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“DeSantis-ism” Comes to Long Island [1]

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Date: 2023-05-07

Parents protest at East Williston School Board Meeting.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is plotting a campaign for the 2024 Republican Party Presidential nomination, visited Long Island, New York in April for a campaign rally/book tour. As Governor of Florida, DeSantis is leading efforts to block discussion of race and gender in school classrooms if it makes a student or parent “uncomfortable” or they just don’t like it, hence “DeSantis-ism.”

DeSantis-ism is rearing its ugly head in Long Island school board meetings and elections. A petition circulating in East Williston, an affluent school district in Nassau County, demanding a "Parental Transparency" protocol garnered more than 250 signatures, meaning it will probably appear on the May school election ballot.

Parental Transparency is a code phrase used by Republican Party controlled state legislatures and conservative groups to prevent discussion of race and gender issues in classrooms. The claim is that individual parents have the legal authority to determine what gets taught to their child, essentially allowing any disgruntled parent to block what is included in the curriculum and monitor and censor teachers. Teachers are supposed to be “neutral,” which is interpreted to mean they should not introduce students to material critical of the United States in the past and present, even when they personally disagree with the point of view of the author.

In “Red States” like Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma “Parental Transparency” is a weapon in the Republican Party’s culture war targeting recognition of the role racism has played in American society (labeled Critical Race Theory) and transgender rights. Louisiana Republicans are pushing for a ban on the study of racism at colleges and universities. They argue that classes that examine "inglorious aspects" of United States history are too divisive for students to handle.

The East Williston petition demands that "No student shall be exposed to curricula or content related to gender ideology, sex acts (outside of approved sex-ed), sex orientation, racial superiority/privilege, skin color comparisons, restorative justice & active social/political issues without an explicit opt-in from a parent or guardian."

In addition, "School personnel shall limit expressions (ex: verbal, clothing) regarding the above categories while on duty, on school premises or on social media accounts associated or identifying with East Williston Union Free School District or East Williston Teachers' Association."

At a March school board meeting in East Williston, dissident parents charged their children were secretly being taught controversial topics and teachers were "covertly" instructed to develop curriculum that supported diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). According to one speaker, “My child is in kindergarten. His mind is a sponge. I need to know that I can trust my child in your classrooms. As his parent, it's up to me to decide when it's appropriate for him to discuss these real-world personal issues. If a covert agenda is being taught without my consent, then you are infringing on my parental rights."

Mark Kamberg, the current President of the East Williston Board of Education, is being challenged in the May school board election by parent Denise Tercynski. At the March 20th East Williston school board meeting, Tercynski accused the school board and district officials of allowing teachers to receive staff development credit for participating in activities sponsored by EdCamp Long Island. EdCamp Long Island sponsors “teacher-led” workshops including workshops offered by LGBTeach. LGBTeach provides “real-life stories, resources, and tools beneficial for individuals involved in raising and educating the youth of today on topics connected to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.” Tercynski was especially offended by a workshop that helps teachers understand issues faced by trans students. Tercynski also wanted books pulled from the school library and district contracts with Scholastic reconsidered because Scholastic is a sponsor of EdCamp Long Island.

The school board responded in a statement to the community that “At the direction of the Board of Education, the Superintendent will be reviewing current practice with recommended changes where necessary and will be reporting back to the Board at Board Meetings in regards to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the protocols and processes around how books are chosen in our libraries, and the standards of research for student surveys.”

DEI, of course, is not covert. It is mandated in New York State that that schools encourage respect for diversity, promote equity, and are safe places that include all people.

East Williston is not the first Long Island community targeted by rightwing censorship groups as conservative Republicans gear up for the 2024 election. School board meetings have been disrupted in Smithtown, Middle Country, Kings Park, Commack, Northport, Longwood and Farmingdale. Protests are often led by members of two groups, Long Island Loud Majority and Moms for Liberty. Loud Majority is being monitored by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a potential extremist group known for hate speech. Opposition to mask mandates during the COVID pandemic and curriculum battles helped conservative candidates secure school board seats in Seaford, Garden City, and North Merrick in 2022 school board elections, although most of the candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty were defeated.

Apparently, “DeSantis-ism” is also coming to New York City. According to a report in Gothamist, a conservative leaning group known as PLACE, Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum Education, is trying to influence elections to New York City Community Education Councils. Some members of PLACE support book bans and have posted transphobic and anti-WOKE messages on social media.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/7/2168060/--DeSantis-ism-Comes-to-Long-Island

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