Mastodawn

Tony, Pretty Much

It’s really important to get involved in local politics and particularly in the school boards now. The right is really trying to take them over with typical attacks on rights and liberties with no agenda to help kids learn or shore up public education.

Please get involved in local school board elections and fight back like these parents did if you need to.

A school board's focus on CRT stirs backlash in Temecula schools -
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/09/culture-clash-religious-right-california-00105259

Religious right gets blindsided by angry parents in a Southern California school district

Novice school board members get a hard lesson in politics in a region that could determine control of the House.

POLITICO

NotMaddie!Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark We got two of those wackos on our board at the height of Covid lockdowns. One only lasted a year-once schools opened they had nothing to fight anymore. One is still there. At the last election two were soundly beaten by normal people.

The next town over had similar results but their wacko board had already fired the Super and banned pride flags/clothing from the school. Now they are balancing back.

Tony, Pretty Much Jul 10, 2023

@madrobin It takes awhile to get it turned around which is why I always prefer prevention. I hope that it keeps getting better and thanks for being involved.

Realworldrj Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark “I don’t want to say it’s a particularly Republican Party issue, because everyone who is upset by this is not necessarily Democratic, but the people who are causing the trouble are the extremists of that party”

How can one tell the difference between the extremists of the republican party and the merely extremist?

@TonyStark
Difficult to do when they ask if you have kids and you say no. Looks pretty dodgy then.

Tony, Pretty Much Jul 10, 2023

@mafeesh No idea where you live but that’s not the norm here. You don’t need to be a parent to be involved in your school board. At all. School decisions affect tax expenditures and many other community interests.

To be fair, I live in Egypt, I'm from the UK. I dislike kids intensely, but I do think that they should receive healthcare and good education, otherwise they grow up to be Republicans or Tories.

Nothing I can do here, although my wife and I did help build and implement a school in Cambodia for severely deprived children (thanks to Kissinger for a lot of the damage).

BretCahill Jul 10, 2023

@mafeesh @TonyStark

You'd be surprised what you can do that's 100% safe and 100% effective.

Cookiefiend Jul 10, 2023

@mafeesh @TonyStark
I pay taxes. That means I have a financial stake in local education.

Sel Jul 11, 2023

@LPerry2 @mafeesh @TonyStark

"I know children, and have friends with children, and am going to be relying on the goodwill and kindness of those children when they grow to adults and I am old and infirm.

I have a humanity stake in local education."

Paul Roub Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark Our board has bent so far right, to ensure books leave library shelves efficiently, that it's hard to discuss without sounding like hyperbole.

A book is challenged by a single loon? Removed indefinitely! Add two Moms For Liberty chairs to the book review committee? Why not! One of them is the original challenger of 32 of the books in question? Cool! Pesky media specialists and public commenters making them look bad? Remove 'em!

https://news.yahoo.com/stop-banning-books-protesters-rally-164107418.html

Yahooist Teil der Yahoo Markenfamilie

Thad Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark School board elections are hard and it's often difficult to find information about the candidates. I was thrilled to see Sarah Lindsay James on the ballot for Tempe Union in 2020; she's a local teacher and I've known her for over 20 years (I went to high school with her younger sisters and, full disclosure, used to date one of them).

She and the group she was campaigning with all got elected. It's nice to have a school board with good people on it. Tough time for them, though.

MillicentTheMagnificent Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark I live in Temecula. I tried to warn people about Komrosky. Now, I see recall signs in yards all over the place. I have two teachers on my block and they are furious. It’s really bad.

Tony, Pretty Much Jul 10, 2023

@MarinLovesPottery I’m sorry. Hopefully people fighting back and giving some attention to this situation will help get things changed.

dingodog Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark @MarinLovesPottery When the regular people who are center-right but mostly just busy with their lives finally get affected locally, their tolerance for the right-wingers will hopefully plummet.

Olympia Indivisible Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark Join Stop Moms for Liberty Facebook group. We are researching local school board candidates.

kira :3 Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark i hadn't really observed that the school board thing got its push start from protest against mask rules, it's funny to me in a "play stupid games" kind of way that people who got on board with that are now surprised to see those groups turning to good old racism and phobia now that they're out of mask rules to be against. same flavor as terfs who suddenly find themselves in company with these same fascists

sarahejfraser Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark we moved back to the UK after 10 years in NJ because of this sort of thing. Our school board was taken over by MAGA and to that end one of the principals resigned at the end of this school year, 17 teachers resigned and the superintendent is likely to follow them. It’s an educational disaster. And all for what? To stop the white kids learning about black history and a few trans kids joining in with sports. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be away from it all.

Bruce Mirken Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark I live in possibly the only state without local school boards. I don't know whether a state-run system is better or not, but at least it minimizes Christofascist influence.

Cookiefiend Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark I struggle with every school board election because it is so hard to find information about the candidates. I'm happy to see that Ballotpedia is covering school board elections for major cities at least--but I live in a major city. Where do you go for reliable info in, say, Temecula?

Tony, Pretty Much Jul 10, 2023

@LPerry2 Local Dem party, teachers’ union, the ACLU, the NAACP, Emily’s List, Run for Something. I’m sure there are more…

I understand that. It used to be more difficult for me, too.

Shannon Kay Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark This has happened to our board. It started with two extremists. The most recent election left us with only one of our good education focused board members left. It’s too easy to take over a school board. Our district was made into areas in 2018, so only 1/5 of people in the district can vote for each seat. And they don’t need 50%+, just the most votes. So people win seats with 30% of the vote.

Tony, Pretty Much Jul 10, 2023

@shannonkay That sounds bad. It’s really important that we all do what we can to keep right wingers out of school boards. They’re not interested in helping schools.

Shannon Kay Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark It's tough, because people can win these seats without the support of most of the community. We need to, like, add runoff elections and/or not have the school board be on the ballot with something low turnout like a primary.

Allyson Williams ✅Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark My grandsons 6th grade math teacher used a picture of a hamburger to illustrate a construction concept. A parent got mad that the teacher made an offhand comment about the meat being the bad part.

Tony, Pretty Much Jul 10, 2023

@Allyson Lordy.

BretCahill Jul 10, 2023

Despotism is based on low taxes, low education and low freedom -- the GQP platform.

Weasel Jul 10, 2023

@TonyStark
Keep in mind that the agenda of the Right is to destroy public education.

SatelliteOfLove Jul 11, 2023

Especially if your school district is getting more diverse.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/schools-facing-critical-race-theory-battles-are-diversifying-rapidly-analysis-n1278834

Schools facing critical race theory battles are diversifying rapidly, analysis finds

As public schools face anti-critical race theory protests, a new NBC News analysis finds many of the districts with these battles are diversifying rapidly.

NBC News

budamojo Jul 11, 2023

@TonyStark You're right. Now is the time to read up on who's running for what and school boards. The GOP/Moms for Liberty have already stated that is their goal. Isn't it ironic? Liberty, and they're taking stuff away. I thought it was the other way around. Must be "doublespeak" right out of 1984, Orwell.

Bongolian Jul 11, 2023

@budamojo @TonyStark Swamping the school boards with radical rightwingers was a John Birch Society tactic. Moms for Liberty are of the same genealogy as the JBS.

#schoolboard #momsforliberty #johnbirchsociety

stickus - VA7GMZ Jul 12, 2023

@TonyStark the same thing is happening up here in Canada too

Alexander Portnoy 🌊 🏳️‍🌈Jul 12, 2023

@TonyStark
Culture wars are a form of spiritual warfare and spiritual abuse.