{"id":604753,"date":"2021-07-28T12:21:36","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T16:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=604753"},"modified":"2021-07-28T12:21:39","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T16:21:39","slug":"virginia-teacher-placed-on-administrative-leave-after-questioning-the-districts-equity-training-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-teacher-placed-on-administrative-leave-after-questioning-the-districts-equity-training-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Teacher Placed On \u2018Administrative Leave\u2019 After Questioning The District\u2019s Equity Training Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvirginia-teacher-placed-on-administrative-leave-after-questioning-the-districts-equity-training-program%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=604753&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><span>A Virginia teacher with an exemplary record was placed on administrative leave after questioning the school district\u2019s equity training program.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Shelly Norden, an English and journalism teacher in Fauquier County Public Schools, ran one of the top journalism programs in the state and won the district\u2019s 2016 \u201cTeacher of the Year\u201d award. But Norden says administrators target her for speaking out against an equity training program.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m not a rabble-rouser,\u201d Norden, who is also a taxpayer in Fauquier County, told The Daily Wire in an interview. \u201cBut this wasn\u2019t right, so I started speaking out against it.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The training program, called Deep Equity, was founded by Gary Howard, a white man who believes that white people \u201care collectively bound and unavoidably complicit in the arrangements of dominance that have systematically favored our racial group over others.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Deep Equity teaches <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/progressive-equity-group-trains-kansas-teachers-to-the-tune-of-400000\"><span>progressive ideology<\/span><\/a><span>, and is controversial among parents and taxpayers because it tells educators to \u201cexplicitly reject and resist any parents who disagree with it.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Norden says that the shift toward equity began in 2017 when the district hired Superintendent Major Warner. He began by shifting the district\u2019s homework policy.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Teachers were forbidden from making homework count for more than 10 percent of a student\u2019s final grade \u2014 a policy Norden argues hurts students who perform poorly on tests. Students were also no longer allowed to receive \u201czeros\u201d for failing a test or failing to turn in homework. Now, the lowest grade a student could receive for these was 50 percent.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe shift in mindset correlates strongly with our increased dialogue about equity and access in teaching and learning,\u201d Warner <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcps1.org\/site\/Default.aspx?PageType=3&amp;DomainID=26&amp;PageID=45&amp;ViewID=6446ee88-d30c-497e-9316-3f8874b3e108&amp;FlexDataID=9867\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The same year, Warner chose teacher Nikki Jenkins to oversee the district\u2019s equity training. Jenkins, who worked in the sciences and physical education department, promised to \u201cbuild equity in science and P.E. for all.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While top administrators were focused on Deep Equity training and other such policies, Norden spoke with parents who claimed that students were failing because teachers were not adequately trained for their positions. For instance, Norden claims the district hired a Spanish teacher who did not speak fluent Spanish.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On social media, Nordon talked about the problematic nature of Deep Equity training. She lamented that the largest equity problem in the district was the lack of quality education for all students.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIn my opinion, our county\u2019s biggest obstacle regarding equity is standing in front of many classrooms. Equity is about removing barriers and providing students equal access to a quality education,\u201d Norden said online. \u201cI continue to watch as teaching positions are reclassified into higher-paying central office positions. The result, bigger classes, and less money to pay teachers.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Pushback from colleagues and administrators prompted Norden to run for the school board, albeit unsuccessfully. A review of emails conducted by The Daily Wire found that Norden received significant pushback from one of the equity leads, Jenkins.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On the night of Norden\u2019s school board defeat, Jenkins posted to Facebook a \u201cgif\u201d that read, \u201cDing Dong The Witch Is Dead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_250266\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-250266\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-250266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Jenkins-Post-300x226.png\" alt width=\"600\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Jenkins-Post-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Jenkins-Post-765x576.png 765w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Jenkins-Post-768x578.png 768w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Jenkins-Post.png 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-250266\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>via Facebook<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Norden responded online by creating a separate post that claimed, \u201cThis is our school leadership and a prime example of why I ran in the first place.\u201d According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fauquier.com\/news\/kettle-run-teacher-reinstated-after-suspension\/article_6bec550e-2bcd-11ea-9b0d-efe36efad805.html\">local news outlet<\/a>, for her response post, Norden says she was escorted out of her high school on November 25, 2019, for \u201charassment of colleagues.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_250264\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-250264\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-250264\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Shelly-Post--241x300.png\" alt width=\"600\" height=\"746\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Shelly-Post--241x300.png 241w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Shelly-Post--463x576.png 463w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Shelly-Post--768x955.png 768w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Shelly-Post-.png 928w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-250264\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>via Shelly Norden<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Norden was placed on \u201cadministrative leave pending the outcome of [an] investigation of [her] conduct and alleged harassment of colleagues.\u201d She claims that it was not only the one post about Jenkins but her multiple critiques of Deep Equity training that led to her temporary suspension.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On December 16, 2019, Norden met with the human resources department and was told that she could return as an English teacher, after winter break, at a different high school within the district. She took the job.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Norden told The Daily Wire that, later, administrators and a school board member made a slew of left-wing posts online.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>One such person, Alixandra Tate, the director of school counseling, used Twitter to express her support for the \u201canti-racism\u201d movement and called for schools to \u201cdecenter whiteness.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhole classes and programs on \u2018urban\u2019 education but not on \u2018suburban\u2019 education and how to decenter whiteness and stop upholding white supremacy which are the actual problems,\u201d Tate said in one tweet.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cA reminder: the opposite of racism is not kindness,\u201d the school counselor continued.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_250263\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-250263\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-250263\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Alix-Pt3-138x300.png\" alt width=\"600\" height=\"1302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Alix-Pt3-138x300.png 138w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Alix-Pt3-266x576.png 266w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Alix-Pt3.png 295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-250263\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>via Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Tate also condemned school districts for celebrating Dr. Suess.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_250261\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-250261\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-250261\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Alix-Pt2-139x300.jpg\" alt width=\"600\" height=\"1297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Alix-Pt2-139x300.jpg 139w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Alix-Pt2-266x576.jpg 266w, https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2021\/07\/Alix-Pt2.jpg 296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-250261\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>via Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>School board member Raymond Duke Bland posted his opinions via Facebook. He expressed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and his disdain for former President Donald Trump online. He also posted his support for Colin Kaepernick and insinuated that violent BLM riots were okay.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to Norden, Tate and Bland have not been condemned by the FCPS administration for their overtly political posts.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Norden resigned from her teaching position in 2021 after consistent pushback from colleagues and administrators over her anti-Deep Equity positions.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i><span>member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Virginia teacher with an exemplary record was placed on administrative leave after questioning the school district\u2019s equity training program.\u00a0Shelly Norden, an English and journalism teacher in Fauquier County Public &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-604753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}