Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

VB School Board Shoots Down Resolution

—

by

James A. Bacon
in ,

by James A. Bacon

Last night the Virginia Beach School Board voted down 4-to-7 a proposal that would clarify school board policy regarding training and teaching about race and racism.

Among other guidelines, the resolution would have prohibited teachers from training, teaching or promoting, among other propositions, the ideas (a) that any individual by virtue of his or her race or skin color is inherently racist, privileged or oppressive, (b) that any individual bears responsibility for the actions committed by other members of his or her race, skin color or religion, and (c) that the United States is an inherently racist country. (Read the full document here.)

12News noted that Virginia Beach Superintendent Aaron Spence gave this explanation before the school board meeting: “On the surface of it, somebody might say that does provide clarity, but I do think that it can create problems where we are unable to study America’s troubling racial issues of the past and today. There isn’t anyone I’ve talked to that says racism doesn’t exist in America.”

In other words, foes of the resolution say it would ban teaching students the role of racism in American history. I see nothing in the resolution that would do that, and I defy anyone else to find it.

If Superintendent Spence and his school board allies found certain language problematic, it would have been easy enough to eliminate any uncertainty by amend the resolution. But they made no such effort. They offered no such amendment, most likely because they didn’t want to support the resolution in any way, shape or form.

Spence’s objection, I suspect, was a dodge to obscure his real problem, which is that he wants to adopt as official school policy, whether stated officially or unofficially, the “woke” propositions that:

  • Whites are inherently racist.
  • Whites are collectively responsible for actions committed long ago by members of the same race.
  • The United States and capitalism are fundamentally and inherently racist.

What makes me ill is the dissimulation going on here. Virginia Beach officials, like their counterparts in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties and in the Virginia Department of Education, they won’t come out publicly and say what they honestly believe and what they seek to accomplish. They dodge, they weave, and they prevaricate to avoid accountability during election season, even as they work through arcane bureaucratic processes, which are all but invisible to the public, to infuse school systems with their “anti-racist” ideology.

Share this article

ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)

ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)

Comments

23 responses to “VB School Board Shoots Down Resolution”

  1. Kathleen Smith Avatar
    Kathleen Smith

    I was once on a school board. Short stint as vacancy filled. I attended a National School Board conference in San Diego. I was working on my doctorate and decided to explore the question of how school boards communicated with their peers. One afternoon I rode the hotel shuttle all afternoon listening to conversations. I came away with yet another question: How do these folks run the nation’s schools?

  2. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    School Boards and BOS are most often not professionals in education. More often than not, they are just ordinary folks that may not have any skills specific to education , just moms, pops, folks interested in politics and representation.

    The ones I’ve watched, usually get their school information from the school administration, the Superintendent, teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and parents.

    These days there are more folks running that have specific political axes to grind and that’s okay with me, elections are the process and I support such elections even if I disagree with the majority. It’s our system and once we no longer support it and instead intimidation from mobs , we’ll end up with less people willing to run and represent and that is happening right now.

    No one wants to attend a meeting, be personally attacked and then be afraid to walk to their car after a meeting.

    1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
      James Wyatt Whitehead

      Running for school board in the past has been single A minor leagues for aspiring politicians. Some do get the hang of it.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        In the more populous areas with numbers of college-educated parents, a higher level of representation and leadership is required to keep that job – but not many are going to stay if they are attacked and intimidated.. and perhaps thats a strategy … We’ve had candidates for the SB intimidated when doing door-to-door campaigning, so they stopped.

        It’s bad…

  3. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    “I defy anyone else to find it.”

    Here you go, JAB

    “Accordingly, the School Board acknowledges that it cannot limit or discourage employees from researching, discussing, or exploring books, media/publications or materials related to racial issues that divide rather than seek unity, but ask that they do it on their own time and not on school property”

    And here is the enforcement measure:

    “That any violation of the above mentioned be reported to the Superintendent or designee…”

    Let me know if I can be of further assistance…

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      wait a minute. You’re gonna to royally screw up his “whataboutism”.

    2. James A. Bacon Avatar
      James A. Bacon

      Eric, thanks for engaging in constructive criticism. I disagree with your criticism, but I take it in the fact-based, non-snark, non-ad hominem spirit in which it was offered. Your comment was relevant to the post, not a distraction. It makes me delve deeper. I would like to see more engagement like this.

      That said, I interpret the phrase, “the School Board acknowledges that it cannot limit or discourage employees from researching, discussing, or exploring books…” as meaning employees can, in fact, explore those topics if they want. Just not on school time.

