No Hate in WA State, and Why Aren’t Books Part of SPS Middle School ELA?
I’m popping in on this last full week of school to share two things, and to wish everyone a summer of tranquility and delights! After the ice cream social and field day, that is.
Before we all go on break, please take two minutes to learn about these two items of note:
No hate in WA state (look out for these school-focused anti-LGBTQ+ bills over the summer)
Books aren’t part of the SPS middle school ELA curriculum. They really should be.
No hate in WA state
Two school-related initiatives on Washington’s November ballot are gaining attention:
IL26-001 (“Parents’ Bill of Rights”): If passed, this initiative would give parents the rights to obtain their children’s school records, including records of medical treatment, mental health and other counseling, and any other documents maintained by the school. This is a danger to LGBTQ+ youths for whom school is a place to safely seek help when their families are unsupportive. It’s also a danger to children whose home situations are abusive.
IL26-638 (Trans girls sports ban): If passed, this initiative would ban trans girls and women from playing on female school-based sports teams. The initiative would also require physical genital check certifications for all members of female students sports teams. Players on all-male teams are excluded from the terms of this bill.
Seattle school board members Gina Topp and Liza Rankin have endorsed the “No Hate in WA State” campaign fighting against these two initiatives. So have many, many other Seattle organizations and public figures. You can add your name to the campaign as an individual endorser, as I have done.
You can also join us at the campaign kickoff event this coming Wednesday, June 17, at Neumos. I’ll be driving. If anyone would like a ride, just let me know at advocacy@scapta.org!
Note for the legal sticklers: While PTAs must avoid endorsing political candidates, it is acceptable for PTAs to express opinions on ballot initiatives. That said, and as usual, any opinions in LSBW are solely mine and do not necessarily represent the views of the Sac PTA.
Books aren't part of the SPS middle school ELA curriculum. They really should be.
Did you know that books aren’t part of the official ELA curriculum in SPS middle schools? Some teachers are able to squeeze in a book on their own initiative, but many don’t. A handful of teachers were even disciplined this year for trying to teach novels!
I wrote about this tragic and bizarre situation here. I also gave a two-minute public testimony about it at last week’s board meeting, if you prefer video. My hope is to get SPS to grant teachers more freedom next year in their choice of texts, and then to replace the terrible middle school ELA materials.
If you’ve got kids heading into middle school soon, I think at least the intro to the article is worth your time.