18-Year Old Male Showers With Four Terrified 14-Year Old Girls at Wisconsin High School

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Institutionalized sexual abuse. No parent should entrusts their children to government schools.

An eighteen year old biological man, who identified as “trans,” entered the Sun Prairie high school locker room and showered naked next to four 14 year old girls. The biological male exposed his penis to the shocked and horrified freshman girls.

The district: DID NOT CONTACT THE GIRLS PARENTS

  • Did not contact a Title IX Coordinator
  • Did not file the required Title IX complaint
  • Did not support the girls and help them through the traumatic experience
  • Did not act as “mandatory reporters” and report the possible violation of Wisconsin Statute 948.10 (indecent exposure to minors).

Trans woman showered with four Wisconsin high school girls, violated their privacy, letter to district claims

Letter alleges trans woman exposed private area to underage girls

By Joshua Q. Nelson | Fox News

A letter sent by a law group on Thursday claimed that the Wisconsin-based Sun Praire Area School District [SPASD] has not “adequately” addressed a violation of students’ privacy rights after a transgender woman walked into a shower with four high school freshmen girls inside of it.

The letter, written by the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty (WILL) urges a response by the SPASD to resolve the issue and claims its actions have “been completely inadequate.”

“We are calling on you to address this immediately and put policies in place that will protect the safety and privacy of all students (and provide public notice of what those policies are),” WILL attorneys wrote.
school hallway

Fox News Digital saw an email from the Sun Prairie East High School principal that acknowledged the incident and said the situation should have never happened. (iStock)

According to the letter, titled “Serious Violation of Girls’ Privacy Rights in Sun Prairie East Locker Room,” four Sun Prairie East High School freshmen girls were disturbed when an alleged “undressed” 18-year-old transgender woman came into the locker room and got into the showers with the girls.

WILL attorneys’ letter claims that on March 3, four freshmen girls at EHS participated in a swim unit as part of their first-hour physical education class.

Keep reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

It’s Time to Separate School and State

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The public school system is a failure and ripe for replacing.

The state-run school system as it stands is a one-size-fits-all monstrosity which crowds out private alternatives and spreads socialistic and anti-Christian propaganda. It’s time to think bigger than Friedman’s school vouchers, it’s time to separate school from state.

If there is any stigma against private schools, it is their cost versus the public system. This leaves room for the public-school supporter to claim: “if there was a market for low cost, private education, it would be provided but since it is not widely met, the general consensus must remain with the public system.” The argument would be correct but for one detail: the market is being distorted by the political power of the state, preventing the entry of the firms needed to fill the void.

Public schools are funded through the taxes of a city’s citizens, which necessarily means that taxpayers without children enrolled will also pay for their upkeep; even taxpayers without children at all are subsidizing the public education of those using the system. As a result, the cost of public education is artificially low to the parents using it, a situation that could not be replicated in a free market. If the state system was a private enterprise, it would not last one year before going bankrupt since it can only survive on the subsidies provided by taxation, by political power.

Private enterprise is enormously competitive, and when unleashed, it can nearly work miracles, but what it cannot do is compete effectively with state-run firms which can bankroll their losses with taxation. As a result, it is not currently possible for private schools to fill the same niche as the public ones, they must branch out and specialize to offer a fundamentally different good than the one offered by the state. KIPP charter schools as explored by Thomas Sowell in his new book Charter Schools and their Enemies promise better academic results, and Parochial schools promise a traditional and religious education. All of these are fundamentally different goods than the one provided by the state system, and this is a place to start.

So long as the public system is able to pass on its losses to the taxpayers, there will be few cracks in the state’s monopolistic control of the industry. Should the edifice finally break and a state decides to take the plunge into full privatization, the market will surge back with a vengeance and provide more options, and do so more affordably than is currently available.

The state always and everywhere aims at monopolizing education and there is a non-benevolent reason for this: youth are impressionable and ideas inculcated early are difficult to uproot. If the state can decide what the next generation learns, it can instill a statist ethic and worldview which quells resistance before it would take hold. State-run education is not an act of charity in practice so much as a defense mechanism against non-statist thinking.

Nothing is new about the state looking to reproduce itself and quell resistance early through education. The tactic was an invention of Prussia’s at the close of the 18th Century. Vladimir Lenin, a man whose inclinations towards class and production were much different than the Prussians is popularly, possibly apocryphally, quoted as saying: “give me four years to teach the children, and the seed I have sown shall never be uprooted.” Whether the verbiage is precise or not, it is certainly consistent with the maximization of the state requisite for his socialism to take root. What Lenin and the Prussians had in common was the state; whatever their differences, they were both arch-statists and sought to instill the state’s ethics into the next generation.

The state instilling obedience and fomenting socialism through schools is hardly surprising. What is relatively new is an all out assault on the norms of western civilization in general, and Christianity in particular. Anyone who has any connection with the public schools and colleges in the past few years can affirm the immense hostility of faculty to anything which contravenes the intersectional agenda.

Schools routinely put on drag events now which flaunt sexuality in front of minors

Further, it is an act of aggression to sexualize someone underage and thus flagrantly violates the libertarian non-aggression axiom, not to mention established law. The libertarian regardless of his actual views on the lifestyles in question, cannot condone preaching blatant sexuality to minors in state-run institutions for which attendance next to mandatory, and the barriers to opting out through the private road are kept purposefully, and artificially high. This is blatantly hostile to dissenters, especially Christians, who do not wish to partake in this lifestyle nor have it pushed on them, something which is perfectly covered by the right of free association, the property in one’s person and social interaction.

The best answer to heinous acts such as this is to allow the market to decide what sort of sex education the next generation should get in schools. Surely, some will offer precisely this sort of sex education in leftist strongholds, but it will not extend into the hinterlands where there is still some belief in standards and decency. Mass privatization will break the stranglehold of Washington, not to mention state governments, over the curriculum and could stem the teaching of the ahistorical and racist 1619 Project, drag shows for minors, etc.

In many libertarian and conservative circles, Milton Friedman’s voucher plan is considered to be the gold standard in free market school solutions. Instead of the current system, Friedman suggested giving a voucher for each student which could be used at public or private schools, thus opening the latter up to federal funding and presumably, helping them proliferate. Indeed, this system would be an improvement, but it is hardly the gold standard.

State money comes with strings attached. One can hardly imagine the state not coming out with guidelines of institutions eligible for the vouchers which presupposes the state setting universal standards and guidelines for all schools public and private. A consequence of the Friedman plan is total control by the state on what is and is not acceptable anywhere, not just for public schools. This would start out with relatively benign concerns about safety and mathematics standards, but would undoubtedly extend into peripheral areas which there is much disagreement about. Schools which do not provide separate bathrooms for transgender students, fail to teach a curriculum of racialized history, or even all boys or all girls schools would sooner or later find themselves on the chopping block.

If vouchers are introduced into the economics of private schools not now accustomed to this cash inflow, they will quickly build it into their operating costs, and soon it will not be a windfall but a necessity for operation. Work expands to fit the budget allowed for it. It follows that losing these vouchers would be a calamity, even if the institution had previously operated without them, and many if not most, would bend their rules and principles to keep the state dollars flowing. Surely there would be some obstinate private schools content to lose funding rather than accommodate the state’s demands, but this cannot be expected of the majority, since this is, after all, a business.

