Controversial Issues Policy
Rhetoric v. Reality in the New “Equity” Policy
After a working session of the Fairfax County School Board a couple of days ago, a new draft of the proposed Equity Policy was hurriedly drafted, and then posted on the FCPS website at 3:30 Friday afternoon. A meeting will be held Monday evening, June 26, to stamp it with the Board’s final approval. It…
Read MoreStrategic Plan and “Equity Policy,” Part 3
The last post reported on the drafting of a new Strategic Plan for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS); this one summarizes the status of a separate, but related, “Equity Policy.” Background The “equity policy” process dates back to September 2020, when the FCPS equity team made a presentation to the School Board, proposing an “anti-racism,…
Read MoreAlert! Fairfax School Board Plans to Scrap Long-Standing Policy of Objectivity
The Fairfax County School Board will vote on October 20 to undercut the school system’s long-standing policy requiring teachers to be objective and neutral when addressing controversial issues in the classroom. An effort was made at the School Board’s October 6 meeting to ram through a “Truthful Education” resolution by adding it to the agenda…
Read MoreFairfax School Board Continues Its One-Sided View of Transgender Issues
The Fairfax County School Board’s October 6 meeting focused largely on transgender issues. The auditorium was packed with LGBT students and supporters. The Board chairman opened the meeting with a prepared statement that left little doubt about the Board’s intent to challenge the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) new transgender policy (“the Model Policy”). Another…
Read MoreNew “Equity Policy” for Fairfax Schools
The Fairfax County School Board began to develop an “anti-racism, anti-bias” policy in 2020. The process seemed to take a back seat to other initiatives in 2021. Now, however, the proposal is being revived, renamed as an “equity policy.” The planned scope of the policy, and the process for drafting and considering it, was discussed…
Read MoreThe Proposed Controversial Issues Policy Is Vague, Divisive and Dangerous
Introduction In September 2020 the Fairfax County School Board initiated a process to revise its Controversial Issues Policy. Now, two years later, the revision is nearing completion. On June 23, the Board’s Governance Committee approved a new version, which is being sent to the full Board for review and approval. It is scheduled to be…
Read MoreFairfax Schools Monitor Sues Fairfax Schools, Round 2
Fairfax Schools Monitor has just filed a new lawsuit against the Fairfax County School Board. It challenges the Board’s improper assertion of “attorney-client privilege” to withhold documents requested under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). During the past few months, we have been seeking documents relating to the development of the School Board’s “Anti-Racism,…
Read MoreSaga of the Controversial Issues Policy — Part 5
I had intended this post to be an analysis and critique of the Fairfax County School Board’s proposed revision of its Controversial Issues Policy and Regulation (“Policy”). That’s not possible, however, because a committee of the Board is still tinkering with the language. Therefore, this post will only provide a brief summary of the process…
Read MoreThe School Board Is Intentionally Violating Established Policy
Introduction This is the 4th post in a series about the Controversial Issues Policy of the Fairfax County School Board. As outlined earlier, the Board undertook a program in 2020 to implement significant changes in its curricula. The intent was to put “equity” at the center of everything. The Board recognized at the outset that…
Read MoreSaga of the “Controversial Issues Policy — Part 3
Introduction As explained in the previous two posts, the Fairfax County School Board decided eighteen months ago, in September 2020, to revise its long-standing Controversial Issues Policy. This was deemed necessary so that teachers could indoctrinate their students with “anti-racist” ideas about “power,” “privilege,” “systemic racism,” “identity,” and “equity.” This post discusses the development of…
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