TNTP is an organization that Pasco County schools has been working with to ensure "community engagement." TNTP's  mission is to end the injustice of educational inequality by providing excellent teachers to the students who need them most and by advancing policies and practices that ensure effective teaching in every classroom. While this sounds like a wonderful mission... after all, who doesn't want every student to have the opportunity to succeed, looking deeper into their website you might find some shocking statements. If you look at the terminology, what exactly do they believe injustices and inequalities are? If you go over to their website, and read their now former CEO's blog reading articles such as: We have to be honest about racism in our schools. He believes, "schools and school systems don’t just grapple with the effects of systemic racism; they actively perpetuate it." He also states that there are opportunity "gaps" that are "the manifestations of systemic racism deeply ingrained in our schools despite the dedication and caring school staff have for their students."
Now I don't know about you, but why would we allow such an organization to have any say on what the policies or teachers should be in our school system? Do you believe our teachers are racist? I am also sure you are aware that in PCSs we work with our wonderful police department! But Dan Weisberg believes that we should "sever ties with police departments that supply officers" that keep our schools safe. That this is a good idea because "police presence in schools contributes to the broader over-policing of Black youth."
If you have been paying attention to what has been happening around the country lately and what Governor Desantis has been protecting us from, you will recognize that these ideals are from what is called Critical Race Theory (see CRT and its many guises below). CRT is illegal, and should not be taught in our schools. Yet, working with an organization like TNTP shows me that the board is trying to sneak it into our schools. The school board is working with this organization to ensure there is "equity" in our schools by doing "equity audits" and you now know what TNTP feels is inequitable! In collaboration with this equity work, Kurt Browning with TNTP's help, created an Equity Advisory Council. A group that was designed to "devise strategies and solutions" for to make our schools more equitable. Mind you, parents and community members are NOT allowed to attend their meetings or acquire the information they gather. It is a mystery. But looking at the application that was created for being a part of this equity team. It asks: " Describe your experiences and training related to systems and structures of opportunity, social justice, racial consciousness, cultural competency and culturally responsive education"

Firstly, what is CRT? Many do not know exactly what Critical Race Theory aka CRT is exactly. CRT is very radical and those who promote it believe that we must break away from the traditional Civil Rights movement because it did not bring the progress of racial equalities that they wanted and that society is perpetuating systemic racism because everything in society is viewed from a "white lens".  They also believe that we cannot be "colorblind" that doing so takes away from the fact that our society is indeed racist. Another value that the Civil Rights movement brought that CRT activists do not like is racial integration; in other words, coming together as Americans regardless of race and sharing universal values. They believe doing so is not only impossible but also destroys the minorities identity and culture and is what they call "cultural genocide". In order to prevent this from happening, critical race theorists believe they can counteract this with something called "racial-consciousness".
Race-Consciousness is viewing someone only based on what their race is, doing otherwise would be racist. "With its explicit embrace of race-consciousness, Critical Race Theory aims to reexamine the terms by which race and racism have been negotiated in American consciousness among African-Americans and other peoples of color-- a tradition that was discarded when integration, assimilation and the ideal of color-blindness became the official norms of racial enlightenment." -Critical Race Theory
 Critical Race Theorists also believe that if you are not "antiracist" then you are indeed a racist. "Antiracist ideas argue that racist policies are the cause of racial inequities." "Antiracism is a powerful collection of antiracist policies that lead to racial equity and are substantiated by antiracist ideas."
"there is no such thing as a not-racist idea, only racist ideas and antiracist ideas"- How to be an Antiracist

Equity (or Diversity Equity and Inclusion):
Another way CRT can be implemented in schools is known as equity. Though it may sound like a nice idea, equity is not about equal opportunity, it is about equal outcomes. It dismantles the playing field so that those who aren't doing well have a better chance at succeeding, doing so only brings everyone down, equally. Kindergarten through 12 schools throughout the nation have been using organizations, such as we are here in Pasco (TNTP), to do "equity audits" as a way to see if there are any disparities within the school system, whether it be within things such as enrollment classes, discipline, and test scores etc. If found, they would enact procedures to close the gaps, or correct the issue. Just remember, TNTP believes that our schools are ultimately and systemically racist.


