School Impact Strategic Road Map
for Board Members & Community
TAKE BACK THE GOVERNING OF OUR
LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS!
Did you know…
School Boards have the power to select curriculum, make policies, and protect kids- not the administration or teachers.
Build a Winning Team to Shift your School District
Have small get-togethers of concerned parents and citizens from schools, churches, and businesses. Share your concerns and your platform to bring change; ask for their votes, their help in campaigns, and to remain active in attending school board meetings.
How about serving on the Site Council, LCAP or Curriculum Committee that develop plans, allocate funds, and recommend specific curriculum to be adopted by the school board, or serve on a district action team? You can still be a part of a team that makes a big impact for kids without requiring a big time commitment. See the graph below:
What actions do the school board, councils, and committees govern?
Areas to Review | Solutions | Committee or Council |
Age-Inappropriate, sexual, & gender confusing books in school library | Board Policy- School Book/Film Selection Policy, (Reclaim Your School, PJI) | Develop a Book Review Committee (BRC) of parents. |
No Critical Pedagogy or CRT
(Discrimination or stereotyping based on race, religion, gender/sex) | Paso Robles Unified School District (San Luis Obispo) School board bans critical race theory Ramona Unified School District (San Diego) RUSD Policy 6142.35: Civic Education Model School Board Language To Prohibit Critical Race Theory (citizensrenewingamerica.com) (EC Section 51501, EC Sections 233.5(a) and 51500)] | Board initiated, conferring with administration
Board Approval of Policy
|
Student Privacy: Invasive questions about sexual orientation or gender identity on student surveys | Sample Letter to Rescue District from PJI regarding surveys CA-Sex-ed and Survey Opt. Out form: Pacificjustice.org/resources/for-parents/public-school-opt-out-forms/ | Board initiated, conferring with administration Board Approval of Policy |
Individual Opt-Out of shared use and/or opposite-sex use of bathrooms, locker rooms, and sleeping rooms | Notice of Reasonable Expectation of Privacy, Parent Campaign Pacificjustice.org/resources/for-parents/notice-of-reasonable-expectation-privacy/ | Parents must file notice. Confer with admin. about compliance/enforcement of parent notice to school |
Religious Discrimination & Hostile Environment to Religious Students | Educator Training, Sample Policy, and Administrative Regs. (EC 51500 & 51501) (Gateways to Better Education) | Board-initiated policy followed by administrative regulations Board Approval of Policy |
School employees and 3rd party vendors discussing sex and sexual orientation with students | Parental Consent Board Policy, (Reclaim Your School, PJI) Parent Campaign: Opt-out form for Sex Education Pacificjustice.org/resources/for-parents/public-school-opt-out-forms/ | Board-initiated policy followed by administrative regulations Board Approval of Policy |
Student Discipline Procedures and Suspension: Harassment, Profanity, Bullying | “Hate Violence Prevention Act” (233.5.) Harassment EC 48900.4 & Sexual Harassment Section 4916 of Title 5 How to File A Uniform Complaint on Each School's Website | Review the discipline matrix with the administration |
Equality of information to teachers regarding unions | Posting rights of employees regarding unions (Reclaim Your School, PJI) | Board-initiated policy followed by administrative regulations Board Approval of Policy |
Reclaim Your School, Chapter 7: What can a school board do? Suggested School Board Policies: Pacificjustice.org/resources/for-parents/reclaim-your-school/
Legal Letter Regarding Student Surveys: LawFirm Notice to Rescue Union School District re Surveys sent to Middle SchoolStudents – Placerville NewsWire (newsmolo.com)
What actions do the school board, councils, and committees govern?
Areas to Review | Solutions | Committee or Council | Final Approval |
Curriculum Adoption | |||
Age-Inappropriate SEX ED Curriculum | H.E.A.R.T. Sex Ed. Curriculum | Curriculum Committee | Board Approval |
Ethnic Studies Curriculum (Critical Pedagogy = Systemic Racism, Oppressor-Oppressed, Intersectionality) | Fairstory Ethnic Studies (Constructive Ethnic Studies = Building Bridges of Understanding) | Curriculum Committee | Board Approval |
FAIRstory.org – Empowering Students to Confront Racism and Bigotry
HEART: A New California Sex Ed Curriculum (storylabs.online)
What actions do the school board, councils, and committees govern?
Areas to Review | Solutions | Committee or Council | Final Approval |
Funding, Local Priorities, Response to Parent Concerns | |||
Funding: Power of the Purse | · Local Priorities in Educational Funding · Oversite of spending | Site Council, LCAP Committee | Board Approved |
Response to parent concerns or complaints | · Documenting complaints, rate of incidents, and responsiveness to parents reviewed through LCAP · LCAP sent to EDCOE and State for review. | LCAP Committee
Administrative Regulation | · School Board · County Superintendent of EDCOE |
What can the individual parent do?
• Uniform Complaint Procedure for discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying.
▫ Obtain forms from your district office
• Opt-out form for Sex Education
▫ Pacificjustice.org/resources/for-parents/public-school-opt-out-forms/
• Notice of Reasonable Expectation of Privacy
▫ Pacificjustice.org/resources/for-parents/notice-of-reasonable-expectation-privacy/
Education Impact Workshops: Oct. 30, 2021 - YouTube
EDC Education Impact Town Hall - May 25, 2021 - YouTube
