08/18/2022
Long post - A friend in another state encourages all parents to send a letter to your principal/teacher outlining expectations for the new school year. (I would include the school board in our community). Here is an example of her post and letter:
I debated about this for a few weeks as I have a senior this year and it is difficult to navigate what my role is as a mom of a near adult! I decided to send this to the principal as my daughter did not want me to send to individual teachers. I sent it on Monday and did get a response. We had some difficult situations last year and I feel it is still important to advocate for my child as well as those that are younger. I also posted this in a comment to someone else’s post but thought this may help some of u that are in a similar situation. Thank you Lindsay Datko as I stole much of your letter!!
We are excited for ——to embark on her senior year of high school. We wanted to send an email to open the lines of communication between us so that the year will be great. After a tumultuous high school experience, we would like to end on a high note.
Jeffco policy defines controversial and sensitive topics as follows: "Controversial issues include matters characterized by significant differences of opinion usually generated from differing underlying values, beliefs, and interests which produce significant social tension and which are not necessarily resolvable by reference to accepted facts. Matters usually become controversial not so much due to disagreement about facts but as to the interpretation or values to be applied to facts (code IMB). The policy also outlines a fairly intensive approval process for teachers and principals who wish to teach controversial issues or use controversial materials.
Our home respects individual expression but we would like to request that our child not be asked to provide her pronouns. We would like her to be addressed by her name, —-, as this is her identity! Other things that we deem controversial and cause for concern are listed below.
Negatively depicting law enforcement
Teaching power vs. oppression in a manner that makes our child feel guilt
Teacher viewpoints that are not presented impartially
Assignments that require our child to process and/or produce controversial content
Another thing that we hope we see this year at —HS is respect for ALL thinking even when there are differing beliefs or backgrounds with teachers remaining neutral during discussions around current events, religious beliefs, gender discussions, etc., and the wherewithal to shut down discussions among students if one individual or a small group of students falls under attack without being shown respect for their differing opinions.
Lastly, we hope that the student's safety and comfort on campus are a top priority. We hope there are structures and protocols in place to provide discipline when students take advantage of situations or put other students' safety and comfort at risk. One student's comfort should not be a priority over another's or at the expense of another's.
We greatly respect the role an educator has and their influence on our daughter. We hope that a space is provided so that every student can feel pride in their individual backgrounds. As parents of a high school student, the line can be blurry about how much we should be involved and how much we should allow our child to take the reins for herself. With most things, this will be up to her to navigate, but we felt that our expectations also need to be made clear from the start. We thank you for taking the time to read this email and consider our concerns and are looking forward to individual teachers embracing and nurturing our child's strengths, weaknesses, and family needs.