Libertarians and conservatives taken with the Friedman model are on the right track but are not thinking bold enough. The answer is not get the state to fund the private schools too, but privatize the public school infrastructure, remove the regulatory burden on starting up a new school, and achieve the total separation of education and state.

By removing the state from education, a number of things will happen: the absolute size of the behemoth will shrink, teacher’s unions will have less power over the student’s educational continuity, different sorts of education will be offered, and Christians, rightists, libertarians, anti-statists, and free thinkers will not be forcibly subjected to the state’s propaganda.

Without the need to oversee the education of most children in the third largest country on earth, the size of the state will decrease. There will be no need for legions of teachers to be employed by the state, but most of them will not be out of the job, they will form the backbone of the new, private teaching workforce.

Without massive public school districts, strikes by teacher’s unions will be less likely and less destructive, making the recent Los Angeles teacher’s strike—which took 420,000 students out of the classroom—next to impossible. Presumably, with the regulatory environment lightened, there will be a return of yellow dog contracts which would prevent school employees from joining unions at all as a condition of employment.

In industries as complicated as education, no two firms will be alike (as opposed to snowplowing firms, which are quite alike). This diversity ensures that a greater variety of goods will be offered, allowing parents to have more control over what and how their children learn. Some schools will hone mathematics and raise engineers quicker and cheaper, others will bring the humanities to the forefront and build a new cadre of well-rounded citizens to think up tomorrow’s big ideas, still others will provide a strictly Christian or otherwise religious education and offer a whole host of classes on theology. The possibilities are as endless as they are exciting.

Finally, those who dissent from the statist, racialized, and anti-Christian outlook which has seized the public schools will not be compelled to attend them. There will be schools modeled on free men and free markets, God and country, or any other motifs there is a market for. America’s vibrant Church community will undoubtedly get in on the action and build self-funding schools of their own as the Catholics have been doing for over a hundred years. As a bonus, with the multiplicity of firms, it will be impossible for the socialistic, racialized, and anti-Christian mindset to invade all schools as it currently does under the state system. How would it do so without an easy point of entry at the administrative level and renewed resistance from empowered private schools?

Considering all these points, the case for total liberty in education is not a hard one to make. Indeed, the hard sell is maintaining the statist system as it currently stands. In light of failing schools, teacher’s strikes, anti-Christian propaganda across the board, and skyrocketing costs, a reasonable person might say the statist system is a failure and ripe for replacing. Total liberty in education is an idea whose time has come, America deserves it. It is time to separate education and state.

AUTHOR

Cruz Marquis

Cruz Marquis is a former U.S. Marine, a current economics student, and the administrator of TheConservativeCritique.com.

RELATED ARTICLE: What Parents Really Want from the Education Establishment

EDITORS NOTE: This FEE column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Opposing Porn in School Makes You Part of New ‘Uptown Klan,’ SPLC Researcher Says

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Do you think parents should have a say in their children’s education, that kids shouldn’t be judged according to the color of their skin, that parents should know if their children say they identify as transgender, or that books with explicit sexual images should be removed from school libraries?

If so, you represent a threat to civil rights tracing back to the “Uptown Klans” of white Southerners trying to maintain segregation after the Supreme Court’s landmark 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, according to a researcher with the Southern Poverty Law Center writing for the National Urban League.

“State of Black America,” an annual report from the National Urban League released last week, purports to define and combat the threats facing the rights and lives of black Americans. It cites statistics about the rise in hate crimes and a few violent attacks by white supremacists, such as the horrific May 2022 shooting in Buffalo, New York, and then pivots to attack conservative politics. The report warns about “far-right extremists advocating for the erasure of our civil liberties.”

What kind of attacks are black Americans facing when it comes to their “civil liberties?” Restrictions on critical race theory, an “assault on a woman’s right to choose,” “restriction of the ballot box” and a “‘parental rights’ movement rooted in racism,” according to the report.

Citing Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel “Fahrenheit 451,” which focuses on book burnings, the executive summary of the National Urban League report warns that “the cautionary tale is becoming a reality.”

“Operating under the guise of ‘parents’ rights,’ extremists are labeling diversity initiatives in education, and culturally competent curriculums, as critical race theory to suppress the teaching of Black history and center whiteness in the classroom,” the report states.

Critical race theory involves analyzing American institutions to find “systemic racism,” and it encourages its proponents to reexamine every aspect of life through a race-based lens that assumes white people are oppressors and black people are oppressed. Although supporters claim critical race theory is merely a legal or graduate theory, many teachers apply this lens in the classroom, infuriating parents of all races.

To compile its report, the National Urban League teamed up with the Southern Poverty Law Center, a far-left legal nonprofit known for its Cayman Island accounts and its branding of mainstream conservative and Christian organizations as “hate groups,” placing them on a map with the Ku Klux Klan. The National Urban League also enlisted the Anti-Defamation League and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Maya Henson Carey, a research analyst at the SPLC, zeroes in on “The Wrongs of the ‘Parental Rights’ Movement” in an essay that forms part of the report.

Carey recalls the aftermath of the 1954 Supreme Court ruling, tying the modern parental rights movement to the “rallying cry for parental rights” at that time, centered in “a massive resistance countermovement that birthed such groups as white Citizens’ Councils or ‘Uptown Klans,’ comprised mostly of middle- to upper-class white Southerners seeking to preserve their segregationist way of life.”

“Today, groups like Moms for Liberty, Parents Defending Education, and Parents Against CRT work diligently with politicians, right-wing celebrities, and extremist groups to spread their messages of hate, lobbying for anti-CRT and anti-LGBTQ legislation and making sweeping changes by influencing school boards to fire superintendents, constrain diverse curricula and ban books,” Carey writes.

She condemns these activists for supporting “oppression” and singles out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ HB 1557, a law championing parental rights in education that critics condemned as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Contrary to critics’ framing, the Republican governor’s law does not prohibit the word “gay” but bars classroom instruction — not casual discussion — on “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” with children in third grade or younger.

Carey also condemns “book bans,” citing a report from PEN America claiming that schools across the country banned 1,145 unique book titles by 874 different authors during the 2021-2022 school year. The PEN America report notes that the three most targeted books include “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, and “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison.

Parents don’t oppose these books due to racism or animus against those who identify as LGBT — they raised concerns about sexually explicit images and passages in these books. “Gender Queer,” for example, contains pictures of sexual acts between a boy and a man. “Lawn Boy” contains long sections in which a boy reminisces about explicit experiences he had at 10 years old. “All Boys Aren’t Blue” contains sexually explicit passages.

Carey doesn’t address or acknowledge parents’ real concerns about these books. Instead, she notes that “most of these books either pertained to characters of color or LGBTQ characters and themes. Similarly, books about race, racism, civil rights, activism, and stories with religious minorities were among the favorites targeted for banning.”

Nor does Carey note that the books aren’t exactly getting thrown on a pyre — parents want the books out of school libraries and classrooms, but these volumes are still easily accessible at public libraries, in bookshops, and with a single click on Amazon.com.

