listening to the audio book and hearing what she describes as racial stereotypes and anti-police sentiment.
“It seems that they have an agenda to turn our children into political activists and we don’t believe that’s what school is for, especially when only one side is being shown,†she said. “I don’t think they’re bringing the races together, I think they’re dividing.â€
Virtual schooling nationwide has given parents a window into their students’ classes, leading to debates over curriculum. On one side, parents say districts are pushing social justice and equity ideals that amount to a Marxist takeover of schools that paints white students as oppressors and Black students as victims. The other side says schools should acknowledge the legacy and continued effects of slavery and segregation to counteract racism and build more equitable communities.
A new social studies curriculum that emphasizes equity and social justice sparked debate before being adopted last week in Webster Groves.
But such lessons would be illegal under a bill that won preliminary approval in the Missouri House this week. The legislation would ban social studies curriculum that “identifies people, entities, or institutions as inherently, immutably, or systemically sexist, racist, biased, privileged, or oppressed.†Banned resources would include The New York Times’ 1619 Project and critical race theory. A similar bill was just passed by the Idaho Legislature and awaits the governor’s signature.
In 2019, “Dear Martin†was banned in at least one Georgia school district, prompting the National Coalition Against Censorship to write that the book “speaks to many black teens’ experiences with racism and explores the different historical approaches to confronting racist violence, while offering words of affirmation and healing.â€
"Presenting history from all sides is fair," school board member says.
Local parents have organized a forum to be held Friday in Eureka with Republican state Rep. Dottie Bailey of Eureka and state Sens. Andrew Koenig of Manchester and Cindy O’Laughlin of Shelbina to discuss “what is being taught in your child’s school.â€
The pushback against diversity and equity curriculum is “proving the point that we need this education more than ever,†said Geneviève Steidtmann, parent of a Rockwood seventh grader. “If we don’t acknowledge the history that has led us to this point, it’s why people doubt elections now. Stopping teachers from teaching facts and the truth is dangerous.â€
Administrators resign
The climate in Rockwood heated up last summer during a debate over reopening schools amid the pandemic. When district leaders decided to start the school year online, the Facebook group Concerned Parents of the Rockwood School District became known for organizing protests at School Board meetings.
The district increased its security at board meetings this year, from one or two police officers to two or three at $90 per officer for three hours. In March, after the district ordered the removal of controversial “thin blue line†flags from high school baseball uniforms, the district hired a private security company for $200 per meeting to use a metal detecting wand on those attending board meetings because of the “tone of social media posts directed towards district personnel,†according to Rockwood spokeswoman Mary LaPak. Additional on-duty police officers now stop by the meetings as well, she said.
The district’s School Board election earlier this month grew contentious on social media as candidates for the nonpartisan board were labeled “progressive†or “conservative†in part for their support or opposition to Rockwood’s diversity initiatives.
Soon after the election, Rockwood Superintendent Mark Miles announced he would retire at the end of the school year, after two years at the helm. Brittany Hogan, the district’s director of educational equity and diversity, also will step down, after one year in the position.
LaPak declined to comment on the leaders’ reasons for leaving.
A majority who responded to a of 1,300 Rockwood residents said they want a focus on academics rather than diversity and equity among their priorities for an interim superintendent.
“Rockwood doesn’t need to be the next political hotbed of Missouri or the Midwest,†reads one comment. “Focus on students and their growth academically, ignore politics.â€
Another commenter countered, “for too long students of color, LGBTQ+ and disabled students have not seen themselves reflected in staff or curriculum and have felt isolated.â€
Rockwood is moving toward a more inclusive curriculum that aligns with the district’s “educational equity resolution†approved last year with goals of “identifying conscious and unconscious biases and eliminating barriers to educational achievement in our schools,†said LaPak.
“When we look for literature that students can choose to read, we look for books that include people with disabilities, people of different backgrounds, and people with different life experiences,†LaPak said. “We want all children to have access to books that are reflective of themselves.â€