Nebraskans' Testimony re: Education

Why we need Nebraska 2023 LB 374

by Sue Greenwald, MD

As a co-founder of the Protect Nebraska Children Coalition, I hear a lot of stories from parents, teachers, and school board members from all across our state. The one element that each of these stories shares is that they all start with these words: “Don’t tell anyone my name.”

Most of these people have children in the school system. They all know that if they don’t take a vow of Omerta to the Equity police, their children will be collateral damage. Children across this state are being viciously bullied by peers, administrators and other school staff because they or their parents are the wrong political flavor. Teachers won’t say anything because they live in fear of being fired, and they have children too.

These are Nebraska’s Stories

A suburban teacher fears being fired for teaching children to memorize their multiplication tables. Administrators have told her it isn’t equitable because some children have trouble with memorization.

At least 3 people from rural Nebraska this past year had to remove their children from public schools because they ran for school board. In some of these communities the only other option is home schooling. Now, there are good people who will NOT run for school board because they care about their children, and they don’t have the financial ability to either home school their children or send them to private school.

An urban teacher is fed up with the constant Equity training over the last 2.5 years. She knows it is CRT but she has been told by her principal to deny it if anyone asks. She is finally raising some concerns because she knows if something doesn’t change there is no way she is bringing her kids to this school district. She knows many of the other teachers agree with her but they “just know not to speak up.” When asked if the Equity training is making her want to quit teaching at the public school, she says “I’m 70% there.”

A Lincoln mother says her child is constantly bullied by peers for being white and straight. The teen’s siblings have already abandoned public school for this reason.

A rural mother complained to the superintendent about certain books in the school library. That Sunday her private conversation was repeated to her by random people at church.

A White rural teen is isolated and berated as a racist by his teacher during class.

Parents in many districts are told the following when they wish to see curriculum: A general outline is available but you will need an appointment with an administrator to review the materials. Many parents are still waiting for that appointment 6 months later. Those who get an appointment are shown cherry-picked sample questions. The mostly on-line curriculum is said to be “proprietary” and password protected. One wonders if anyone at the school has full access.

A pre-teen is asked probing personal questions which clearly violate the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, during a required online test, where she is compelled to answer to get a grade. When the mother complains, she learns that the Curriculum Director had no knowledge of what was in the curriculum, and is just as horrified.

Frustrated parents have filed public records requests to get access to curriculum and the decisions regarding the expenditures involved with these on-line programs. If they get a response at all, it is a letter telling them how many thousands of dollars they will need to pay for the requested records search.

A grandma comforts a crying 6-year-old who has been told that it is up to her to save Ruby Bridges from bad people who throw rocks. The child cries “I don’t want to die.” When the grandma talked to several teachers in the community, they warned her that she should not complain, her granddaughter would be punished if she did.

A suburban mother asks pointed questions about the Social Emotional Learning curriculum which she knows is steeped in critical race theory. The administrative response to her questions includes these lines: “The teachers are required to teach district curriculum. They may share concerns about curriculum that makes them uncomfortable. That is a sign to the district that additional training is needed.” Let the re-education commence.

A rural mother objects to an assigned book in her son’s high school English class that describes the sexual assault of a 9-year-old. She says the book also promotes anti-white racism and mocks Christianity. She is told that the book is “award winning” and they are keeping it. She is promised by the Superintendent that going forward parents will receive a list of required books at the beginning of each semester. The following semester, that doesn’t happen.

In a city in central Nebraska, the school board abolishes their parental review process for library books. The committee, hand picked by the library director and universally voting to keep the challenged books, is a farce and everyone can see it. As an alternative, the school district clings to their policy of “opting (your minor child) out” of library books, which is also a farce because no parent wants to “other” their own child. A school board member is quoted as saying “parents should give their kids good instruction on which books to pick”. Why are we paying school librarians if children have to curate their own books?

In a Lincoln Middle School a male student who was crawling on the floor being disruptive escalates to exposing himself, and touching girls in the class. Described by the parent of an eye witness: “The teacher yelled for everyone to leave the room. The students were told not to tell others about this. Many kids, including mine, asked to call a parent and go home immediately. My child can not unsee the indecent exposure and simple battery crimes that he witnessed.”

Parents Take a Back Seat

In public schools today, the social justice army is in charge. They are true believers and they do not tolerate dissent. The critical race and gender theory ideology, otherwise known as “equity lens,” has permeated every corner of the state. The money flowing to the schools is coming from government and private grants. The schools are awash in funds, especially since 2021, and many of those funds are tied to the Equity agenda. Vendors of opaque and expensive “proprietary” on-line curricula are fleecing the taxpayers. Administrators are convincing teachers to lie to parents, by threat if necessary. Parents are finished with trusting anyone.

LB 374 is the bill that parents and teachers have been praying for. It will go far to restore a balance of power that is currently lacking in the public schools. The proposed school choice bill would also release some of the pressure in the urban areas, and perhaps create some much-needed alternatives in the rural areas.

What is in LB 374? A Quick Summary

Sec 3, Defines that parents have the right to determine the education, upbringing and medical care of their children.

Also Sec 3, Protects students and teachers from being discriminated against based upon race.

Sec 4-7, Mandates a Transparency Portal for ADMINSTRATORS, (not teachers) to provide links to library lists, curriculum, surveys, and professional development. Including the "title, author, organization, website address, and any other information that is necessary for the identification of such materials, activities and curriculum."

Teachers’ personal lesson plans are specifically NOT included on the Portal.

Sec 8 defines how controversial material will be treated:

If library content is challenged by parents: "A school district shall designate an item of library content as "Parental Review Recommended" ..unless the item is unequivocally not deserving of such designation". Wow. Instead of parents having to beg committees to see the bad in a library book, the committees will have to beg the parents to see the good in it. An appeal process is laid out in Sec 12. No book burning involved, just a segregation of the "Parental Review Recommended" materials.

Students’ privacy is protected from third party data mining vendors in Sec 9:

Schools "shall not administer an attitude or belief examination to any student unless" a) it's on the transparency portal, b) parents are notified in writing and must "opt in". c) schools pinpoint who the data will be shared with and who will store it. d) an explanation of the purpose of the examination, how the data will be used, and how the examination benefits the student's academic achievement. And e) students have a right of refusal whether or not the parent signs the form.

Sec 10 just states the obvious:

Racial discrimination is forbidden as outlined in the Civil Rights act of 1964, but teachers may teach about it, as well as other aspects of policy or history, without fear of recrimination.

Sec 11 is for teachers:

"A teacher who refuses to teach matters prohibited in Sec 10, or to teach matter against such teacher's sincerely held religious beliefs shall not be subject to and adverse licensure or employment action..because of such refusal."

Sec 12, Details regarding how " a parent, student, or teacher aggrieved by a violation (of this act) may bring a civil action for appropriate relief."

Where We Find Ourselves

Currently, we have teachers who live in fear of speaking up because they might lose their job and their kids will be bullied. Parents are afraid to speak up because they have been dismissed and their kids have been bullied. Good people resist running for school board because they will be demonized and their kids will be bullied.

Opponents will say that LB 374 is imposing the state’s will on local school districts. That is the view of some administrators, the vendors and the social justice warriors. The people who are profiting from the money and/or the ideology don’t want to see a change.

However, the majority of parents and teachers don’t see it that way. They see their beloved schools being destroyed from within. They would be willing to do something to stop it, but they won’t tolerate their children taking the arrows in this battle. Many, many teachers and parents are close to the “70% there” of leaving altogether.

The only intolerable result would be for the Nebraska Legislature of 2023 to do nothing.