Carey also frames opposition to critical race theory — a political ideology — as a “history-denying” agenda pushed by “reactionary anti-student inclusion groups.”

Laws targeting critical race theory such as Georgia’s HB 1084 (which Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, signed in April 2022) prohibit school systems from using a curriculum promoting “divisive concepts” such as claims that “one race is inherently superior to another race.” Other divisive concepts include “The United States of America is fundamentally racist,” and that “meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or were created by individuals of a particular race to oppress individuals of another race.”

The Georgia law aims to enforce existing civil rights law against discrimination, its sponsor said.

Twisting issues like this to demonize conservatives is nothing new for the SPLC. As I wrote in my book “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center,” the SPLC now uses the program it launched to monitor the Ku Klux Klan to demonize mainstream conservative and Christian organizations as “hate groups,” putting them on a map with Klan chapters. Carey echoes this strategy in her closing line for the National Urban League report, tying the article back to her point about the “Uptown Klans.”

“Our country, communities, and schools are again under attack by the descendants of hate groups of decades past, spewing the same hateful messages dressed up with fresh political rhetoric,” she writes.

Somehow, objecting to pornographic images in a school library book amounts to “hate.” Balking at the idea of telling little children that America is institutionally racist amounts to donning a Klan hood.

Perhaps this and other reports on the state of black America should focus on the actual issues facing black Americans, rather than twisting the truth to demonize conservatives.

This article was originally published by The Daily Signal.

AUTHOR

Tyler O’Neil

Tyler O’Neil is managing editor of The Daily Signal and the author of “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center.”

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Education Secretary Cardona Repeatedly Refuses to Define ‘Woman’

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Before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) grilled U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on biological male athletes participating in women’s sports, as Cardona repeatedly and awkwardly refused to offer a definition of the term “woman.”

“Following the civil rights movement of the 1960s, lawmakers established Title IX — rules to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex and federally-funded education programs, making a historic impact on girls and women sports,” Clyde said. Prior to that, he noted, “female athletes only received two percent of college athletic budgets and athletic scholarships for women were quite rare.”

According to Clyde, Title IX “unquestionably transformed women’s sports, ensuring female athletes enjoy the same opportunities as their male counterparts.”

Turning to Cardona, the congressman from Georgia said, “Earlier this month on April the 13th, your department filed a proposed rule, amending Title IX regulations that would unilaterally force schools to allow biological males to participate in women’s athletics,” he said. “This proposed rule would withhold federal assistance from schools across the nation seeking to maintain the integrity and safety of women’s sports.”

Due to the relevance of determining the difference between men and women, Clyde asked: “So can you please tell me or can you please define for me what is a woman?”

“Our focus at the department is to provide equal access to students, including students who are LGBTQ, access free from discrimination,” Cardona responded.

“So what’s the definition of a woman? You haven’t given me that. You haven’t answered my question,” Clyde fired back.

“I think that’s almost secondary to the important role that I have as secretary of education,” Cardona replied.

Clyde explained that his question was “not secondary.” He pressed, “My question is very simple: what does HHS say the definition of a woman is?”

“I lead the Department of Education, and my job is to make sure that all students have access to public education, which includes co-curricular activities,” he said. “And I think you highlighted pretty well the importance of Title IX and giving students equal access, whether it’s scholarship and facilities and participation as well.”

“OK, so you’re not going to answer my question,” Clyde said “Do you believe that a biological male who self-identifies as a woman should be allowed to compete in women’s sports?”

“I believe our focus needs to make sure that all students have access to public education,” he said.

“A yes or no is sufficient,” Clyde retorted.

“I think it’s not answered with a yes or no,” he said. “I think all students should have access to co-curricular activities.”

“I think that is a yes or no question,” Clyde said. “Do you believe that a biological male who self-identifies as a woman should be allowed to compete in women’s sports?”

“I believe all students should have access to all things that public education—” Cardona replied.

“So you’re not going to answer my question: do you believe allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports benefits female athletes?” Clyde interjected.

“I believe it’s important that we take into account the needs of all students when they’re engaging in co-curricular—” he began to say.

“So again you’re not going to answer my question: do you believe allowing biological males to enter women’s private spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms is safe for female students?” he asked.

Cardona responded: “It’s critically important that we make sure all students feel safe in their school environment… It means that the perspective of all students should be taken into account when decisions are made around facilities.”

A person who can’t, or rather won’t, define what a woman is should have no position in government at any level, from President down to dog catcher. That person shouldn’t even be allowed to graduate from grade school.

Miguel Cardona

5 Known Connections

Denouncing Critics of Critical Race Theory

In late March 2022, Cardona alleged that conservatives had maliciously “fabricated” the notion that the tenets of Critical Race Theory were being taught to schoolchildren. “It’s my opinion that these are generated to be the boogeymen to create division in our schools,” he explained. “So, to me, those are fabricated to try to detract from the conversation about how our schools are open, how we have more money to support our students. I want the perspectives of people that don’t agree with me. That’s what makes a better school and that’s what makes a better community, when all people feel heard. But, at the end of the day, we’re going to fight for what’s right for our students, and that includes, in this case, making sure that they’re learning about the history of our country and that they see people that look like them in the materials that they’re reading.”

To learn more about Miguel Cardona, click here.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Discover the Networks column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

DeSantis Admin Approves Rule Curbing Lessons On Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation For All K-12 Students

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The Florida Department of Education (DOE) approved a proposal on Wednesday to extend the state’s Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits certain lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation, to cover grades 4-12.

In March, the Florida DOE proposed a rule that would build upon the state’s Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibited instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation through the third grade and was dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, extending it through all grades. The approved rule does not need legislative approval and goes into effect in 34 days.

“For grades 4 through 12, instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited unless such instruction is either expressly required by state academic standards … or is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend,” the rule stated.

If teachers are found in violation of the rule, they could have their certification suspended or revoked. The state Legislature is also considering two bills which would expand the Parental Rights in Education law through eighth grade.

Following the Florida DOE’s proposal in March, the White House denounced the rule saying it hurts not just the LGBTQ community, but all students and faculty.

“It’s wrong. It’s completely, utterly wrong and we’ve been very crystal clear about that, when it comes to the Don’t Say Gay bill and other actions that this governor has taken in the state of Florida,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a press briefing. “But make no mistake, this is part of a disturbing and dangerous trend that we’re seeing across the country of legislations that are anti-LGBTQI+, anti-trans and anti-the community in a way that we have not seen in some time. And it’s not just the LGBTQI+ community, we’re talking about students, we’re talking about educators, we’re talking about just individuals.”

States across the country are following Florida’s lead and seeking to implement legislation that would prohibit age-inappropriate lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom; in North Carolina, the Legislature is considering the Parents’ Bill of Rights which would bar lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from K-4 classrooms. The Iowa Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit teachers from giving lessons “relating to gender identity” for students in kindergarten through eighth grade in public and charter school classrooms.

“We believe that the focus in education should always be teaching the basics of math, science, history, etc. in the classroom, especially when it comes to issues such as sexual orientation and gender identity,” Ryan Kennedy, a member of Florida Citizens’ Alliance, a nonprofit focused on improving K-12 education, said at the Wednesday board meeting.

