I’m Kristine Seitz.
Thank you for letting me speak.
I hope the last few weeks have been eye opening for many, with all that has been exposed; Explicit books, teachers running GSA Clubs against policy, a gender pronoun lesson without parental consent, and the anti-Semitic comments by a Kennedy High School teacher.
Political and educational agendas have taken root in the school district, eroding academic performance, deepening social divisions between students, and within the community, and complicating mental health challenges- for vulnerable students struggling with finding their identity.
Radical socialist ideals that were once fringe, are now dominating our schools. It is embedded in the curriculum, and resources the board approves, books promoted in and out of the classroom, including activist teachers who violate district mandated neutrality- with controversial political displays in clothing and signage. The students in our district are not being taught critical thinking. They are very intentionally being indoctrinated.
The district is not providing a neutral learning environment, which is blatantly obvious in proficiency rates and with behavioral problems.
To date, I have repeatedly experienced the school administration, and elected board members, dismiss the public aspect of public education, and disregard my concerns and those of other concerned parents -especially if it doesn’t align with their educational vision or political ideals.
The Superintendent has repeatedly told me, and others, his goal is to steer the ship down the middle. I’m here to say that the ship has veered off course for quite some time now, and it’s time to neutralize the educational setting for the children in our community. I am calling on the superintendent, and the assistant superintendent, to hold principals and staff accountable to policy, and to take the proper disciplinary actions when necessary.
To the residents of Bloomington, it has never been more crucial to fight for our students, to ensure their future is full of promise.
My follow-up email to the Superintendents and the school board:
Dear Superintendents and School Board Members,
Thank you again for hearing me speak the other night. I have attached a copy of my statement.
It is clear that there are two sides to the topic of books and what content should be available to students. While some of the material needs to be deselected because it should have never been brought into the schools in the first place, I hope you will consider a policy on all current and incoming materials/media that all staff need to abide by to gain back the trust of all parents. This is what we originally came to you for as we completed policy 606.1 in tandem.
Also, I would highly encourage you to add an "OPT IN" policy for all things sexual and gender related. An opt out would not be suffice, as we can see that teachers take the liberty of exposing children to age-inappropriate content when boundaries are not set. Having an opt out option is not equitable due to the fact that many families first language is not English. We need to ensure those families are able to comprehend and read the material/media that their children are bringing home in order for them to have those "thoughtful" discussions. Also, our district is very diverse and the content can go against conscientious and faith beliefs. This would be the same case for the controversial political signage and teacher clothing- it is content that goes against conscientious and faith beliefs and therefore should not be allowed as it goes against district mandated neutrality.
Here is a heads up on Meredith Aby-Keirstead-I had a parent call me last Wednesday, whose child has had Meredith as a teacher for a few years. The parent told me some really tough stuff that their family has gone through since their child has been under the wing of Meredith. The parent also told me that he/she believes every student in Meredith's class was going by a pronoun and a different name other than their birth name, because according to Meredith this was the time to explore these things. It is apparent Meredith is there to disrupt and I am calling on you to look into this teacher and take appropriate steps to make sure students are not falling prey to her.
https://alphanews.org/minnesota-teacher-called-for-israels-eradication-at-socialist-rally/
Aby-Keirstead’s pro-Hamas speech at the Oct. 21 panel was revealed by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s blog, Fight Back! News. That blog in 2015 expressed support for convicted Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh, who was involved in the 1969 bombing of a Jerusalem supermarket. The organization itself works to create “a new Communist Party based on Marxism-Leninism” and on Oct. 9 praised Hamas’s attack on Israel as a “good turn of events.”
https://canarymission.org/individual/Meredith_Aby-Keirstead
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/sperry-hamas-ally-cair-has-been-operating-impunity-inside-america-30-years
Thank you for taking the time to read this and carefully consider your next steps,
Kristine Seitz
