USBE says "there's no way to protect student privacy."As the Standards & Assessment Committee discussed what guidance should prevail in Utah regarding Gender Identity, one very critical issue was brought up as a disclaimer: Under the current Administration's interpretation of the law, a school cannot guarantee the privacy of students in gender assigned restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, hotel rooms, etc.
Here is the link to the meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtJXtT6wScA. At the one hour and 19-minute mark, USBE Board Members discuss the current interpretation of Title 9 by the current administration. Here's what was said: "The purpose of our guidance document is to keep our teachers and schools out of legal trouble, so we need to reflect the current legal landscape. We may not agree with that and there may be things that need to be looked at and that need to be done on another scale to try to address some of those things, but we need to look at the current legal landscape we need to look at what OCR (Office for Civil Rights) is telling us because that's what's going to be enforced right now in our schools and our guidance document can't be aspirational it has to be practical. It has to be here's what needs to happen in our schools to make sure we comply with the law as it is today." Board Member Hansen "Title 9 is being interpreted a certain way and that there is really no guarantee of privacy, and schools and districts need to be aware of that based on the current atmosphere. I just think we put out a [statement] 'Let me just be clear that this is where the current atmosphere is so you can't be guaranteed this [privacy], so just be aware of that, parents and educators." -Board Member Earl "This is a gray area of law, there's not a lot of guidance, this is how the law is being interpreted right now. If we don't know then we should say we don't know. We have to be accurate in what is happening in the courts what's happening with OCR [Office of Civil Rights], so we can give our schools the best chance to be compliant and that may be the case, that we have to say, there is no expectation of privacy because of the way the law is being interpreted. I think we have to lay that out." -Board Member Hansen If this is concerning, or confusing to you, you can contact your USBE Representative and ask him/her to explain it to your further and ask them to consider accommodations that provide single user bathrooms and changing areas with locks. You can also contact your Legislators and explain your concerns and ask for a backpack bill that will allow you to take your money and apply it to an educational setting where you have more say and control of your child's privacy and safety.
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 The SEL or climate, wellness, or school experience surveys are the new thing in Utah and pretty much every school district is giving them. There will most likely be more and more of them as they gain popularity with teachers and administrators in school districts across Utah. On the surface they appear benign, but if you do a little digging it becomes apparent that these SEL surveys have a dark side. As a parent, it is important to be educated and informed so you can make the best decision when it comes to the safety and privacy of your child. Students across the state of Utah are being given SEL Skills and Competencies surveys. Each district might call them something different. Nebo calls them wellness surveys. Davis calls them school experience surveys. Regardless of the name, they are the same survey from a company called Panorama Education. School districts in partnership with the USBE have contracted with Panorama Education to supply and analyze the survey data. Who is Panorama and what do they do?Panorama is a million dollar data collection and analytics company. They survey our children, analyze the data, and build SEL profiles for each student. The questions are selected by the School or the USBE and can be anything they choose from "Do you come to class prepared?" to "What is your race?" or "What gender do you identify with? Analyzing and searching large amounts of computerized data is considered data mining, which is exactly what is being done to our children's survey data. The survey answers will be used to create social/emotional profiles on our kids and their schools. Below are samples profiles that are found on Panorama's website.
Sample survey profiles taken from https://www.panoramaed.com Questions parents should ask themselves:
Does the Panorama Survey violate state code?State law requires school districts to get parents' permission to take surveys of a particular nature. This code ensures that students are protected when it comes to data collection in Utah's schools. Utah code 53E-9-203 states that among other things, surveys dealing with mental or psychological problems; religious affiliations or beliefs; and illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior have to follow the following procedures:
We are of the opinion that any survey dealing with SEL automatically falls into at least one of the above categories and should have to follow state code.