Culturally responsive Teaching:
Culturally responsive teaching is also very similar to CRT. It is important to note that there are also some positive components to this subject and should not be mixed with the negative ones. If a program truly teaches children how to work together, it can be very helpful. Unfortunately in times like these, programs such as culturally responsive teaching can easily become a mask to indoctrinate students with "woke" ideologies. Take for example:

  "The Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards are less about education than political re-education. The new rule mandates, for example, that teachers, 'assess how their biases…affect…how they access tools to mitigate their own behavior (racism, sexism, homophobia, unearned privilege, Eurocentrism, etc.)' You might think it impossible to 'mitigate' the 'unearned privilege' of being white, male, or straight, but Bettina L. Love, a prominent advocate of Critical Race Theory in education, holds that 'White Teachers Need Anti-Racist Therapy.' By this she means therapy that combats 'White emotionalities' or what Robin DiAngelo famously calls 'White fragility.' The committee that drafted the new rule includes an article touting white fragility training sessions to help teachers 'move past their whiteness' in the readings it offers to explain the standards."

Culturally responsive teaching should not target whiteness, indoctrinate students on issues, promote political activism, or organize protests or lobby for partisan causes. 

SEL:
CRT has also been linked to Social Emotional Learning. (Look below at CASEL)

CASEL is the organization that our school board works with to implement SEL that they define as: "the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions." and also help "address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities."

In CASEL's webinar : Demystifying Systemic Social and Emotional Learning: Academic Integration, Dr. Steven Becton, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Facing History and Ourselves, was quoted saying we would “perpetuate educational inequities without this (SEL)” and that students that are already suffering from systemic and structural racism have already been counted out." And he also stated that SEL is an  inequity and social justice imperative to him.

Another webinar on their website titled: Demystifying Systemic Social and Emotional Learning: Explicit SEL Instruction, David Adams, the CEO of Urban Assembly, who is supported the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, was one of the panelists, and they were talking about how they could use SEL as a way to solve world problems using students and was quoted saying “as an educator I want to make sure you(speaking about the students) are well equipped to do the things we expect of you in society.” Though it may sound like a nice idea, this just makes school political which it should most definitely NOT be.

SEL hasn't even been PROVEN to work at all. "Social-emotional learning (SEL) has been billed as a transformational tool that will propel students to greater academic achievement and personal fulfillment. Unfortunately, as a new Pioneer Institute study makes clear, the research evidence to back up these claims is thin and unpersuasive. Moreover, the risks SEL poses to student privacy and health are significant."

That being said, you can see that data collection and behavioral analysis being done in PCSs Mental Health Assistance Allocation Plan: 

"Tier 3 Behavior Support (2 Behavior Specialists )These positions will be responsible for early intervention and problem -solving as relates to behavior and social emotional learning. This would include expertise in the area of functional behavioral analysis, data collection, progress monitoring, intervention implementation and analyzing students’ response to intervention in order to assist school -based teams in making data driven decisions. The District Behavior Specialist position would also focus on improving outcomes for students. This position would ensure best practices are in place, quality interventions are implemented, and appropriate resources are aligned to student needs."

Not only does this study show SEL is a terrible idea , but SEL has been in our schools for a few YEARS now, yet, we seem to be escalating downwards here in our county when it comes to student violence the very thing it's supposed to prevent. SEL has also been deemed negative in many other states. For example, a teacher in Utah even resigned because of the questionable practices being taught in these segments. He saw that the lessons had "material which teaches students that their parents are 'roadblocks' to their goals; material which contains propaganda, and encourages students to become activists, among other things."

