Santa Barbara School Board shields left-wing activists’ scams while student performance declines.
The Broken State of American Education
The following includes an edited excerpt from the author’s new book, School of Woke: How Critical Race Theory Infiltrated American Schools and Why We Must Reclaim Them.
As the new school year approaches, it’s disheartening to see that America’s student achievement is at an all-time low. The impact of Covid lockdowns has erased years of progress in math and reading, and the 2022-2023 school year has only brought further declines. The most affected are low-income minority communities, leaving educators and administrators stunned by the extent of the education crisis.
The truth is that even before the pandemic, America’s schools were asleep at the wheel. School boards designed to improve student outcomes have become doormats for what I term the “education-industrial complex,” which describes the sea of activist nonprofits, businesses, and bureaucrats who use our massive pile of education funding to serve ideological agendas and their own ends.
In my new book, School of Woke, I uncover one of the darkest examples of this corruption in Santa Barbara, California. Jennifer Freed, a sex-ed teacher and founder of the nonprofit ”AHA!,” exploited her position to push critical race theory and queer theory onto students. Under the guise of “social-emotional learning,” Freed engaged in inappropriate discussions about sex with children and invited adults to do the same.
AHA!’s contracts with the Santa Barbara Unified School District were highly lucrative, and the school board meeting on June 11, 2019, revealed the extent of their negligence. Despite clear evidence of AHA!’s ineffectiveness, Assistant Superintendent Frann Wageneck struggled to admit the truth, while board member Laura Capps prioritized private funding over student well-being.
What people were witnessing in that room on that day was a rare instance of a school board persuading itself out of the right decision in real time, in public, for all to see. And the results were evidence of that weakness.
This disturbing case highlights the presence of predatory outside nonprofit organizations in public schools. These organizations, fueled by taxpayer money, often receive additional private donations to continue their harmful practices. The Santa Barbara school district’s willingness to overlook AHA!’s failures and continue funding them is a clear example of the corruption within the education system.
It’s time to acknowledge the damage caused by critical race theory and queer theory vultures who prioritize their own agendas over the education of our children. We must reclaim our schools and ensure that they prioritize the well-being and academic success of every student.
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