There appears to be an ongoing disconnect between the Coeur d’Alene School Board, their administration, and the parents whom they serve.
During the October 9, 2023, Board of Trustees meeting, several parents took exception to the district’s continued push for programs and agendas that do not align with the values of many of the families in the district.
Yasmin Harris, a mother of two students and a candidate for Coeur d’Alene School Board, spoke on behalf of a parent who felt her voice was not being heard. “She did not know where to go to find resolution for her concern,” stated Harris, which related to the Sources of Strength (SOS) program at Skyway elementary. “This course teaches liberal views around family, gender identity, and spirituality,” Harris stated on behalf of the concerned mother. She went on to explain that Skyway will not allow the student out of the program unless the parent picks him up each time the program is being instructed in the classroom.
“I work full-time, this is not an option,” the working mother informed the school administration. “This mom is correct,” said Harris. “She should absolutely have every right to pull her child out of this. Yet, we are finding that the parent’s voice is not being heard or respected.”
Parents want an alternative option available for children during the half hour that Sources of Strength is instructed, and the alternative should be better than a child sitting in the hallway while the program is taking place, as another parent claims is the case with their child. In this instance, the child reported that she is harassed by other students for “not being cool enough” for the program.
During her public comment, Harris made it clear that the number one topic brought to her attention while meeting with the community is parents’ rights in education. “The parent’s voice and choice should matter, above all else, no matter what,” asserted Harris. “So why are we making it so hard for them?”
During a recent school board candidate forum, the SOS program was addressed, along with Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Matt Blatt, a retired military special operations officer and concerned parent who wants to rebuild community trust, emphasized the programs are group therapy sessions, led by teachers who are not trained therapists. He said the reason he became engaged in the race was because he saw “social activism training” taking place in Coeur d’Alene schools. “Our children, their future is being hijacked by adults who wish to turn them into social justice warriors and social activists,” Blatt stated.
During his address to the board at the October 9 meeting, Blatt focused on bringing attention to yet another program being implemented at a Coeur d’Alene school. In what he referred to as “a constant game of whack-a-mole” between the district and parents who identify and address one issue, just to discover another, Blatt addressed the most recent discovery known as Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP). In an email dated September 30, 2023, parents of students attending Canfield Middle School were informed, “the Canfield School Counseling Program is proud to announce that we are in the process of working towards Canfield becoming a RAMP school. The process will take approximately 12 months to complete. We are currently gathering information and creating a plan in order to achieve our goal.” The email went on to say, “Based on the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national model, RAMP is a recognition program for individual schools, not districts or school counselors, and Canfield students will be completing an anonymous survey of questions.”
According to the ASCA website, “Racism remains a part of society in the United States and exists throughout all of our institutions.” Furthermore, the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors (2022) call for “school counselors to be systemic change agents who embrace their roles as advocates, leaders and collaborators.”
Therefore, according to Blatt’s professional assessment, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is being implemented by school counselors who work toward cultural competence and engage in anti-racist actions, embrace what they call “an ethical responsibility” to expand social justice advocacy, support inclusive language reflecting identities across the perceived gender spectrum, and advocate for restricting constitutionally protected Second Amendment rights.
Blatt does not believe this program aligns with the majority of the parents who send their children to be educated at Coeur d’Alene district schools. “I hope you have the time to complete a diligent review of this organization and its opposition to our values before you continue to engage with them,” Blatt told the trustees and administration at the end of his comment time.
Todd Harris, a medically retired marine and father of two students, also took time to address the SOS program. Harris started by stating the sourcing for the SOS curriculum is subject to criticism. Closely linked to the National Association for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), the SOS curriculum is part of what Harris says are, “educational programs and support services [which] are subject to critique due to their limited effectiveness and impact. These programs emphasize a narrow focus on biological psychiatry and medications. By neglecting other therapeutic options, NAMI perpetuates a stigma surrounding mental illness and reinforces stereotypes.” He went on to say the pharmaceutical industry accounts for two-thirds of NAMI’s funding, showing a lack of financial transparency which exposes program curriculum to speculation for lack of a substantial body of research. “The program’s approaches are not grounded in empirical evidence, or validated by scientific studies,” asserted Harris.
Harris went on to say, “the program’s reliance on anecdotal evidence and subjective testimonies further weaken its overall validity.” He believes the program has insufficient research and therefore it is difficult to assess if the program is actually effective in promoting mental health and well-being. Additionally, he says SOS lacks informed consent from participants. Harris sums up his comments to the board and administration by stating, “I served in the military and went through bootcamp. I know the difference between education and indoctrination, and this is indoctrination.”
Readers interested in reviewing the entirety of the school board meeting from October 9, 2023, can access the Coeur d’Alene School Board’s YouTube channel. For those who wish to review the school board candidate forum referenced in this article, you can watch the forum on the Coeur d’Alene Freedom Watch’s Rumble channel.