Click below to see how Panorama uses tax payer money to survey and build profiles of our children.  The one issue that a significant portion of the Utah population is still unaware of (or dismissed as "rare") is that of covid vaccine injury and deaths, which is something no one is talking about. Many of us know the truth by first hand experience in our close circles of the deadly impact of these mRNA vaccines, but the mantra "safe and effective" has been very effective in hypnotizing MANY people. In order to combat this, and to hit at the root problem of the facade of "safe covid vaccines", several groups in Utah are coming together to hold a Covid Vaccine Victims Silent Vigil. This would demonstrate to the public that vaccine victims are real, and by no means rare. If your loved one has been lost or maimed by this vaccine, please take this chance to honor them, so that their suffering is at least acknowledged out in the open. Date: Thursday November 4, 2021 Time: 5 pm to 7 pm. Location: Intersection of State Street and South Temple Parking: City Creek Mall Further directions: - We will be walking a few blocks down to 400 S and State Street, and returning. More instructions will be provided on site. - Please see flier for the type of Sign we would encourage families of victims to bring. A simple photo, with a few details written by pen beside it, should do. We can help with this, just ask. If you wish to speak to the assembled about a loved one, let us know. - If you have not lost anyone personally, but would still like to show support for the victims, please come. We will have candles available to hold. - We will try to avoid engaging the media, and let the event speak for itself. The entire media is invested in the vaccine narrative, and they will twist our stories in a way that could hurt family members. - For questions contact: 385 - 315 - 0578. RSVP "victim" to this number if coming to the event. Email us at: utahcovidvaxvictims@gmail.com Please share the attached flier with your friends and neighbors. Help us to honor those whose lives have gone unacknowledged (see attached image). If you can join us, please take note of the following:
1. If you have lost someone, bring a sign. Email us if you need help making it. 2. If you want to support all victims in general, we’ll have candles available. 3. If you wish to speak to the people assembled at the Vigil, email us at UtahCovidVaxVictims@gmail.com. 4. At the event, don’t engage with the media; let the ‘silent message’ speak for itself.  This is true parent advocacy in action. Erika is part of our Washington Parents United Chapter. We are formalizing chapters across the state and giving you the tools you need to research the books in your library! Reach out at contact@utahparentsunited.org if you want to be on a book review team for your school district.CAUTION, Book reviews/quotes at bottom of post are explicit. The schools with these books are listed with each review.
Email to WCSD: Hello Mr. Bergeson and WCSD Board, I appreciate your invitation to email my concerns and thank you for looking into this serious matter further. PLEASE DO NOT DELAY IN REMOVING THESE BOOKS FROM ALL WCSD SCHOOLS. We cannot take lightly the impact we have on students and our responsibility to call out the greatness in them. I am a firm believer that this is done by providing children with good literature, filled with inspiring, morally strong themes and characters. As you know, what we feed our minds influences our behavior. It was mentioned in the meeting last night that there are already policies in place that can guide us in what books are brought into the district. Would parent review panels be helpful? The information I found on the books in the GRAMA request took a matter of minutes with an internet search. WE MUST DO BETTER. It is time to look closely at what is available in our school libriaries. Listed below are book review summaries. Thank you again for your immediate attention to this. Be advised that the following contains appalling/explicit information. BOOKS CURRENTLY IN WCSD LIBRARIES: "Out of Darkness", "The Hate U Give", "This One Summer", "George" It is greatly concerning that books with such explicit language and sexual content have been purchased/approved by WCSD and are available to students, especially in the three elementary schools that have "The Hate U Give." Here is a collection of parent reviews from Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/…/the-h…/user-reviews/adult The Hate U Give (In Coral Cliffs Elem, Desert Canyons Elem., Majestic Fields Elem, Sunrise Ridge Int., Crimson CLiffs Mid and HS, Desert Hills Mid and HS, Dixie Mid and HS, Snow Canyon Mid and HS, SORA Online E-Book for all district Middle/High ) This book has explicit language, many sexual references and violence. "There is lots of foul language, and it broaches the topic of "going all the way" and sex, and pulling out