Things We Know for Sure
1. The District has plans to expand its DEI initiative. The District leadership has explicitly stated that they intend to expand the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative beyond just race. The topic of race is where they’re starting, but, according to their own words, it’s just the beginning. This plan to expand is explicitly stated on the District website. And both Superintendent Leonard and DEI consultant Gooden have explicitly stated their plan to expand.
2. Gooden believes in radical Queer Theory. During the 2020-21 school year, Gooden surveyed the employees of the District about applied Critical Race Theory. The first question on the survey asked employees about their gender, offering the answer choices of male, female, nonbinary, or other. This question, written by Gooden, tells you that he believes one of the key principles of radical Queer Theory.
3. District leadership sanctions radical Queer Theory. The members of the School Board have not objected or spoken out in any way against this question on the survey. They had no objection to Gooden sending a survey to District employees that expected the employees to consent to this radical worldview.
4. District leadership is making decisions about radical Queer Theory. A one-word change on the District website tells you that conversations about radical Queer Theory are taking place behind the scenes.
The main page on the Eanes DEI website once said this:
“While we will focus on enhancing racial awareness initially, our goal is to improve access and increasing belongingness of all students, including those with religious, sexual identity, cultural, ability and economic differences.” [Emphasis added.]
It now says this:
“While we will focus on enhancing racial awareness initially, our goal is to improve access and increasing belongingness of all students, including those with religious, gender identity, cultural, ability and economic differences.” [Emphasis added.]
This tells you that behind the scenes, District leadership is aware of radical Queer Theory: they’re having conversations about the theory, and they’re making decisions about the theory.
Would Eanes Teachers Introduce Radical Queer Theory?
The members of the School Board have already demonstrated that they will lie about their intentions and their actions. They will tell the community that they’re not doing something even while they are clearly doing that something. So why would we trust them to protect our kids from radical Queer Theory?
Do I believe that Eanes School Board would ever directly implement a curriculum that teaches radical Queer Theory to Eanes students? No, my gut says probably not. They wouldn’t be that overt. (But I have to admit that I never expected the School Board to embraced applied Critical Race Theory, either. So what do I know?)
But what about third-party sources providing materials under the banner of Social and Emotional Learning or Culturally Responsive Teaching?
Plus, their sly acceptance of radical Queer Theory (demonstrated above) gives you an indication of what the School Board would allow teachers to say in the classroom. And it gives you an indication that they’re not going to be proactive in telling teachers that they shouldn’t be teaching radical Queer Theory.
Oh, you don’t think Eanes teachers would do that?
Newly hired Eanes teachers have been trained in American colleges and universities. The professors in these institutions are true believers in all things Critical Theory, including Queer Theory. Why wouldn’t some of the new teachers in Eanes be willing to share their views with Eanes students?
The Eanes school year started a little over a week ago. Did any Eanes teachers ask students to state their pronouns?
What message is the School Board sending to new Eanes teachers about the District’s stance on Critical Theory?
Why wouldn’t new teachers in Eanes feel safe being just as subversive as these young teachers from other parts of the country?