AUTHOR

REAGAN REESE

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLE: DeSantis Admin Mandates Training For School Librarians To Vet Pornographic Books

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Teaching American Students to Be Americans

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The Florida legislature is now considering a measure that calls for American students to be taught about America.

The bill, in the typically cumbersome language of most proposed laws, is titled “Public Postsecondary Educational Institutions.” Formally introduced as H.B. 999, the bill would give greater power to boards that oversee Florida’s public colleges and eliminate funding for “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs at public universities. But these are not the aspects of the bill that most caught my eye.

H.B. 999 urges higher educational institutions to “(promote) citizenship in a constitutional republic.” It states that when appropriate, Florida college students should be taught “the historical background and philosophical foundation of Western civilization and this nation’s founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments thereto, and the Federalist Papers.”

I am a little tempted to stop there. As an historian and advocate of teaching our youth the facts and philosophies of America’s founding, I’m delighted that tens of thousands of young men and women will actually have to read the texts that contain the ideas and beliefs that began our country. By doing so, the contempt for the United States being taught so aggressively in far too many bastions of liberalism, by which I mean most colleges and universities, might lessen. Appreciation for our remarkable country might increase. Patriotism might mean more than watching almost nude “entertainers” at Super Bowl halftimes.

History should be taught accurately. This means thorough and honest appraisals of our country’s heritage, good and bad. The tentacles of slavery and its appalling effects on African-Americans and all of us should be examined with integrity. Labor exploitation during the Industrial Revolution and the treatment of ethnic minorities are among the other unpleasant themes that should be covered.

But our heritage is not one of relentless ugliness. The darkness in our past is pierced through with bold streams of light. Although we have failed to apply the principles of the Declaration — human equality and God-given rights — with the rigor or justice for which those principles call, we have done so much better than other nations. And our commitment to self-correction is unsurpassed in the world.

At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to the promise of American life eloquently. Acknowledging the grim implications of racism, he pointed to a shared future grounded in certain “self-evident” truths. “One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God” — black men and women denied the right simply to have coffee at a downtown café — “sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.”

We should share a common indignation at wrongs done, whether political, social, racial, or economic. Yet should our disappointment over failure surmount thankfulness and even wonder regarding all that is good and right about the United States? When the pursuit of justice becomes a pretext for rage and when problems are so magnified that they obscure the great things we enjoy and presume upon each day — degrees of religious liberty, economic opportunity, and political freedom unknown in all but a handful of other countries — we prove ourselves not only unworthy of self-governance but of those who have sacrificed so much on our behalf.

Learning about our Providential history cannot help but inspire appreciation for those who have fought and built and hoped and dreamed in past generations. Imperfection is not the same as ignobility. Elements of our past have been painfully, ashamedly hurtful. Yet the broad course of America’s heritage cannot but inspire a deep sense that despite the many evidences of human fallenness woven into the fabric of our national story, the tapestry itself is nothing less than remarkable.

In 1957, then-Senator John F. Kennedy received a patriotism award from the University of Notre Dame. In his acceptance speech, he challenged the faculty with these words: “the duty of the scholar — particularly in a republic such as ours — is to contribute his objective views and his sense of liberty to the affairs of his state and nation.”

We can hope that Florida’s public universities have such scholars. Governor Ron DeSantis (R) seems to be working to that end, for which all of us can be grateful.

AUTHOR

Rob Schwarzwalder

Rob Schwarzwalder is Senior Lecturer in Regent University’s Honors College.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

How to Raise Pornography Resistant Kids

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As parents, when the topic of protecting our children from pornography comes up, we often go right to that overwhelmed, frustrated, and scared state of mind. Thoughts like:

“How can I keep my child from seeing pornography?!? I can barely keep track of him, much less what is on his phone.” “I try and try with filters, monitors, and rules, then my kids go to school, or a friend’s house and they see it anyway!” or “Oh no! Her brain is going to be ruined forever! The parental controls never work like they should!”

Let’s face it, the tech companies have the cards stacked against us parents. It feels like no matter what we do, we can’t protect our kids from the social media, big tech, and pornographers’ calculated efforts to get harmful content in front of our kids’ eyes and into their brains. This is not ok. It must change.

But in the meantime, rather than scrambling frantically trying to protect our children from ever seeing pornography (which is almost impossible), maybe we can try preparing our child to become pornography resistant.

Building pornography resistance in your child is a process that takes time and effort, but it is something parents can control. And you or your child don’t have to be perfect! You both just have to keep trying. If and when pornography slips through the filters or rules, the pornography resistant child has good relationships, communication skills, and a plan in place to handle the situation and get help.

There are three important aspects of building pornography resistance:

Relationships

Work on your parent/child relationship. If you have a good relationship, your child will be more inclined to listen to your words and follow your example when dealing with pornography. Spend time doing things your child loves. Laugh and smile with your child. Hug them. Every day make sure your positive interactions with your child are far greater than your negative interactions with your child.

Teach your children to have real relationships with others. Screen time and digital interactions are now often replacing real life connections with people. Kids need the real connection to help create the emotional stability and confidence needed to resist pornography. Encourage your child to create 3-5 close relationships with people while not using a screen. Consider baking, playing board games, hiking, walking a dog around the block, arts and crafts, tossing a ball outside, biking, skating…find something your child likes to do that does not involve a screen, and do it with them. Or have them invite a friend to do it with them. Creating relationships will help keep your child less vulnerable to pornography and strengthen your child’s pornography resistance.

Communication – Often and Open

It is critical to communicate OPENLY and OFTEN with your child about pornography, sexuality, and internet safety. The goal of this communication is to create a shame free communication culture with your child. Find out what your child is seeing, hearing, and experiencing online. To do this, ask questions, listen to answers, and share the truth. In age-appropriate ways, talk about these topics openly and often: at the dinner table, during the car ride, even over a text. As you talk openly and often about pornography with your child, he/she will feel more comfortable talking to you about it. Let your child know that they can always talk to you about anything they have heard, seen, or experienced online.

Some questions you can ask to help start a conversation are: “Have you seen anything on your phone today that made you feel uncomfortable? What did you do about it?” “I noticed you got a text from a friend that didn’t seem too safe- what should we do about it?” “Today I was searching for something on my phone, and an inappropriate ad popped up. Has that ever happened to you?”

If it makes your child feel more comfortable, work together to choose a phrase your child can say to talk to you about something they saw online. For example, “Mom, today I was brave.” “Dad, I had to be a leader today.” When children have a planned out phrase it can make it easier for them to bring up the topic and it can alert the parents to pay attention and listen.

Communicate openly about what to do if your child sees pornography, and come up with a plan. Practice your child’s plan with them through role playing (learn more about how to use the tool of roleplaying here!). An easy plan is the three Rs: recognize, refuse, and report. Practice each of these steps and help your child feel especially comfortable in reporting every time they see pornography to you or a trusted adult. If your child is able to report what happened to you or a trusted adult, they are much more resistant to the power of pornography.