condoms during a make out session, his hands in her pants" "The main theme is THUG LIFE meaning "The Hate U Give Little Infants F***'s Everybody".... There are 90 F*CK's and a variety of over 200 other words that the author uses for shock value and impact. Lots of chanting of "F*CK THE POLICE" and "MothaF*cker..." ." "s--t" "a--" "b---", "d---" "nigga" "Overall the themes in this book may create heightened racial polarization and risks preconceived vision of this culture and magnification of racial stereotypes to the next generation." "Out of Darkness" - Book Review (In Dixie Mid, Snow Canyon Mid, Crimson Cliffs HS, Hurricane HS, Pine View HS, and SORA online E-books for all middle/High schools) Set in 1936 East Texas in the months leading up to the 1937 New London School Explosion, the book explores a fictional relationship between a Mexican teen allowed to attend the white high school and an African-American teen who lives in the black neighborhood on the other side of town. Language include racial slurs such as the "N" word, "Boy," and "dirty Mexican," as well as occasional curse words, including "s--t," "c--t," and "f--k." The violence is disturbing, personal, and based in racial hatred. Additionally, the book explores the mature and intimate relationship between two teens. "age 17+ salacious and dark I am in chapter 64 of 175, far enough along to form an overall impression in five letters: ew, ick. The review that says this is about race is a half-truth. So far, that’s a minor ingredient in this the author’s recipe. By paragraph-count, this book focuses on gratuitous sexual situations that should be beyond many 9th graders: multiple, comprehensive-enough instructions on giving “hand jobs” (adult males training teen girls); female masturbation (protagonist) justified for pain relief and mental escape by a girl living through the trauma of being sexually abused by a stepfather; male masturbation by both the stepdad (villain) and love interest (hero); and the most vulgar of "locker room talk” I’ve ever read/heard (and I’ve not grown up in bubble, for sure). (Later on the author teaches young-adult males how to "go down" and give girls a "gift.") The sexualization is not romantic, but rather nasty. Some sexual situations unfortunately reinforce some racists stereotypes (I grew up in this general area, so I know from experience). If I was black or Mexican and thin-skinned, I might take offense. Most chapter headings are the name of a character—that’s a plot structure used by the author for some rather rough transitions (not great writing). The reader soon learns that it is sometimes a tip-off as to who might orgasm or be abused (or both). To say this book is about teaching kids about race is a little like buying a Playboy Magazine for the articles. Maybe a little salaciousness keeps a teen boy's interest, but this is way over the top. Intertwined motifs are sweat and semen. They recur in many chapters, both directly and indirectly. They are ghosts that haunt the protagonist. Diction is juvenile (think Beavis and Butt-Head). Amongst the salaciousness, the author likes to do things like this: Jerk of the wood-en window (masturbation of the villain in their house) The naked trees (the protagonist and hero eventually have sex in the woods) The author really is describing windows and trees, but used a deliberate word choice to try to be funny (maybe)… More formally (legally or clinically), I would say that this book: (A) appeals to the prurient interest of a minor in sex; (B) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and (C) is utterly without redeeming social value for minors or literary value for anyone." Out of Darkness - Book Review Caldecott Honor doesn't mean the same thing it used to... THIS ONE SUMMER (In Paradise Canyons Elem, Snow Canyon Mid, Crimson Cliffs High, Dixie High) https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-revie…/this-one-summer "This graphic novel (discusses) an unwanted teenage pregnancy is an integral part of the story, as do a miscarriage and a suicide attempt. Dialogue in This One Summer contains about a dozen instances each of "s--t," "f--k," and "a--hole." "Boobs," "prick," "douche bag," "slut," and "butt" are employed a few times each. Adults are shown drinking wine, and older teens drink and smoke at an outdoor party." "should not be included in an elementary library. The subject matter is not appropriate 1)references to porn, oral sex 2) language. Very discouraging as an educator and a parent." "I was appalled at the content in this graphic novel. My 12 year old checked this book out from her school library via the SORA app for a so called "fun" afternoon read. The cover of the book nor the descriptive summary of the story line gave any signs that it might be inappropriate. After all, it was an "award winning" children's book. It was determined pretty quick that the content was ANYTHING BUT