by Lianne Russell (Guest Contributor)
In light of the political landscape and recent loss for both Republicans and Tea Party conservatives alike, the fire that burned bright in 2010 has now become a seething ember of flame. People are suspicious of the government. I would not argue that they are wrong in their justifications. Without doubt, a majority of Texans are now rightfully angry at the loss of control for their children’s education and suspicious of those who administer the leftist agenda, including school boards and superintendents.
While some may feel their voice is not heard in DC or Austin, they are turning that anger towards the politicians and administrators in their own backyard. So it is understandable that parents and conservatives are upset with the Lumberton Independent School District for using the controversial CScope curriculum. Superintendent John Valestro believes that there is a small group of folks who are intent upon the spreading of fear. (Click here for the initial dialogue)
The most recent occurrence that has come to light in regards to the Lumberton ISD teacher had students wear burqa’s for a lesson. She was quoted by a student as saying, “I do not necessarily agree with this, but I am supposed to teach you that we are not to call these people terrorists anymore, but freedom fighters.” I dare her to say those words to the families and victims of the hostages kidnapped and murdered as these so-called “freedom fighters” use kidnapping as a cash cow. I am stunned by the hypocrisy of Mr. Valestro when he states that detractors of CScope have, “an agenda that is not about our kids, but about their own self-interest – “money”.
CSscope: propaganda machine or easy target for frustrated conservatives?
While CScope curriculum has been labeled as “liberal” in nature, there is flexibility by staff with the content of what is taught. What is concerning is that this flexibility does not appear to pertain to Judeo-Christian values and belief systems. While Superintendent Valestro responded appropriately with, “Lumberton does not “promote” Islam, but “teaches” a world history class as defined by the state of Texas’ objective called the TEKS.”
The fact remains that not all is taught on an equal basis. My initial response was to question whether or not the students were instructed with the facts of that religion-political-financial system. Were they instructed that Radical Islam allows for young women to be raped and stoned to death for the crime of being raped? Did the teacher instruct the young men that they were allowed to beat their wives for fun? That the women should be beat for disobedience?
While the political left want us to live in this utopian view of the world, facts demand to be respected. We live in a Judeo-Christian society where it is against the law to pray in school. No Ten Commandments, which teach good living practices, are allowed to be displayed and the birth of Christ celebration is relegated to a pagan ritual in our schools. Paganism is an accepted form of religion by our government so why is that religion favored over Christianity when it comes to Christmas vs. Holiday trees?
CScope is a political tool for mind control of our children. Parents have absolutely earned the right to be angry in Lumberton, Texas. While the teacher may not have meant any harm in teaching culture and history, she is failed by the system that requires her to use this curriculum in the first place.
Disturbing as CScope is, for me the most telling is Superintendent Valestro’s final comment to me, Question: What is more dangerous “fear and ignorance” or “education and understanding”? Not only is his punctuation wrong but his attempt to call me ignorant in a passive-aggressive way was insulting.
While cultures and religious systems can be taught in our schools, I demand that my faith and belief system be taught in an equally favorable light as is other religions and cultures. At the very minimum, teach all equally and respectfully. In the old days, my grandmother used to say, “what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.” That still rings true today.
Parents do have a choice in their child’s education. More importantly, parents and caregivers have a duty to educate their children. It seems that there is a coordinated effort to take the parents out of the decision making when it comes to CScope. Parents aren’t allowed to see the curriculum and when any official is questioned, they treat parents with disdain. Get engaged with your student’s education. To start with, read your child’s textbooks and papers. Make sure you understand what your child is learning in Kindergarten on up. Stay in touch with your teachers and openly speak out against revisionist history.
Speak to your School board members and demand that as parents, you have the right to view the CScope curriculum. After all, you are the one who paid for it with your tax dollars. Set an appointment with your superintendent and ask him why he chose to spend school funds on a progressive program that teaches the glorification of Islam while reviling Judeo-Christian values.
CScope supporters will tell you it’s about being sensitive and having an understanding of other cultures. It is the politically correct view of the global world we reside in now. When questioned on whether Christianity and America is shed in a positive light on an equal basis with other religions and forms of government, they will reply with the well-used statement of, “We are required to teach it”.
It’s not about reading, writing and arithmetic any longer. It’s about teaching our children and grandchildren how to live in a socialist utopia alongside religions that believe we should be beheaded. It’s about how horrible we are as Americans because we are the terrorists and murderers.
I feel bad for the teachers who have to teach this garbage. They are forced to sign a non-disclose contract in order to teach it, and a threat of criminal charges are part of the contract language, which intimidates the teachers. Senator Dan Patrick has even released a statement about CScope as recently as January 2013 stating that more transparency for parents and protections is needed and that he had hopes for a resolution to the issues.
Should CScope be put under the microscope, not all would see a healthy environment. It’s up to us, parents and grandparents to ensure our children are being taught facts. Get involved with your local school and attend school board meetings. Demand the truth from your local school administrators. What you may find is the goose is doing what he told the gander they couldn’t do.
About the author:
Lianne Russell is a former School Board Member. Having served her term successfully in Rhode Island, Ms. Russell was instrumental in negotiating a 6 million dollar savings for the district in which she served.
Now, back home in Texas, Ms. Russell owns a New Media and Political Strategy company who focuses on the conservative and Constitutional principles and candidates.