      I’ll concede that different people might interpret that differently. That gets to a key point of my post: If that’s what was bothering them, why didn’t foes of the resolution simply amend it to delete or clarify that one phrase?

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        when you say this:

        ” Spence’s objection, I suspect, was a dodge to obscure his real problem, which is that he wants to adopt as official school policy, whether stated officially or unofficially, the “woke” propositions that:

        Whites are inherently racist.
        Whites are collectively responsible for actions committed long ago by members of the same race.
        The United States and capitalism are fundamentally and inherently racist.”

        Are you presuming and assigning motives?

        1. emjak Avatar
          emjak

          Some of your postings on Bacon’s Rebellion assign motives to people that you disagree with.

          It is common for people to make inferences and reach conclusions about another person’s motive(s) for saying or doing something or other.

          The question is whether there is a reasonable basis for the inferences made and conclusions reached about another person’s motives.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Sometimes yes, but not near as much as many others including JAB and other blog writers.

            I typically do not direct it at a person or even a specific group but wider scope….

            when you direct it at a person or at a specific group – I think you’ve gone beyond fair and equitable – which JAB often claims he is trying to be – but is not.

          2. William O'Keefe Avatar
            William O’Keefe

            Larry, please remember what you wrote in the last two paragraphs.. I will.

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            what I refer to is the actual blog posts that JAB writes – that’s called actual evidence .

            When you write a blog post – and I quote directly from it – that’s not presuming motives… that’s pointing to what is written.

          4. William O'Keefe Avatar
            William O’Keefe

            I don’t have any objections to that kind of debate but if you look back at some of your past comments, you have insulted me, made false accusations, and made other comments that were intended to discredit me as someone who is knowledgeable about climate change and energy.

          5. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            I maybe insulted you back. I did not initiate it.

            I return the favor and if you catch me initiating – quote it and I’ll fess up to it and apologize if I did it.

            I HAVE pointed out things that I think DO relate to your credibility and objectivity – that’s fair and it’s usually on the point itself not you personally.

            I’m a long way from perfect, I got my flaws but if I mess up.. call me on it and I will apologize and try to do better.

          6. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            by the way – you capture a direct quote by me on this issue and I will fess up if I actually did it and admit I should not have.

            How about we ask JAB to do that?

          7. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            “reasonable basis? – in the eye of the beholder? uh huh.

            Even if I am guilty of it and I do rebut that , it does not make it right and you can see on these pages the rampant whataboutism that is being engaged in – by folks who write blog articles and claim to be fair and objective observers.

            They’re clearly not.

          8. William O'Keefe Avatar
            William O’Keefe

            The issue should be the accuracy and the factual basis of points being made not your opinion of whether or not they are being fair and objective.

      2. Eric the half a troll Avatar
        Eric the half a troll

        The issue seems to be that the definition of what each of these prohibited actions might be is left up to the observer… and likely the person reporting the so-called offense. Surely you see how this will be abused by the anti-SB crowd these days….

        Here is a good catch-all that any teacher who focuses on our history of racism will likely find themselves being run through the ringer on…

        “That the United States is a fundamentally and inherently racist country.”

        All it takes is a claim and the reputation damage is done.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          re: ” All it takes is a claim and the reputation damage is done.”

          yes.

          “Why are you beating your wife”.

        2. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Perhaps it can be worded so that the government doesn’t enforce any restrictions but it’s left to civil court and vigilante plaintiffs?

          Has that ever been done?

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            oh… GOOD ONE… 😉

  4. William O'Keefe Avatar
    William O’Keefe

    It seems to me that the superintendent’s statement gives him maximum flexibility while sounding like he is sympathetic to parents concerns. They should challenge him to be part of a small committee that drafts a new statements making clear that the school will not be teaching Woke tenets that “woke” propositions that: Whites are inherently racist and bear responsibility for actions that took place in the 18th and 19th centuries, that the US and our economic system are not inherently racists.
    If he is not willing to work with parents, his true values will be obvious.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      ” making clear that the school will not be teaching Woke tenets that “woke” propositions that: Whites are inherently racist and bear responsibility for actions that took place in the 18th and 19th centuries, that the US and our economic system are not inherently racists.”

      ” Spence’s objection, I suspect, was a dodge to obscure his real problem, which is that he wants to adopt as official school policy, whether stated officially or unofficially, the “woke” propositions that:

      Whites are inherently racist.
      Whites are collectively responsible for actions committed long ago by members of the same race.
      The United States and capitalism are fundamentally and inherently racist.”

      what do you call a “dodge” in terms of ascribing motives ?

Leave a Reply

Read More