This petition; written, signed, and supported by Parents, students, alumni, staff (both present and past), business owners, property tax payers, and community leaders makes a motion for the following; The apology and resignation of the following NTPS staff and board members for their part in implementing a political organization into NTPS student curriculum that seeks to harm students mental health, sow divisiveness under the guise of ‘Equity’, and seeks to create a victim class within marginalized communities of color which results in long term victimhood and creates low level thinkers through the adoption of ‘BLM at School’ and through the soft bigotry of low expectations for students of color. Debra J Clemens - Superintendent Gretchen Maliska – Board Member Chuck Namit – Board Member Dr. Jennifer S Thomas – Board Member Graeme Sackrison – Board Member Dave Newkirk – Board Member Kathryn Frazier – Director of Equity and Languages Cherlyn Pijanowski – Director of Discipline
An Apology Example: I, _, apologize for my role in bringing ‘BLM at School’ to the NTPS curriculum. I realize now that BLM is a political organization. One that is anti-family, seeks to cause division within communities, perpetuates the violence against Asian Americans, and ultimately creates a generation of low-level thinkers through the soft bigotry of low expectations for people of color in our community. Effective immediately I resign from my role of NTPS __ and take full responsibility for the harm I have caused my community.
Arguments/Evidence for Signing Petition;
1. NTPS requires an unchallenged promotion of a specific political party
It is a public school’s responsibility to educate students while staying politically neutral. BLM is an activist and political party movement. NTPS does not explicitly teach or inform students of other platforms or political parties such as but not limited to; Democratic Party, Republican Party, Green or even Libertarian parties. This has created a vacuum of thought and reason; resulting in low thinking learners within the NTPS student body. Basic civics lesson reach far wider and deeper than a social justice narrative, rooted in Critical Race Theory. https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/the-agenda-black-lives-matter-far-different-the-slogan https://youtu.be/8J68p5l-gjQ
2. NTPS/BLM promotes violence against Asian Americans within our community
BLM harms our Asian American allies within our community by promoting BLM activists who in turn physically and mentally harm our AAPIO. NTPS has a systematic history of marginalizing Asian students by lumping them as data points with students who identify as ‘white’. NTPS board stands with BLM; Thus they do NOT stand with Asian Americans within our community. See videos below of BLM supporters promoting hate against Asian Americans. https://twitter.com/mrandyngo/status/1376335189387923458 https://abc7ny.com/anti-asian-subway-attack-hate-crime-man-spits-at-woman-racial-slur/10480754/ https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-stranger-punch-manhattan-subway-20210321-itxysblgfzdqtcl27mnrvws65u-story.html https://nwasianweekly.com/2020/11/wa-school-district-apologizes-for-excluding-asians-as-poc/
3. NTPS is anti-nuclear family and thus prejudice towards, but not limited to; Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian, Samoan/Pacific Islander, Eastern European (Ukrainian, Russian, Polish…) families within our community.
BLM states “We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement...” This statement and buy-in by the district, to wish to see the end of and devalue ‘family’ is an afront to people of all color but mostly those minorities that have experienced generational broken families that continue to keep them in financial hardships. https://youtu.be/L1AHyiJFoMs https://youtu.be/22IK5BevoNI
https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2001/07-28/0003_thomas_sowell__is_the_family_beco.html
4. NTPS supports BLM which in turns supports the damaging, destroying, and harm done to minority and family ran businesses.
BLM riots and ‘protests’ often result in State, Local, and minority family-owned properties being damaged or destroyed. This does NOT align with the civil rights movement’s message of non-violence and thus promotes violence. https://youtu.be/ua9TtOyuXnc https://youtu.be/WjiqS8gPPB0
5. The NTPS efforts to undermine grassroot relationships among law enforcement (School Resource Officers) of the Lacey Police Department and NTPS students.
According to a classroom educator at River Ridge; Local Police departments / SRO and students at the middle school and high school level is a grassroots effort to build relationships with law enforcement and students; particularly students of color and/or lower social economic backgrounds. NTPS and its staff have led efforts to undermine these relationships by asking SRO’s to leave campuses due to their systematic racism and tendency towards microaggressions. These efforts lead to mistrust in the community and are counterproductive to relationship building AND puts buildings with high minority representation at an increased risk of crime and violence.
6 NTPS and BLM seek to continue the School – To – Prison Pipeline by unfairly tracking students (Mainly Students of Color) at River Ridge Highschool, QR Codes and increasing student suspensions.
According to multiple students of color at River Ridge High School, a school with nearly 56% of the population being made up of POC or Students of color, is the only NTPS high school to track students using QR Codes. These practices mirror historically racist systems from slavery, suppression of Jewish movement, and East German ‘Papers!’. These systems are historically under the falsehood of ‘safety’ but always seek to restrict and limit freedoms. This system in place keeps students inside, locked behind doors without the option of going outside during lunch time. The result: Keeping students of color locked up and limited freedom compared to other local high schools…equity at its best but at worst models confinement, restricts movement, and oppresses personal freedoms. https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/
7 NTPS and Staff at River Ridge continue to subject Students of Color and the community at large through Segregation and undue harm.
NTPS’s Affinity program implements segregation of races among students by denying White students and Staff from attending the meetings. The meetings, according to past attendees, continues the perception that POC are victims of a racist system, a system overseen by the current school board. This Critical Race Theory tone serves to keep POC in a cycle of victimization and fills students with a lack of hope for upward mobility within their communities. https://schoolhouserights.org/crt-checklist/
https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/10/21/this-mother-is-fighting-woke-activism-in-public-schools/
Help us Act! Next Steps…
- Sign the petition! Our leaders can do better, and our Children deserve better
- Share! Share this petition on your social media accounts…all of them.
- Call the school board OR email them, “Dear NTPS, as a tax paying member of our community we can and demand better from you. Remove BLM curriculum immediately from NTPS. Our children deserve unity in celebrating differences NOT division and harm towards others.”
- Meet them at their places of privilege. The sidewalk in front of homes is public property. Engage them in the community! Target, Safeway, Fred Myers…wherever the above-mentioned persons shop and participate in OUR community, talk with them. Use YOUR voice. YOUR words, and YOUR tone can make the difference. Speak up for your child.
- Be on the look-out for a future prop. that will challenge property taxes and future levies until action is seen on this issue by NTPS. No new money to fund a district bent on hurting relationships rather than building bridges.
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