In an article by the Chicago Sun times titled: Preparing young people for the workplace requires social and emotional learning Includes CASEL and I quote: “ In an increasingly digital and global society (remember that term, global society), the skills that matter for lifetime and career success are the social and emotional competencies that enable people to collaborate, solve problems, and adjust to change. Preparing students for the future of work requires social and emotional learning. Future work readiness depends upon social and emotional learning. My organization, CASEL, has started working with eight states to strategically integrate social and emotional learning with career and workforce development.”

SEL is NOT about helping reduce student violence and helping students succeed... it is about forming a "good citizen" for society.

Some of the partners CASEL has are, The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation("the world’s most generous funder of Common Core-related
education initiatives"), Chan Zuckerberg initiative, and Raikes foundation to name a few.

According to the combined executive summary of the 2021-2022 school year AVID is defined as "a strong system that transforms the Instruction, Systems, Leadership, and Culture of a school, ensuring college readiness for all AVID Elective students and improved academic performance for all students based on increased opportunities. Within this curriculum, there is a focus on executive functioning, college readiness skills, and SEL support." 

Looking deeper at what AVID's mission is, you will come to find many elements of CRT strewn about it. Take for instance in their blog titled

"Confronting Stereotypes in the Classroom" it has a few suggestions on increasing academic performance by reducing "stereotype threat." One way to do this is  by presenting "tough conversations about controversial topics as learning opportunities to encourage students who have different social identities to feel comfortable having in-depth discussions. Taking on a learning goal for the situation dissipates the concerns over seeming prejudiced. 'With a learning goal, mistakes become just mistakes, not signs of immutable racism'. The only way to actually quell the root causes of many stereotype threats will be through critical thinking and thoughtful, open discussion. Our Socratic seminars and philosophical chair debates in the AVID classroom are the perfect opportunities for such open and thoughtful discussions."

In other words, forget colorblindness and point out each others race. AVID has many culturally relevant teaching activities including on color blindness.  Some other "culturally relevant teaching activities include: 20 Things That I Can Do to Be a More Equitable Educator - which includes statements such as:
I will sacrifice the safety of my comfort zone by building a process for continually assessing, understanding, and challenging my biases and prejudices and how they impact my expectations for, and relationships with, all students, parents, and colleagues.

I will reject the myth of colorblindness. As painful as it may be to admit, I know that I react differently when I’m in a room full of people who share my dimensions of my identity than when I’m in a room full of people who are very different from me.

 I will fight for equity for all underrepresented or disenfranchised students. Equity is not a game of choice—if I am to advocate education equity, I do not have the luxury of choosing who does or does not have access to it. For example, I cannot effectively fight for racial equity while I fail to confront gender inequity, and I can never be a real advocate for gender equity if I choose to duck the responsibility for ensuring equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning students. When I find myself justifying my inattention to any group of disenfranchised students due to the worldview or value system into which I was socialized, I know that it is time to reevaluate that worldview or value system.

Another activity that is promoted by AVID is called "Privilege Walk" where during "this activity, forward and
backward movements will represent advantage (i.e., privilege) or disadvantage, as connections are made with education and opportunity" based on certain questions. Here are some of the questions asked:

1.If your primary ethnic identity is American, take one step forward.
2. If you were ever called names because of your race, class, ethnicity,
gender, or sexual orientation, take one step back.
3. If you were ever ashamed or embarrassed of your clothes, house, car, etc.,
take one step back.
4. If your ancestors came to the United States not by choice, take one step
back.

AVID also has many SEL programs as well. They do so by working with CASEL, if you haven't read up on CASEL above I would suggest you do so. 

AVID also has some connections to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation: On the board of directors, "Dr. Gianneschi has led numerous innovation initiatives funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation."