appropriate. Multiple use of profanity - and that wasn't the worst part. How about having your daughter read about "blowjobs" and "oral sex" and "porn" along with multiple other sexual innuendos! Common Sense Media says the book is for ages 13+ ?! No 13 year old should be reading this kind of material. As others have stated, this type of content would be rated R in movies. If they're not old enough to see it in the movies, they're not old enough to see/read it in a book. Shame on the app/library for making it available for innocent eyes to see & read... ESPECIALLY with no warning of the graphic nature of the book! There is plenty of time in a person's life to be exposed to such filth/material.... why push it onto such young kids?? Let them stay innocent while they can!! Totally unacceptable." GEORGE by Alex Gino (IN DIXIE HIGH) "While I understand there is an audience for this book-- children who are exploring transitioning -- I do not feel it is a significant literary work. The author is careless in the use of language, throws around gender stereotypes and presents characters who are underdeveloped. It is a junior high stories embedded in an elementary level book. I would definitely not recommend this book for anyone younger than 14 years old. Please note the following direct quotes where "she" refers to George who was born a male but is now a trans girl: “She immersed her body in the in the warm water and tried not to think about what was between her legs, but there it was, bobbing in front of her.” “Hey Rick. It looks like someone is finally starting to grow some balls.” “Nothing makes her more uncomfortable than when boys talked about what was in her underpants.” “George had been reading websites about transitioning since Scott taught her how to clear the web browser history on Mom’s computer.” “….what she has between her legs was nobody’s business but hers and her boyfriend.” “Boys are dirty and try to look up our skirt.” “She would do cartwheels leaving her pink underwear showing.” “She lifted her skirt to see her underwear, covered in tiny red hearts, she pulled it down, sat and peed, just like a girl.”  Utahns are being forced to give up their personal medical freedom in order to keep their jobs. If we do not pass legislation now to stop this coercion, it will be too late. Many will lose their jobs. Utah is already facing a labor shortage and cannot afford further pressure. We need a legislation to stop mandates now. We can't afford to wait.
Q: What is a Special Session? A: A Special Session is when the Legislature gets together outside of the regularly scheduled session because of an urgent matter that cannot wait until the regularly scheduled session. In Utah the 2022 regular session will be January 18th - March 4th. Q: How do we get a Special Session called? A: The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House must agree there is an issue that requires immediate attention that cannot wait until the regularly scheduled session. If such an issue arises, the President of the Senate will poll all of the Members of the Senate and the Speaker of the House will poll all of the Representatives of the House. If 2/3 of the Senators AND 2/3 of the Representatives agree that a Special Session is needed then the legislature will convene to address the topic. Q: What can we do to get Special Session to ban vaccine mandates? A: We need to contact our legislators and let them know we do not want vaccine mandates in Utah. We need to copy the leadership of the House and Senate and ask them to call a Special Session to ban vaccine mandates in Utah. We need to explain the urgency. We need a Special Session because we cannot wait until January to pass legislation to prevent vaccine mandates. Even waiting until November will be too late for many Utah citizens. Send an email to both your House Rep and your Senator. (You can find your Representative and Senator here: le.utah.gov) Subject Line: Call a Special Session to Ban Vaccine Mandates Copy Legislative Leadership: jsadams@le.utah.gov bradwilson@le.utah.gov mikeschultz@le.utah.gov fgibson@le.utah.gov vpeterson@le.utah.gov evickers@le.utah.gov amillner@le.Utah.gov kcullimore@le.utah.gov Uag@agutah.gov constituentservices@utah.gov Tell them the impact a Vaccine Mandate will have on you and why we need to ban them now. We also need to document the harms of a vaccine mandate. Please help us by documenting what impact a vaccine mandate will have on you and your family here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XDZVK7W In collaboration with Power2Parent “When you start to look at the research you realize all the things you worry about as a parent can be improved just by sitting down to regular dinners.” Laurie David, author of The Family Dinner.Having dinner together as a family on a consistent basis has proven to have some of the most statistically significant payoffs of any action parent can take.