All of this open and often communication takes practice. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t go so well when you are starting out. Just keep trying!

Aggressive Protection

Even when you have worked on having a good relationship and you communicate openly and often, you still need to be doing what you can to keep the pornography out of the hands, eyes, and minds of your children. Would you ever leave even the most well-taught and trustworthy child alone in a room full of pornographic magazines and tell them not to look? No. Social media, big tech, and pornographers are aggressively trying to get your child’s eyes, so you must be just as aggressive in trying to keep it off of your child’s screens. Don’t leave them to face these industries alone. Find a filter, parental controls, or monitoring software that will work for you. Talk with your child to create and explain rules like: no phones in bedrooms, phones and devices must be plugged in at a certain time each night, phone will be checked and monitored by parents anytime and on a regular basis.

You may not be able to stop every pornographic image from reaching your child, but you can focus on building pornography resistance in your child. Start by strengthening relationships, communicating often and openly, and aggressive protecting your child from tech companies. Don’t get overwhelmed! Just choose one idea from this article and work on it this week! Small sustainable changes bring great results.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jill Geigle

Jill Geigle is the Director of Parent & Child Advocacy at NCOSE.

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EDITORS NOTE: This NCOSE column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

California School Board Keeps Policy That Hides Students’ Gender Transitions From Parents Despite Pending Litigation

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  • Chico Unified School Board voted Thursday to keep a school policy which directs teachers to keep a student’s gender transition a secret. 
  • The vote comes after Aurora Regino filed a lawsuit in January against the Chico Unified School District after a counselor allegedly helped her daughter secretly transition genders.
  • “I’m still in awe about what I saw last night and how the Board allowed people to heckle and bully parents who were speaking about the right to be involved in their own children’s lives. This decision is devastating for parents not only here in our community but also across the country. The next step to fight back is legal action and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Regino said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

A California school board voted Thursday to keep a school policy which directs teachers to keep a student’s gender transition a secret, despite pending litigation over the resolution.

In a 3-2 vote, Chico Unified School Board decided to keep “Administrative Regulation 5145.3,” which requires educators to keep a student’s change in pronouns or name confidential unless the student gives written permission for their gender change to be shared. In January, Aurora Regino filed a lawsuit against the Chico Unified School District after a counselor allegedly helped her daughter secretly transition genders.

“I’m still in awe about what I saw last night and how the Board allowed people to heckle and bully parents who were speaking about the right to be involved in their own children’s lives,” Regino said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “This decision is devastating for parents not only here in our community but also across the country. The next step to fight back is legal action and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

At the meeting, the board considered adding a policy which would require school administration to share a student’s gender transition with a parent if the child was younger than 11. Under the proposed policy, if school administration believes the student is under a threat of physical or emotional harm during their gender transition they are to report it.

The Center for American Liberty filed the lawsuit on behalf of Regino after she discovered her 10-year-old daughter had begun to transition genders at school. A school counselor, whom Regino never met, had allegedly advised Regino’s daughter that she was a boy and convinced the girl to use he/him pronouns and a male name at school, the lawsuit stated.

“We as educators and service providers, we as educators need to cultivate an environment where students feel trust and safety and acceptance, to be unapologetically themselves without repercussions of backlash,” Oliva Phillips, a teacher within the district, said about the policy at the board meeting.

In response to the lawsuit, Republican California Rep. Doug LaMalfa introduced a piece of legislation in March that would withhold federal funding from schools if they fail to adopt policies that would require parental permission before a student can change their name or pronouns at school. On the state level, Republican California state Rep. Bill Essayli introduced legislation which would require public school administration to alert parents, in writing, within three days if their child is changing their name and pronouns.

“The Chico Unified School Board’s decision to keep the parental secrecy policy in place is a slap in the face to every parent whose child is under their care,” Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney representing Regino, said in a statement to the DCNF. “It makes a mockery of fundamental, constitutionally protected, parental rights and puts every child’s safety at risk. If the board won’t rescind this unconstitutional policy, our lawsuit will prompt the court to do it for them.”

Chico Unified School District did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

REAGAN REESE

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

The NEA’s Pringle: Racial, Social, and Climate Justice a ‘Pillar’ of Educators’ Efforts

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On a panel at the “Summit for Democracy” event on March 28th, Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association, declared that racial and social justice are a “pillar” of the union’s efforts.

“Here we are, in the aftermath of Jan 6. Here we are. Looking at rights being taken away from union members, educators, workers, students. The right to learn; the freedom to teach. Right here in our country–in Florida and Texas” Pringle claimed falsely. No one is taking away their rights.

“For us at the NEA, education justice must be about racial justice, it must be about social justice, it must be about climate justice. It must be about all of those things,” Pringle said.

Why? What does any of those things have to do with giving our children a solid, traditional education, the sort that made Americans and our country exceptional? Answer: nothing. Racial, social, and so-called “climate” justice are not about education but about indoctrination into the progressive worldview.

“For our students to be able to come to school ready to learn every day — we can never think of education as an isolated system because everything connects to our students’ ability to learn,” Pringle continued to blather. “So, we have to necessarily talk about housing justice, food inequality, and the reality that we all just went through a global pandemic together and of course it was the most marginalized communities that were already suffering from the inequities in every single social system in this country and every country.”

Fact check: the teachers unions like the NEA fought tooth-and-nail to keep schools closed down during the pandemic and beyond, wreaking untold learning damage on an entire generation of young students.

Pringle went on to state that the NEA operates through “three pillars” including “advocating for education professionals,” “elevating” the teaching profession due to the current teacher shortage in the U.S., and “racial and social justice.”

“We have to be as a union–we have to be the ones that are standing up and demanding those rights for all of our students. Our Black, Brown, API students, our indigenous students, our students with disabilities, our LGBTQ+ students — all of them deserve the right to a high-quality public education.”

Of course they do, as do the white children she neglected to include — but they’re not going to get that high-quality education from anyone in the far-Left, politicized teachers unions like the one Becky Pringle runs.

Rebecca “Becky” Pringle

14 Known Connections

Condemning Parents Who Oppose Mask/Vaccine Mandates & the Promotion of Critical Race Theory

In an October 2021 discussion with CBS News, Pringle derided parents who recently had been speaking out forcefully against schools’ mask and vaccine mandates aimed at combating the coronavirus pandemic, and against classroom instruction promoting the tenets of Critical Race Theory.

  • Pringle said the following about vaccine mandates: “We believe that and have always believed that school environments are safest when everyone is vaccinated against these infectious diseases. COVID is no different.”
  • Pringle vowed that the NEA would fight against legislation that included “any effort to keep our teachers from teaching about the full history of this country” — which is how she characterized the tenets of Critical Race Theory.

To learn more about Becky Pringle, click here.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Discover the Networks column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

MINNESOTA: Elementary School Hosts ‘Gender Resource Fair’ Featuring A ‘Drag Story Hour’ For Kids

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Not even half the students at this school are proficient in reading or math….but sexualizing illiterates is the priority.

Elementary School Hosts ‘Gender Resource Fair’ Featuring A ‘Drag Story Hour’ For Kids

By: Reagan Reese, Daily Caller, March 28, 2023

A Minnesota elementary school is hosting a “gender resource fair” for children and their families featuring a “drag story hour,” according to a school website.

