A Letter for the Local School and Education Board

September 22, 2022

Mead School District Board of Directors

Chad Burchard, Bob Olson, Denny Denholm

BrieAnne Gray, Michael Cannon;

Superintendent Shawn Woodward

In re:    The proposal of policies related to curriculum transparency and parental involvement in Library Media Centers

Dear Members of the Board and Superintendent Woodward,

On Monday, September 12, 2022, at the regular Mead School Board meeting, a vote was taken for the adoption of policy 2401 regarding Civics Education and for the revision of policy 2021 on Library Media Centers.  Despite majority support from parents, the Board did not adopt either policy.  The “no” votes from Mr. Denholm, Mr. Olson, and Mr. Burchard gave a green light to teachers and administrators to incorporate race-based ideology into classroom lessons, and books promoting gender fluidity into our elementary libraries.  After this vote, we have no reason to expect any accountability for the inclusion of such materials.  To the extent classroom content continues to trend in this direction, our children’s education will be harmed.  We look forward to revisiting the adoption of both policies after the Board elections in 2023.

In the meantime, we the parents and taxpayers of the Mead School District would like some oversight of the education we are forced to subsidize.  Our public school infrastructure does not exist to promote political ideology.  Regrettably, our schools have become ground zero for these battles.  In order for parents to safeguard their children’s education, we must establish an environment of academic transparency.  Surely, the right of parents to know what their children are being taught is common ground on which we can all agree.  To that end, we ask the Board to take action on the following proposals:

• The Board must adopt a policy on curriculum transparency that explicitly grants parents the right to review content in their children’s classroom in advance. Parents, not unions or political activists, are the primary stakeholders in maintaining the quality of our public schools.  It is parents who are willing to curb the proliferation of politically infused content, thereby keeping the emphasis on academic achievement.  The adoption of a policy on transparency puts parents in the position to decide whether the curriculum meets their expectations and is appropriate for their children.

• In conjunction with a policy acknowledging a parent’s right to review classroom content, the Board must adopt a procedure that ensures a practical way for parents to exercise this right. Therefore, the Board should adopt a procedure for the online disclosure of classroom materials. 

Although Mead currently hosts a “Curriculum Night” for parents to review the major texts adopted for each subject, it is an outdated way to achieve transparency.  It requires parents to physically travel to a district location during a limited timeframe, accomplishing little more than a cursory review.  Moreover, this outreach doesn’t address the digital learning materials, including websites, videos, and online applications often used by classroom teachers to supplement their lessons.

We are currently able to go online and retrieve an assortment of student data by subject and grade, making the accessibility of classroom content the exception.  The procedure concerning the online disclosure of classroom materials should require a list of materials used by subject and grade to be posted on each school’s website.  If supplemental materials are added to the curricula throughout the year by teachers, those materials should be made available to parents prior to their use in class, with adequate time provided for review. Additionally, information on how to initiate an Instructional Materials Review Request should be listed prominently on each school’s website, not buried in Board procedure.

• The Board must revise Policy and Procedure 2021 to include meaningful parent oversight of the Library Media Center. Whereas the Curriculum Development Coordinating Council includes three parents in its membership, current Library policy limits parent participation to making suggestions for acquisition and requests for reconsideration.  The Board should establish a parent oversight committee with physical access to each school’s library, not just to the online course catalog.  The committee’s oversight would include an ongoing assessment of the collection.

At both the August 15 and September 12 meetings, much was said about trusting teachers.  The adoption of policies for curriculum transparency as well as an attitude welcoming further parent involvement would go a long way to building trust.  The quality of education offered to our children in public schools is important to us, and we will continue to closely observe both the curriculum and the manner in which it is delivered.  We look forward to future engagement with the Board to develop the specifics of these proposals. 

A group of concerned parents in the Mead School District