Support for Social & Emotional Well-being

There are still a lot of questions circulating related to critical race theory (CRT) and social & emotional learning (SEL) in the context of our children's education. Let me address this best I can but to keep expectations fair, this topic is fairly large and as a parent I'm only one voice among thousands in our district that deserve a seat at this massive table.

First, CRT. My views align with the recent passage of Assembly Bill 411 in the Assembly (60-38) and Senate (20-13). These votes indicate that CRT is a partisan issue. Curriculum that cannot be agreed upon by our elected representatives should not be part of our children's education.

Excerpt from the AB 411:

This bill prohibits race or sex stereotyping in 1) instruction provided to pupils in school districts and independent charter schools; and 2) training provided to employees of school boards and independent charter schools. Under the bill, a school board or the operator of an independent charter school is prohibited from allowing a teacher to teach pupils race or sex stereotyping in any course or as part of any curriculum and is prohibited from requiring an employee to attend a training that teaches, advocates, acts upon, or promotes race or sex stereotyping. Among the concepts that are prohibited from being taught under the bill are the following: that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex and that an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears responsibility for acts committed in the past by other individuals of the same race or sex.

Second, SEL. I've been talking about this regularly as I knock on doors, and parents are aware that the social and emotional well-being of their children is a front-burner issue. What concerns parents is the L, or "learning", because it isn't clear what will be taught. Parents want to have a general understanding of what their children are going to be taught before the lessons have occurred, discussions had, or the homework assigned.

Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) adapts its SEL program from CASEL as seen on their homepage (reference). Not too many parents have the time or ability to locate and review the countless resources as it relates to the topic, but I have taken the time to listen to a video that sums up the concerns most parents have, entitled "CASEL CARES: SEL as a Lever for Equity and Social Justice" (reference). In that video at the 7-minute mark you will note a slide being presented entitled "Forms of SEL":

• Personally Responsible SEL - Exemplifies good character and is generally helpful in his/her community.
• Participatory SEL - Actively engages in clubs and organizations
• Transformative (Justice-Oriented) SEL - Critically analyzes sociopolitical forces and takes action to fight injustice

The video glosses over the first two, which are actually the ones that most parents would find as positive approaches to promote social and emotional well-being. It is the third one - Transformative SEL - that concerns nearly every parent I've spoken with, myself included. I challenge everyone - not just parents - to briefly research that topic, share your thoughts, and have an open dialog on the subject. If Transformative SEL as defined by CASEL is adopted by WI DPI and subsequently deployed into our district, I would not support that.

In short, the administration, school board, teachers, and parents should strive to bridge the gap between what is in text and/or doctrine and what is going to end up being taught to our children. Perhaps there is more common ground than first meets the eye.

I hope this clarifies some of the confusion that has been circulating regarding my thoughts and reservations on the topics of CRT and SEL.