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is putting on an April 13 event for transgender and non-binary children at Loring Elementary School featuring local gender non-conforming resources, a bounce house, games and dinner, according to the St. Paul Public Schools website. The elementary school event includes a “drag story hour” for kids.

“We’re hosting a gathering for families and their gender creative young ones,” a flyer for the event, promoted by the local teachers union, read. “Join us for community resources, entertainment, food, games and more.”

Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd, the medical director of Children’s Minnesota Gender Health Program who uses they/them pronouns, is the guest speaker for the event, the flyer showed. The Children’s Minnesota Gender Health Program serves as a “resource” for transgender minors and their families while providing “compassionate and comprehensive care” for the “gender-diverse youth,” the hospital website read.

Very cool event happening next month for families and their gender-creative kids at Loring Elementary! pic.twitter.com/prAovbDM7p

— MFT 59 (@MFT59) March 23, 2023

Across the country, school districts are pushing to promote gender identity lessons to elementary students; an elementary school principal in Minnesota suggested kindergarten through second grade students read “Jack (Not Jackie),” a story about a young girl who realizes she prefers to act like a boy. In Pennsylvania, an elementary school held a training for educators to teach them how to create a “gender-inclusive” classroom and affirm LGBTQ identities.

In the 2021-2022 school year, at Loring Elementary School, 42% of students are proficient in math and 42% of students met grade-level expectations for reading, according to U.S. News and World report, the nation’s largest ranking system.

“Not even half the students at this school are proficient in reading or math and yet somehow the priority is to partner with a local gender clinic and host an event that promotes gender confusion in young children and includes drag queen story hour?” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach for Parents Defending Education, a parental rights group, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Another red flag is that the local teachers’ union is promoting it. This whole thing is ideological in nature and has no place in an elementary school.”

Read more.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

White House To Host ‘Roundtable On Affirming Transgender Kids’

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The White House will host a “Roundtable on Affirming Transgender Kids” Friday as part of its observance of “Transgender Day of Visibility,” according to a fact sheet.

The roundtable is part of a push from the administration to support transgenderism, including childhood medical transitions, in the wake of numerous red states restricting the procedures. The discussion will focus on the experiences of children who identify as transgender and their parents in states that have restricted child sex changes, according to the White House.

“Over half of transgender youth say they have seriously considered suicide in the last year because of the discrimination and rejection they face. In the face of these challenges, research shows that, when transgender youth are affirmed and supported, they thrive,” the fact sheet wrote, citing no evidence for either claim.

The suicidality rates of transgender individuals are vastly exaggerated, according to experts in the field, some of whom believe that overemphasis on the suicide narrative can become a self-fulfilling prophecy that encourages young people with gender identity issues to contemplate suicide. Additionally, studies suggesting that cross-sex medical procedures improve mental health are riddled with bias, confounding variables and methodological errors, according to multiple Daily Caller News Foundation reviews.

The White House also issued what it called a “landmark report” on ways to support LGBT youth and issued new guidance for “gender identity inclusion” for public servants.

The White House did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

LAUREL DUGGAN

Social issues and culture reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

The Graves of Academe: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Queer and Trans Studies

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Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics

I’ve been intermittently visiting – sometimes with amusement, always with horror —  a website where academic jobs are advertised. I do this not  for myself, but to help keep tabs for a friend’s son, who has been looking for permanent employment in a university for several years. His problem is that he is, in every possible way, wrong, just wrong. He’s a white male. White males are so…well, you know. There are just so many – far too many — of them in the groves of academe. It’s only fair to put a hiring freeze on the entire category – no more white males,  until everything evens out. He studies European history. Europe is so…yesterday. Something has to be dropped, after all, to make room for Pan-African Studies, Islamic Studies, North African Studies, Qaddafi Studies, Gender Studies, Queer Studies, Black Queer Studies, Black Feminist Queer Studies,  Reparations Studies, Palestinian Diaspora Studies, Interpersonal Preference Theory, Psycho-Psychology, Latinx LGBTQ Studies, Scheduled Caste Studies, Identity Studies, und so weiter. He knows à fond four, or possibly five, languages, acquired at great effort. And he can do research in another three. But languages are out. Who needs them, now that we all have Google Translate? He’s attended – received high degrees from — several of the most famous universities in England and America. His doctoral thesis was a brilliant piece of work. So what? He has one book coming out this year, and another in 2024. Who cares?

What I have learned is that the Gods of the Copybook Headings are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Sometimes the elements are rearranged, like those famous deck chairs on James Cameron’s doomed ship, just for fun, even though we all know it will soon be sinking. University X wants to hire only those convinced of the deep need for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, while University Y, on the other hand, wants to hire only those who positively pant to prove their worth in furthering Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity.  University Z, the most tradition-bound of the three, hopes to employ only the most enthusiastic coney-barker promoters of that tripartite panacea for all our woes, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Did I mention Gender? Did I mention Race?

I don’t think I can take much more of this.

Framingham State UNIVERSITY  “Six Higher Education Excellence In Diversity Awards”

At FSU, we are deeply committed to inclusive excellence and strive to promote a culture of antiracism, encouraging a challenging yet collaborative learning environment, and providing culturally relevant education. FSU is designated as an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and also belongs to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Inclusive Excellence community, providing national leadership in science education and exploring strategies that will lead to more inclusive science education. We are honored that our commitment earned FSU six Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Awards from INSIGHT Into Diversity. We encourage applications from those who share our commitment to promoting a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive community.

University of Richmond: “Developing A Diverse Workforce”

The University of Richmond is a private university located just a short drive from downtown Richmond, Virginia. Through its five schools and wide array of campus programming, the University combines the best qualities of a small liberal arts college and a large university. With approximately 4,000 students, an 8:1 student-faculty ratio, and more than 90% of traditional undergraduate students living on campus, the University is remarkably student-centered, focused on preparing students “to live lives of purpose, thoughtful inquiry, and responsible leadership in a global and pluralistic society.”

The University of Richmond is committed to developing a diverse workforce and student body, and to modeling an inclusive campus community which values the expression of difference in ways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal development, and institutional success. Our academic community strongly encourages applications that are in keeping with this commitment. For more information on the department and its programs, please see history.richmond.edu.

Loyola University: “Diversity Reading Groups” and “Best Practices for Hiring”

“With a newly established Office of Equity and Inclusion headed by our Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, we are committed to providing an environment where everyone can learn, grow, and thrive. Key efforts include faculty development programming, opportunities for learning (e.g., Diversity Reading Groups), investment in pedagogical resources for differential instruction (e.g., Fellows Programs), affinity faculty and staff groups, and following best-practices for hiring.

Loyola University Maryland strongly values the benefits that diversity brings to the workplace. In accord with its Ignatian values, the University is committed to creating and promoting a community that recognizes the inherent value and dignity of each person. Loyola University Maryland does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, or any other legally protected classification.

University of California, Berkeley: “Equity, Inclusion, And Belonging”

“Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values at UC Berkeley. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and academic and non-academic staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates for our academic positions will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging.

