GREENWICH — Almost 100 Greenwich academics marched to Central Center College for a rally earlier than Thursday evening’s Board of Schooling assembly, talking out towards what they stated was harassment and threats from activist teams.
The academics, who’re a part of the Greenwich Schooling Affiliation labor union, carried indicators saying, “Cease Attacking Academics” and “Cease Harassing Academics.”
GEA President Lil Perone spoke on the group’s behalf, telling the college board that academics have been focused and harassed on social media and despatched “threatening emails” by a “small however loud group of people and fogeys.”
“We can’t enable our mates and colleagues to be harassed, bullied and threatened,” Perone instructed the Board of Schooling. “This should cease now. Can we ship a message to the group that we assist one another and don’t tolerate habits that goes towards what we need to mannequin for our college students and kids?”
The rally got here after growing criticism from some dad and mom and group members up to now few months at earlier Board of Schooling assembly and on-line over the college district’s curriculum. Some have loudly protested what they are saying is the educating of important race concept, a graduate college degree instructional philosophy that Superintendent Toni Jones has stated isn’t taught in Greenwich Public Faculties.
In her feedback on the assembly, Perone stated the college board and the group should “shield the advantages of fact-based studying and variety in our colleges and affirm our dedication to the values of educational integrity and honesty which were the hallmarks of American training for many years.”
She requested the Board of Schooling to “take a stand towards these threatening and harassing behaviors towards educators,” and obtained a standing ovation from the GEA members and supporters after her feedback.
A gaggle of academics started the night with a solidarity march from Greenwich Excessive College to Central, the place extra academics, in addition to members of the state academics union, had been ready. Finally, almost 150 academics and supporters attended the assembly’s public listening to.
A number of members of the academics union declined to touch upon the circumstances that led to the rally.
Level of rivalry
At a number of of the current conferences, college board Chair Peter Bernstein has repeatedly warned the general public with elimination after there was shouting from the gang and different interruptions of audio system throughout feedback about curriculum and different points.
Jackie Homan, founding father of the Greenwich Patriots activist group, has been outspoken at conferences and on-line about her points with the curriculum and about an incident wherein a “not applicable” video was proven to 2 second grade lessons throughout distant studying in March.
“Greenwich Patriots significantly worth and assist our academics, however we’re involved with the darkish and inappropriate themes not too long ago seen within the curriculum. The assignments we have now questioned are profanity laced, sexually specific and/or racially charged,” Homan stated earlier than the rally. “We’ve additionally observed a push for social justice within the classroom, which is commonly delivered by social-emotional studying instruction.”
Her group needs the district’s curriculum “cleaned up and the activism toned down,” with an elevated deal with lecturers, she stated.
A number of members of the Connecticut Schooling Affiliation attended the assembly to assist the GEA, together with CEA President Kate Diaz. She stated Homan’s feedback don’t symbolize what’s taught within the colleges.
“That definitely doesn’t sound reflective of any curricular exercise in any college district within the state of Connecticut — and it positively doesn’t mirror the work being executed in Greenwich colleges,” Diaz stated.
At Thursday’s assembly, a number of audio system once more accused the district of educating important race concept in addition to claiming that the curriculum precipitated college students to “hate America.” Speaker Carl Higbie, a critic of district curriculum and a former Navy SEAL, provided to guard academics.
“If you happen to guys have threats towards you, I’m the man to name,” Higbie stated to the academics through the assembly’s public listening to. “If somebody threatens a trainer, name me and I’ll be the primary particular person to defend you.”
Higbie, a member of the city’s Consultant City Assembly, additionally held up an indication along with his cellphone quantity, saying anybody who wanted his assist might name.
Throughout a later protest of masks use in colleges to mitigate the unfold of COVID, Higbie held up indicators and handed out papers with the cellphone numbers for Jones and Bernstein. Higbie stated they need to anticipate calls till they finish the masks mandate, which is ready by an govt order from Gov. Ned Lamont.
Backing the academics
Earlier than the assembly started, Bernstein and Jones expressed their assist for the academics within the Greenwich Public Faculties.
“I perceive why they really feel the necessity to converse out at this level as academics have been requested to work in fully alternative ways during the last year-and-a-half and have been scrutinized greater than ever,” Bernstein stated. “We ought to be thanking them for his or her efforts below less-than-ideal circumstances fairly than continually discovering methods to criticize or assault.”
The CEA’s partnership with the GEA to name for civility, kindness and respectful dialogue “can solely be optimistic,” Jones stated. The district is grateful for the “majority” of households and group members inform employees they’re “appreciated and valued,” she stated.
“Our GPS academics, directors, and employees should work in an surroundings the place they really feel secure and supported,” Jones stated. “Instructing through the pandemic has been extremely difficult.”
With out delving into particular criticisms, she added, “Some behaviors by adults which were witnessed goes towards each norm we make the most of with our college students: shouting at others, attacking people on social media and a normal lack of civility. We don’t need to see another trainer go away our district as a result of they really feel unsafe or unsupported.”