“Children who eat dinner together with their families are less likely to drink, smoke, do drugs, get pregnant, commit suicide, and develop eating disorders”.-Bruce Feiler, The Secrets of Happy Families, 2013 Having regular family dinners together is also linked to a decrease of stress in children, a decrease in obesity and an increase in the relationship quality between children and parents. According to the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan, “The amount of time children spent eating meals at home is the single biggest predictor of better academic achievement and fewer behavioral problems," and “Mealtime is more influential in the lives of children than time spent in school, studying, attending religious services, or playing sports.” Mealtime can be a great time to relax and enjoy time with family. It can also be a great way to unwind from the day, process disappointments, set goals for the next day, correct behavior, discuss manners or just tell funny jokes and laugh. Whatever the tradition, the most important part is to be together for meal times as often as possible. Focus on having some meaningful conversation and enjoy the time together as a family. Having dinner together as a family on a consistent basis has proven to have some of the most statistically significant payoffs of any action parent can take. “Children who eat dinner together with their families are less likely to drink, smoke, do drugs, get pregnant, commit suicide, and develop eating disorders”.-Bruce Feiler, The Secrets of Happy Families, 2013 Having regular family dinners together is also linked to a decrease of stress in children, a decrease in obesity and an increase in the relationship quality between children and parents. According to the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan,“The amount of time children spent eating meals at home is the single biggest predictor of better academic achievement and fewer behavioral problems," and “Mealtime is more influential in the lives of children than time spent in school, studying, attending religious services, or playing sports.” Mealtime can be a great time to relax and enjoy time with family. It can also be a great way to unwind from the day, process disappointments, set goals for the next day, correct behavior, discuss manners or just tell funny jokes and laugh. Whatever the tradition, the most important part is to be together for meal times as often as possible. Focus on having some meaningful conversation and enjoy the time together as a family. Utah Citizens for the Constitution is preparing curriculum transparency legislation for the 2022 legislative session. We need examples of politically driven or inappropriate content. If your child is given material that is anti American values or promotes political ideologies other than the Constitution of the United States please screen shot it or take a picture. Any promotion of abortion, gender ideology, a sexual agenda, or revisionist history should be documented. We need examples that we can show to the legislature. Schools need to be a place to learn, not a place of indoctrination or for sexualization of our youth. Please send the information to us at story@utahparentsunited.org Here are some examples of what parents are finding: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE STOP THE VACCINE MANDATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY9/29/2021 The Business and Labor Committee will be meeting Monday, October 4 at 9:00 a.m. at the Capitol Complex in House Building, Room 30
This meeting is being called specifically to discuss the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate or weekly COVID-19 testing requirements. As the administration moves forward with its action plan, the committee chairs believe this is a timely and sensitive matter that needs to be discussed with committee members and those most affected. All perspectives from Utah’s impacted business community, including employers, employees and stakeholders are encouraged to voice their opinions, whether for or against the mandate. The committee is dedicated to conducting the meeting in an impartial manner and will provide Utahns the opportunity to be on the formal legislative record. There are several ways to participate. *GIVE STRATEGIC PUBLIC COMMENT* Businesses, employers, employees and stakeholders impacted by the mandate should plan to comment. We need testimony about how this will impact people's health and livelihood. We need personal testimony about any adverse reactions ANYONE has ever had to the vaccine. In addition we need testimony from those who should not get the vaccine due to a medical condition or even if you have had a rash from a previous vaccine, that is an adverse reaction and you should not be forced to get the vaccine. If you are allergic to any of the ingredients, you shouldn't get the vaccine. We need members of the heavily impacted medical community, and those who have witnessed the negative health effects of the vaccine to give