“The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

Beloit College: “Critical Identity Studies”

“We welcome candidates from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, as well as those who can contribute to programs in Justice and Rights, Critical Identity Studies or Environmental Studies. Teaching responsibilities include survey courses in modern U.S. history as well as introductory and upper-level courses in the candidate’s area of expertise. The successful candidate will share Beloit’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will demonstrate an ability to support students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Because equity and inclusion are central to our students’ liberal education and vital to the thriving of all members of our residential learning community, Beloit College aspires to be an actively anti-racist institution. We recognize our aspiration as ongoing and institution-wide, involving collective commitment and accountability. We welcome employees who are committed to and will actively contribute to our efforts to celebrate our cultural and intellectual richness and be resolute in advancing inclusion and equity. We encourage all interested individuals meeting the criteria of the described position to apply.

Located in a diverse community close to Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago, Beloit is a selective undergraduate liberal arts college that attracts students from across the United States and the world. The college emphasizes excellence in teaching, learning beyond the traditional classroom, international perspectives, and collaborative research among students and faculty. It is recognized as one of the Colleges That Change Lives. AA/EEO

Rutgers University: “Racial Justice Work”

The Department of Childhood Studies at Rutgers University—Camden invites applications for a one-year postdoctoral fellowship, renewable for a second year, to commence September 1, 2023. The position will be funded by a Higher Learning grant awarded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as part of the “Rethinking Race and Justice Through Childhood Studies” initiative. This initiative seeks to support emerging scholars of race and childhood, provide institutional support for racial justice work in the field, and demonstrate the justice and career potential of humanities training through civically engaged childhood studies.

The department has hosted several major international conferences, sponsors an array of lectures and symposia, including our speaker series in Centering Black Childhoods and workshop series on anti-racist pedagogy, and annually welcomes visiting scholars from around the world.

Applicants must have earned the Ph.D. in Childhood Studies or another humanities-related field, such as English, History, African American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Latinx Studies, Film/Media Studies, Education, Geography, or Cultural Studies

Rutgers University—Camden’s Department of Childhood Studies is committed to fostering diversity within its community. We are eager to further diversify our faculty and encourage Black, Indigenous and people of color, persons with disabilities and persons of any sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression to apply.

Wesleyan University: “Non-Position-Related Criminal Record”

Wesleyan University invites applications for an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in African American Studies beginning July 1, 2023. We seek candidates with expertise in research areas concerning the African Diaspora, particularly Latin America and/or the Pacific, with substantive research and teaching interests in Black feminisms, Afro-Atlantic history, disability studies, queer studies, and/or environmental studies. The successful candidate will offer courses originating in the African American Studies Department.

“In the cover letter, applicants should describe how they will embrace the college’s commitment to fostering an inclusive community, as well as their experience working with individuals from historically marginalized or underserved groups.

Wesleyan University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious practice or creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or non-position-related criminal record.

Northern Arizona University: “Focus On Queer And/Or Trans Studies and Transnational Feminisms”

“We are looking for a teacher-scholar with a PhD in Women’s and Gender Studies or a related field. We especially welcome applicants who focus on queer and/or trans studies and transnational feminisms, and who demonstrate engagement with intersectionality. The ideal candidate will have a record of effective teaching in classes related to the WGS Queer Studies Minor, as well as WGS introductory, core, transnational or global feminisms, and other elective courses. Successful candidates should have experience in or attentiveness to working with underrepresented groups.

University of Winnipeg: “Preference Given to Indigenous Persons and Members of Racialized Communities”

The Department of History at the University of Winnipeg acknowledges that we live and work in the ancestral and traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Anishininew, Assiniboine, Cree, Dakota, Dene, and the heartland of the Métis nation.

We invite applications for a tenure-track position in Indigenous History at the rank of Assistant Professor, beginning July 1, 2023, subject to budgetary approval. The successful candidate will have, or be close to completing, a PhD in Indigenous History or a directly related field, such as Indigenous Studies, with a specialization in Indigenous Peoples whose homelands are located in part or wholly within the modern boundaries of Canada and the continental USA. This can include those with a transborder specialization encompassing the present-day US-Mexico borderlands. This position is open to all with a preference given to Indigenous Persons and members of Racialized Communities.

“In the cover letter the applicant is strongly encouraged to provide a description of their relationship to the study of Indigenous History which might include (but is not limited to) family lines and relationality, community relationships, connections to place, Indigenous Identity, or organizational affiliations.

University of Hamburg, Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin bzw. Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (w/m/d) in Literaturwissenschaft/Wissenskulturen und Interdisziplinarität § 28 Abs. 3 HmbHG,

I’m sorry, but your words are too long. Please try again.

University of Innsbruck, Universitätsprofessur für Germanistische Mediävistik mit Schwerpunkt Spätmittelalter und Frühe Neuzeit (15.05.2023)

That means you too, Innsbruck.

AUTHOR

HUGH FITZGERALD

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission all rights reserved

Filter Legislation to Protect Kids Gains Ground, Despite Big Tech Misinformation

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Last week, a friend asked me for advice on how she could keep pornography off digital devices used by her children. I was happy to help, which meant spending over an hour emailing step-by-step instructions, attaching numerous screenshots with scribbles directing “Click here –>” and “BAD –>”, “GOOD –>”, etc etc . . . all to show her how to locate parental controls and safety settings that might keep her little ones safe online.

At the end of it all, my friend’s husband made a very astute observation: “You know what, I think it’s kind of crazy that these protections aren’t on by default. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t an adult have to seek out pornography if they want it, rather than letting the status quo be that any kid can accidentally stumble on it?”

“YES!!” was my immediate, unreserved reply. And I proceeded to explain this is exactly what NCOSE is fighting for through current public policy efforts.

NCOSE’s Public Policy Team is working in numerous states across the U.S. to pass device filter bills (a.k.a. “Default to Safety” bills), requiring smartphones and tablets to automatically turn on filters blocking sexually explicit material, when the device is activated, to protect children from harmful content.

Adults are provided with a passcode or a biometric means of simply turning off the filter, if preferred. An adult can also toggle between filter “ON” and filter “OFF” settings.

Close in Idaho, Pending in Montana

Last week, a device filter bill, “Parental Rights Protection of Minors Act,” supported by NCOSE in Idaho failed to pass the state senate by one vote. However, this is progress, considering that last year, a similar bill failed to even reach the floor. We hope this trend of increased support continues as more people realize that Big Tech has zero interest in the online health and safety of children.

NCOSE also supports HB349 in Montana, which passed the House in early March, 63-47, and is currently pending in the Senate. Other states considering similar legislation are Iowa, Florida, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Opposition to the Device Filter Bill: Big Tech Spreading Misinformation

In the run up to Idaho senate debate on the device filter bill, an astounding array of misinformation was presented to oppose its passing. Big Tech views device filter legislation as a threat, flying highly paid lobbyists into state capitols to testify against it.

These hired guns argued that the filtering requirements mandated by the filter bill are “not technologically feasible.” This simply isn’t true. Filtering technology already exists on handheld devices and tablets; the only thing the bill proposes to change is that the filter defaults to on instead of off. 

