New York School Co-opts Students for Political Protest

This is not OK

by Sue Greenwald, M.D.

I will preface this by saying these thoughts are my own and do not necessarily reflect any organization with which I may be, or have ever been, affiliated.

I am a co-founder, with a board of other people, of the Protect Nebraska Children PAC.

This organization received letters from two school children in New York. Specifically, two ninth-grade students from the Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School in Queens. One letter was signed with a heart! These letters were sent to people in central Nebraska who have no connection to Queens, NY.

Photo: Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School

The postmark was June 25, the school’s website says the last day of school was June 26. A quick call to the school confirmed the students are real and the teacher has an email. I’m still debating whether to send this to her.

The letters are attached at the end of this post.

Ninth graders are early-to-mid pubescent 14 year olds. These two students no doubt were fulfilling an assignment to defend a book in their English curriculum which they say is offensive to many people. I am not familiar with the book, but I will take their word for it.

They are clearly practicing letter writing skills and are doing a fine job. There is nothing offensive about their letters.

What I DO find offensive is the fact that they were sent to MY organization, most likely prompted by their teacher.

We are complete strangers to them. They have no idea how we might react to this particular book, but even if they did, why would they care? We in Nebraska have absolutely NO sway whatsoever regarding New York curriculum. Apparently, Civics is not taught in ninth grade there, or the students would know that.

What were these students told about us? Are we on some boogie-man hit list to be protested against? Most importantly, why would a teacher go out of her way to instill distrust and negativity in these students regarding adults they will never meet that live half a country away from them?

This is the hubris that epitomizes public education in 2024.

This teacher set up a straw man argument involving us, so her students could protest our views. Never mind that we have not been asked if we have any views regarding this book.

This is known as propaganda. Grammarly-the Straw Man Fallacy

I recommend that the Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School (that’s not a pretentious name at all), add the Straw Man Fallacy to its English curriculum. And maybe sprinkle in some discussion of Federalism and states’ rights.

Since I have been drawn into this made-up controversy through no fault of my own, I have a few questions:

The students describe a violent rape in the book they claim they enjoyed. They also made it clear it was part of their curriculum, which presumes that every student was assigned to read it.

Are there rape survivors among the student body? Undoubtedly there are. Were students given the opportunity to opt out of reading a book about “depression, trauma, anxiety, rape, and the harsh realities of bullying such as self-harm?”

Was everyone in the class as enthusiastic about this book as these two students claim to be?

Were students given the opportunity to write a letter protesting the book assignment? Or, were they only allowed to defend the book against those who might protest its use in schools?

Was this letter part of their passing grade, or was it extra credit? Did they research who to send their snail mail to, or did the teacher do that for them?

Most importantly, do their parents know about this? Do the parents understand what is in this book? Did the parents have an opportunity to opt their student out of an assignment that could be harmful to them?

In my opinion, if you have to co-opt your students to write letters to strangers defending your curriculum choices, those choices are de facto inappropriate for general use.

Remember these are 14-year-olds. Maybe they grow up faster in New York than in Nebraska, but even adults are triggered when forced to re-live their trauma.

There were, no doubt, students who not only had to re-live their most horrifying memories in a classroom full of peers, they then had to compose an essay as to why they liked it.

I am a retired pediatrician who spent my entire career treating sexually, physically, and emotionally abused children and I am telling you- there is nothing about this entire sad episode that is OK.