"NOT INTENDED/IT WAS A MISTAKE/WE WILL ADDRESS THAT" ARE THE ANSWERS GIVEN REPEATEDLY TO ROCKWOOD PARENTS

WHO'S CHECKING IT BEFORE IT'S GIVEN TO STUDENTS?

Parents and taxpayers were reeling this week on social media, when they read about the computer slide that 7th graders translated for their Spanish classes in at least one Rockwood middle school.

It included the words bisexual and non-binary.

This incident makes at least the 5th time Rockwood has told parents that something objectionable given to students wasn't intended. More on that below.

Here's the translation of that slide from Spanish class.

This is a simple online translation of what was on the slide students used.

This is the actual slide used in the class:

Sara Ramirez is the character in the slide. The student's name has been blacked out.

The slide is from an online resource the teacher chose to use for extra practice with the students. Meaning, it wasn't part of Rockwood's curriculum. 

This was meant to be used as extra practice with pronouns; not a discussion about preferred pronouns.

LaSalle Springs middle school principal Aaron Wilken told parents the teacher didn't know those words were part of any of the slides, that she is mortified, and, won't use that online lesson again.

KEEPS HAPPENING

In the last two school years, Rockwood parents are aware of at least four other incidents where the district provided information to students that they later called a mistake. For complete information about each example, click the link provided in each one:

1) The Spanish slide above.

2) The Sex Survey that asked about sex positions and bestiality. It was sent out to seniors by Marquette High School's student led newspaper. The school principal, Dr. Stephen Hankins said the adult in charge of approving the email that was sent, did not check the link to the survey and did not know what questions were on it.

3) The 8th grade history Political Typology quiz given during the 2020-2021 school year. 
In history class, students were asked their opinions about homosexuality and discrimination against Black people. Administrator Dr. Shelley Willott told parents the teacher didn't know the questions were there; that he had used the quiz for years and the questions hadn't been on the quiz before. 

4) A Black Lives Matter reading sheet, written by a founder of BLM. The principal at Westridge Elementary said he didn't know the 5th grade teacher used it until after parent complaints, that it was not an approved resource, and that, he told the teacher not to use it again. 

5) A 9th grade Language Arts teacher ASSIGNED his IEP class to read the book, "Dear Martin." Dr. Shelley Willott told parents it was a mistake; that a book with profanity in should not be read aloud to the class. Students from law enforcement families were also uncomfortable because of the book's anti-police theme. Other parents were concerned about the mature content in the book. Dear Martin is supposed to be a "choice book, " meaning students can choose it. But, it is not supposed to be assigned. 

Note: A workbook was also assigned that accompanied the novel and it included assignments on racial profiling, police shootings, and the school to prison pipeline.

Also note: IEP stands for individualized education plan, and is used with learners that need assistance.

Parents did not get an official reply from Rockwood about the workbook. Dr. Willott didn't recognize a page from it that was sent to her, and, when parents tried to submit a formal challenge of the novel and workbook, it was rejected because of rules the district had just changed.

CLASS DISCUSSIONS ARE HARDER TO DOCUMENT

Anecdotally, parents have also shared the content of conversations their students participated in, in class. When they reported them to the principal or superintendent, they were told the conversations should not have happened. 

The conversation topics include white privilege, gender norms, and, how acting like a boy or girl can be oppressive, comparing Trump supporters to Nazis, stating Trump's immigration policy was bad, and, opinion from the teacher about the events that happened at the Capitol on January 6th.

POLICY?

There is a Rockwood policy that teachers are supposed to follow when teaching about controversial topics. It's policy 6244.  It includes discussing it with the principal first.

But, that requires knowing what's in the content.

With all the ideology that's being inserted into teacher resources, parents want Rockwood's Board of Education to make a policy that any outside resources or materials have to be thoroughly vetted by the teacher or principal before giving them to students.