testimony. Comments will be limited to TWO minutes. Strategic public comment is crucial! People should not repeat what others have said. Write several versions of a two minute comment and be ready to change what you say as needed to highlight new points. Please be kind and respectful in your words. Arrive at 8:00. Park on the east side of the capital. The House Building is on the West side of the property, to the west of the fountain. Room 30 is in the basement. Virtual Public Comment will be allowed at the committee chair’s discretion. Option to provide public comment Requires submitting name to join meeting *FILL THE ROOM* There will be several overflow rooms as well plus the lobby. We need to show that we do not support vaccine mandates. We can’t have the same 50 people that show up to every meeting. They need to see new faces. They need to see the people these mandates effect. Arrive between 8 and 8:30. Park on the east side of the capital. The House Building is on the West side of the property, to the west of the fountain. Room 30 is in the basement. *SEND AN E-MAIL* Send your story to President Adams, Speaker Wilson, AG Sean Reyes, Governor Cox and the Business and Labor Committee members prior to the meeting. jsadams@le.utah.gov bradwilson@le.utah.gov Uag@agutah.gov constituentservices@utah.gov curt@cbramble.com jferry@le.utah.gov kcullimore@le.utah.gov gdavis@le.utah.gov kmayne@le.utah.gov dmccay@le.utah.gov ssandall@le.utah.gov tweiler@le.utah.gov bbrammer@le.utah.gov wbrooks@le.utah.gov fgibson@le.utah.gov thawkes@le.utah.gov jhawkins@le.utah.gov briansking@le.utah.gov karilisonbee@le.utah.gov amatthews@le.utah.gov mikeschultz@le.utah.gov csnider@le.utah.gov mstrong@le.utah.gov markwheatley@le.utah.gov mikewinder@le.utah.gov *WATCH THE MEETING* The link to watch goes live 30 min before the meeting. It will be on the calendar page of the legislative website. le.utah.gov 1. No option to provide public comment 2. Audio only for meetings in House 30, Senate 210, and State Capitol 445; video for all other meetings Does not require submitting name to listen to/watch meeting Additional Information OFFICIAL COMMITTEE MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT https://senate.utah.gov/business-and-labor-interim-commit…/… FACBOOK EVENT TO SHARE https://fb.me/e/1cvnMgBts  Are quarantine policies mandates? Can they be enforced? No
Every day parents are getting the dreaded letter that their child was sitting next to someone who tested positive for Covid. What do you do? Unless you have all the information it might be difficult to make a decision. First and foremost, parents should follow the law and take the recommendations of their local health departments seriously. Make the decisions that are the best for your child and family. Weigh the risks and reward benefits for yourself. There is no state health order that requires the quarantine. As far as we can see there are health codes that give health departments power to recommend quarantine but there is no enforcement. It is “standard practice”. Even last year the health department said it was a recommendation but we followed it and the schools took on the role of enforcer. With all of the laws this year schools are far more careful. They are opening themselves up for lawsuits if they do not follow the law. We need to be polite and diplomatic as we navigate these waters. We have the choice. We do not need to keep our healthy children home, but we need to be sensitive to the responsibility our schools have to create a safe learning environment for every child. When sending your child to school, offer to fill out a symptom checker and take your child’s temperature before sending them. Reassure your principal that if your child is sick you will keep them home. You can also inform them that the chance of your child catching covid is around 1.5%. This is based off return to stay, test to stay, and test to play data collected by DSD during the last school year. (data below) We want happy, healthy children who are in school not sitting at home. Sick children should always stay home. Our medical advisor suggests parents ask for a flu test from your doctor before testing for Covid. Also know there have been a high number of RSV cases in our communities of late. Whatever you decide remember politeness is not weakness. Low Risk Test to Return Data reported at Dec 1st Board Meeting: Rapid Testing at the Freeport Center- They ran 1700 tests in the last 11 days with 26 positives. That is a 1.5% positive rate. https://youtu.be/urx37haG-wY Syracuse HIgh School Test to Stay December 7th- 2,197 students 68% tested=1,758 students 19 cases were found. 27 cases existed. 1% test positive rate for students tested. https://www.standard.net/…/article_a793aff9-c2fd-5160-ae20-… ( athletic testing: State Wide Testing Rate "About 12,000 tests have been administered throughout the state with a positivity rate of 1.6% https://wsd.net/…/covid-case-co…/item/1408-covid-news-update |
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