In a self-contradicting move, Big Tech has also argued that the bill is unnecessary, precisely because filters and safety settings already exist. Although this argument recognizes the current state of available technology, its conclusion misses the point.

Research shows that most people leave devices and apps at their default settings. As such, while filters do exist, the reality is that most of the time they are not turned on, and children are left unprotected. Many reasons might explain this—parents might not know that the filters are available, might not have a strong awareness of the dangers facing kids online, might be intimidated or discouraged when trying to sift through various settings to find the filters . . . Importantly, research has also highlighted that “there is an implicit perception that when something is a default, it should be a good choice, causing more people to stick with it.”

The result: the status quo is that the only children who are protected are those who are privileged with highly involved, tech-savvy, danger-aware parents/caregivers willing to spend hours navigating through various device and app settings to find build in protections. This is what the device filter bills seek to change. They seek to protect all children—not a small, privileged subset of them.

Another favourite argument of the Big Tech opposition is that the device filter solution is unconstitutional. Incorrect again! This legislation stands in favourable contrast to previous legislative attempts to protect children from exposure to online obscenity, precisely because it passes constitutional muster.

Some background here is helpful: in 2004, the Child Online Protection Act was struck down by the Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. ACLU on the basis that it violated the First Amendment. As an alternative, the Supreme Court suggested that utilizing filters on devices at the receiving end, instead of placing limits on publishers of explicit material, satisfied the First Amendment. Read more about the device filter bill’s constitutionality here.

Device filter bills are the simplest and best option for protecting children from exposure to pornography and harmful content. The bill is constitutional, relies on existing technology, and ensures ALL kids are protected.

CLICK TO TWEET

The Device Filter Bill is the Best Option for Protecting Children from Harmful Content

The device filter bill is truly the simplest and the best option for protecting children from exposure to pornography and harmful content. It relies on existing technology, it passes constitutional muster, and it ensures that all children would receive the same protections, regardless of privilege.

If you are interested in passing a filtering bill, or other online child protection in your state, you can sign up for state-specific announcements and opportunities for action below. Our Public Policy team will keep you updated!

AUTHOR

Lily Moric

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EDITORS NOTE: This NCOSE column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Virginia School District to Remove 14 Sexually Explicit Books from School Libraries

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On Wednesday, Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS) in Fredericksburg, Va. announced that it would be removing 14 books that “contain sexually explicit content and themes that are inappropriate for young persons” from the school district’s libraries. With the move, SCPS joins a growing list of school districts around the country that have opted to remove school library books that contain graphic sexual content amid a growing movement of parents decrying the availability of “pornographic” books to minors.

In a press release, SCPS Superintendent Mark Taylor cited a recent state law put in place in 2022 as the impetus for the removal of the books. “These books contain sexually explicit material which makes it clear there should be parental notification,” he said. “State law sets the definition. The only way we can guarantee they’re not available to students without parental permission is to remove them.”

The measure, championed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), requires that parents be notified of books available in school libraries that contain sexually explicit material.

According to an SCPS memorandum from Taylor provided to The Washington Stand, the 14 books marked for removal include: “All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto” by George Johnson; “Like a Love Story” by Abdi Nazemian; “Dime” by E. R. Frank; “Sold” by Patricia McCormick; “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Perez; “Beloved” by Toni Morrison; “America” by E. R. Frank; “Looking for Alaska” by John Green; “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky; “Water for Elephants” by Sarah Gruen; “Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe” by Preston Norton; “More Happy Than Not” by Adam Silvera; “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison; and “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult.

The memo goes on to note that the books on the removal list can still be assigned by teachers with parental permission.

In an attachment to the memo, a compilation of extractions of the explicit content from the books is listed. In many of the extractions, sexual encounters between minors as well as between adults are described in graphic detail. The content also includes hundreds of instances of profanity and crude references to sexual organs and other sexual terms, as well as racial and sexual orientation slurs, which are all notably prohibited from being uttered in most schools.

A growing movement of parents protesting sexually explicit books in school libraries has taken place across the country over the last few years, with parents voicing their concerns at school board meetings in New York, Texas, Virginia, Alabama, and Florida, among others. At recent board meetings in Georgia, Texas, and Alaska, parents who read content from sexually explicit books were told to stop reading due to the graphic content, with a speaker in Florida being physically kicked out of a meeting for reading the content.

Lawmakers in a number of states are responding to parents’ concerns, as explicit books have been removed from school libraries in Missouri, Florida, Loudoun County (Va.), Texas, and elsewhere.

Critics, as well as many legacy news outlets, claim that the removal of explicit books from school libraries amounts to a “book ban.” However, the SCPS press release notes that the 14 books on the removal list remain available at local public libraries if students wish to access them. The press release went on to state that copies of the books being removed “will be stored securely until arrangements can be made to donate them.” Superintendent Taylor’s memo recommends “that they be donated to the Central Rappahannock Regional Library or another public library system.”

Meg Kilgannon, senior fellow for Education Studies at Family Research Council, commended SCPS’s decisive action.

“It is great to see a school system take this issue seriously,” she told The Washington Stand. “Too often, school leaders delegate this task, or allow political pressure from activists to overwhelm the reasonable concerns of parents. To his great credit, Superintendent Taylor has removed books with sexually explicit content from school libraries. He will no doubt face hysterical accusations of the worst sort from LGBTQ activists, library associations, and publishing industry lobbyists.”

“Fortunately, most parents can understand that school libraries and public libraries serve different age ranges and that no child has an alleged ‘right to read’ explicit or pornographic content. Thanks to Spotsylvania County Public Schools, their school board members, and Superintendent Taylor for preserving childhood innocence and academic excellence,” Kilgannon concluded.

AUTHOR

Dan Hart

Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.

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The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

DeSantis Signs Universal School Choice Program Into Law

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Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a piece of legislation into law on Monday creating a universal school choice program.

House Bill 1, sponsored by the Education Quality Subcommittee, establishes an Education Savings Accounts (ESA) program under which every family is eligible to receive up to $8,000 to cover education expenses outside of the public school system. The vouchers will be distributed on a “priority” basis, with families of four making less than $51,000 annually receiving the funds first.

“The state of Florida is number one when it comes to education freedom and education choice,” DeSantis said at a Monday press conference. “Today’s bill signing cements us in that number one position because we will be signing legislation which will represent the largest expansion of education choice not just in the history of this state, but in the history of these United States.”

Under the law, students who are “residents of the state” or “eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12” are eligible for the tax-payer funded voucher.

Florida’s previous school choice program was limited to low-income families and students with disabilities, which 1.3 million students utilized. Students were on a waitlist for the previous program, according to the Florida Voice. 

With DeSantis’ signature, Florida became the sixth state in the last two years to move to universal school choice; Arizona first enacted universal school choice making all K-12 students eligible for state funded vouchers. On March 8, Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders signed a piece of legislation into law creating a universal school choice program by the 2025-2026 school year.

“With the governor’s support and signature today, Florida delivers the largest expansion of education freedom in our nation’s history and that is something we should all be proud about,” Florida Republican House Speaker Paul Renner said at the press conference.

AUTHOR

REAGAN REESE

Contributor.

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