OUR STATEMENT REFUTING THE SOUDY STRONG CONSERVATIVE LETTER
DON'T BELIEVE THE LIES.
Janet Flisak, Bill Brong, Stephen Nelson, and Andrew Landis: We call on you to denounce this slander and false information. Do you support what is being claimed in this letter?
Mailed letters (pictured above) have recently been brought to our attention, and we are sad to report that some in our community continue to spread lies about our candidates. Soudy Strong Conservatives and Keeping Kids in Schools are working diligently to reinforce this misinformed and intentionally misleading messaging. We believe it is critical to shed light on this behavior and respond with the truth.
THIS IS THE TRUTH:
- Scott Swindells does not proclaim to be a “far left progressive.” Scott Swindells is certainly not Marxist.
- The stories about the North Penn 5th Grade “White Privilege Walk'' and kindergarteners in a neighboring district being given pictures of a boy or girl and asking how they identify are unsubstantiated and most likely fictitious, or at the very least taken out of context. In discussions with people making these claims, they have been unable to provide any evidence of either incident. Regardless, neither of these alleged incidents occurred in Souderton area schools, nor have any of our candidates advocated for the use of similar activities in our public schools.
- The three write-in candidates do not “claim” to be Republicans. Two are registered Republicans and one is a registered Democrat. Party affiliation can be verified by the general public at the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Our candidates chose to put aside partisan differences to run as a bipartisan slate of candidates for seats on the school board. School Directors in Pennsylvania have a long tradition of being nonpartisan, however, those who wish to sow division in our country have made the calculated decision to focus on overtly partisan issues to further an agenda that has nothing to do with our community and our schools.
- Children are not being “indoctrinated” by a “radical left agenda” at school. Local school boards are responsible for choosing and adopting educational curriculum aligned with academic standards established by the State Board of Education. [1] Souderton Area School District employs a Curriculum Director as a member of the District’s administrative team, who leads this process. The current school curriculum is available for parents to view upon request to the Curriculum Director. Our candidates do not believe public education should be used as a tool for partisan or political indoctrination, and as such, believe all instruction should be unbiased, based on vigorous academic research, and focused on meeting developmentally appropriate benchmarks for educational achievement as established by the State Board of Education.
- PSEA, or Pennsylvania State Education Association, has strongly encouraged teachers to get vaccinated. [2] Local school boards, like all employers, have authority to mandate the vaccine for all employees but do not have the authority to mandate vaccinations for students. The State of Pennsylvania establishes vaccination requirements for school children. [3]
- The description of DEI, or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs, is highly misleading. Simply stated: Diversity is the presence of differences within a group of people. Educational equity means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. Inclusion is the creation of an environment where everyone feels safe and welcomed [4]. CRT, or Critical Race Theory, is a framework for examining the effects of race and racism in society that is taught primarily in graduate and law schools, not in K-12 schools. CRT is not equivalent to efforts to celebrate diversity in our community, or ensuring that the District is meeting the educational needs of all students as required by law [5].
- DEI Training does not include adding “BLM Marxism'' to the curriculum or “rewriting America’s founding with the 1619 Project.” BLM, also known as Black Lives Matter, is a movement for racial justice that began after the 2013 acquittal of the man accused of murdering 17-year-old Treyvon Martin. The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from the New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019 in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American Slavery [6]. While BLM and the 1619 Project have become lightning rods for heated political debates, they are not part of the curriculum, nor would they be in the future, except for developmentally appropriate discussions pertaining to current events or higher-level classes that may examine contemporary social movements. Educators do have a responsibility to participate in professional development training on diversity, equity and inclusion as part of a district’s strategy to create and maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. School districts are required by law to ensure all students are provided with the opportunity to learn in a school environment that is free from discrimination, fear or harassment.[7][8]
- If Souderton has been financially responsible without sacrificing education, technology or facility upgrades over the past seven years, why has our school ranking been declining, relative to other districts? Our current 2022 SASD ranking on Niche.com is 62 overall in the state [9]. In 2021 we were ranked 61 [10] and in 2020 we were ranked 44 [11]. The SASD website is not mobile-friendly and information is difficult to find. Food Services has been outsourced this year, and students are faced with not having enough food or food that is undercooked. Additionally, the District has received millions of dollars in funding from the federal government to cover pandemic related expenses [12]. The District was planning to raise property taxes this year [13] but federal and state dollars allocated to all Pennsylvania school districts this summer rescued the District from a tax increase.
- Who is behind this letter slandering our endorsed candidates, spreading false information and fear? The letter is signed by “a member of Soudy Strong Conservatives (soon to be known as Indian Valley Conservatives)” and paid for by the Keeping Kids in Schools PAC. It is hard to keep up with these numerous and changing PAC names. One thing is for certain: the Keeping Kids in Schools PAC is endorsing our opposing slate of candidates. You can find this endorsement here: https://keepingkidsinschool.com/our-candidates/souderton/.
Again, Janet Flisak, Bill Brong, Stephen Nelson, and Andrew Landis: We call on you to denounce this slander and false information. Do you support what is being claimed in this letter?
[1] https://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Curriculum/Pages/default.aspx
[2] https://www.psea.org/news--events/newsstand/press-center/news-release---august-12-2021/
[3] https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/programs/immunizations/Pages/School.aspx
[5] Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
[7] https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/pro-students/race-origin-pr.html
[9] https://www.niche.com/k12/d/souderton-area-school-district-pa/rankings/
[13] https://www.thereporteronline.com/2021/06/24/souderton-area-hikes-taxes-87-for-2021-2022-budget/
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