"Josh Edelman is deputy director, Place Based Delivery, for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on the K–12 Education team, working most closely with K–12 investments in Tennessee and Florida."

and "Tom Vander Ark, CEO of Getting Smart and Author of "A Case Study on Increasing College Readiness through AVID"  "served as the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation"

  "AVID remains true to its mission of closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society" 

"Neola is your partner in educational excellence. Our policies provide students and staff with the tools they need to succeed. Every policy is smartly designed to secure the quality of teaching and learning, and provide direction to enhance the school environment."


Policy 5120. What part of this policy seems to be so concerning? This policy States:

"The Superintendent may assign or reassign students on a case-by-case basis to schools or programs other than that designated by the attendance area when the Superintendent or designee determine that such an exception is in the best educational interest of the child, or to prevent disruption of the educational environment, or otherwise promote the health, safety, or welfare of the student, other students, or staff.

The Superintendent shall approve or disapprove out-of-area assignment requests. The Superintendent's decision is final and not subject to appeal."

The problem with this policy is that the superintendent, Kurt Browning, decided to exercise and flex his power, by using this policy on a student NOT because the student herself became an issue for him, but when the concerned mother of this child decided to use her rights and request information via public records request and attend school board meetings.

Very questionable and disturbing undertakings have happened to her child at her school, things such as surveys given that question the children’s sexual identity and asking what their pronouns are. What’s more, the child was told to keep these questions secret from her parents! When this concerned mother found out, she did what any other caring mother would do, she turned to the school board, mainly the superintendent Kurt Browning for answers.
Alas, not only did Mr. Browning choose to ignore and oppose the issue and refuse to see said mother to discuss the situation, he went so far as to send her a letter stating that because of her "voluminous emails, phone calls, public statements and posts on social media" which was untrue, he was to Uproot her child from her high school and place her in another. He had also claimed he has this authority based on the school board policy 5120:

This policy was not meant to be used in this manner, as a form of retaliation!
The student who has been affected has done nothing wrong to be used as a method of retribution for Browning to use in his favor. This superintendent is abusing his powers and should not be attacking an innocent student because her mother is exercising her rights and freedoms by questioning the schools methods. They have broken laws by not allowing this student to have an appeal for this decision that was dropped on her without so much as a warning. Those laws being part of the constitution of Florida and the constitution of the united states of America. They violated the 5th and 14th amendment, 42 us code 1983, title 7 of 1984 civil rights act title 7 of the 1964 civil rights act, and color of law section 242 title 18.

Even the students who are being moved from their schools to secondary schools for violent and unethical crimes have been given the opportunity to have a hearing and appeal their case… why then is it that this student, who has not disrupted a single class, is being punished for her mother’s actions that SHE also has the right to take? 

Cynthia Armstrong was also quoted: “That at any time, school board members can bring up changes they want made to the policies and can go through the procedures. “cause that is our responsibility to keep the policies updated and correct.” She also stated that “the school board members still bring policy ideas outside of what NEOLA recommends and keeps us legal, but we bring policies we want to see affected throughout the county that deals with Pasco issues. They are an aid that we use to make sure we stay legal.”

That being said, NEOLA is indeed an aid and aren’t the ones that made an oath to the constitution. Like Armstrong stated, it is the responsibility of the BOARD, the ones who took that oath, to make sure the policies are updated and CORRECT. This use of Policy 5120 goes against the constitution as it takes away rights of students if used incorrectly, as it has been, but as Superintendent browning has been quoted before and his favorite thing he states is, he’s just following policy. 

"The mission of EOS is to ensure that students of color and low-income students have equitable access to America's most academically intense high school programs and succeed at the highest levels."

"EOS may also share certain information including personally identifiable information, with third party service providers and partners in order to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement."

EOS has also made a survey with questionable content. Asking students to make statements that may "sound like them" such as:

‣I refuse to do things that are bad for me, even if they are fun.
‣ I do things that feel good in the moment but regret later on
‣Even if I know something is wrong, sometimes I can't stop myself.

If EOS is truly about making equal opportunity for those who need it, why are they asking such disturbing questions. Knowing that EOS also shares this identifiable data to third parties is also disturbing.