THE OVERTON WINDOW

From California To Charleston The Cavalry Is Charging

And we’re back!  We kept toasty with après-ski by the judicial fire. 

I Love the Smell of Napalm in the Morning

It was a beautiful sight watching NY Appellate judges rip Spence a new one for burning a high school girl at the stake.  Our bad, did our statement violate Spence’s prohibition against bias?  Oh wait, it looks like Spence violated Spence’s prohibition against bias.  Presumably this would include shielding prominent board members and breaching contracts.  One-sided discipline and cover-ups aren’t exclusive to Spence.  A Connecticut court ruled against the Frederick Gunn School in determining that traditional deference to the educational decisions of schools does not apply to the expulsion of a student for disciplinary violations.  The court also refused to throw out charges that open the door to potential punitive damages against the school.  These are important first victories for student and parent rights.  This may explain why, other than its Annual Conference, NAIS has been suspiciously quiet cowering in its trenches awaiting détente.  But the CCP is not the only group versed in Sun Tzu.

You Either Surf Or Fight

Whatever happened to our friends across the pond at the American School in London after the unceremonious ousting of headmaster Robin Appleby, a former NAIS Board Trustee?  In the biggest No Shit Sherlock, Ofsted – the UK Office for Standards in Education, inspected and concluded in a December 14-16, 2021 Inspection Report that ASL required improvement.  “Sometimes, however, teaching places much more weight on social justice than on learning subject-specific knowledge and skills. Opportunities are available for pupils with different characteristics to discuss issues that affect them.  However, not everyone felt that they are able to express their views freely in class.  A significant number felt that their voices are not encouraged or, in some cases, are supressed [sic]…In lower-school social studies, pupils spend much time repeatedly considering identity (including analysing [sic] their own characteristics) rather than learning, for example, geographical knowledge.” 

You’re An Errand Boy

It’s no surprise Chicago may be ground zero of the cesspool of identity ideology - Appleby came from the Chicago Lab Schools.  Despite holding or perhaps on account of his terrorist Marxist ideology, Bill Ayers sent his children to the Chicago Lab Schools as did Rahm Emanuel and Arne Duncan – obvious public education believers.  Chicago Latin has suffered the same targeted destruction.  With unionization of teachers and rumors of grades being eradicated this fall, how far will Chicago Latin go?  For the rest of us, how does a formerly esteemed institution decay so quickly?

A simplified blueprint for “reimagining” aka destroying Independent X School:

·      NAIS directs Independent X School in its Principles of Good Practice: Board leads from the balcony not the center stage; Board is 30,000 feet above the school with no administrative or programmatic involvement; Board only fundraises and hires/fires headmasters – but primarily fundraises. This stands in contrast to greater capacity historically possessed by Board.

·      Change mission statement from academic preparedness and character development to global citizenship.

·      NAIS and ICAISA (NAIS is international now!) oversees accreditation.  Tuition increases.

·      NAIS partner executive search firm (e.g. NAIS henchman Carney Sandoe) selects and grooms potential headmasters – preferably BIPOC women, who will follow NAIS agenda.  Bonus points for Columbia Teachers College Klingenstein Fellows and candidates attending costly NAIS Institute of New Heads.

·      Carney Sandoe presents headmaster candidate as national candidate with Ivy League pedigree, exceptional fundraising history eager for next Capital Campaign, ready to take Independent X School students into the future of global leadership.

·      Headmaster candidate is unassuming and makes balanced statements.

·      Headmaster begins reign and quickly appears to be an incompetent yet authoritarian Trudeau.  This is intentional to claim there is no concerted agenda – merely actions of a few activist teachers. 

·      Headmaster makes major bank.  Tuition increases.

·      We express concern about age-inappropriate and obvious political programming of our children.  Headmaster is careful never to put anything meaningful in writing and schedules individual meetings where she gaslights us.  According to NAIS instruction, Headmaster tells us we are the only ones with our concerns.

·      Identity ideology instituted programmatically without any notification.  When we ask questions, Independent X School issues artificially saccharine mea culpa to placate us and doubles down in same communication.   

·      Teachers are silenced and do not feel protected.

·      Independent X School culture becomes divided.  No one is happy.

·      Respected teachers and administrators – especially Directors of Admission, resign abruptly.  Integral families leave.  Alums stop donating.  Tuition increases.

·      Western Civ studies diminish as American history increases with focus entirely on negative BIPOC oppressor-oppressed narrative.  Booker T. Washington and black conservatives are erased.

·      “Mental health” and well-being surveys given to students.  How often are you depressed?  How often do you consider self-harm?  How often do you think about your privilege?  What gender and sexuality do you identify as?  Other drivel.

·      Spend $$ on useless surveys for changes the vast majority do not support.  Change mascot and motto.  Capital Campaign begins.  Tuition increases.

·      “Anti-racist” systems implemented in every aspect from admissions to parent affinity groups to mathless physics.

·      Students are used as social justice activists often through partnerships with groups associated with the extreme left coopted Southern Poverty Law Center.

·      Becomes Stanford “Challenge Success” School (read – Mission Failure) —> Caps number of AP courses students can take —> Institutes portions of “grading for equity” —> Eliminates AP courses —> Eliminates grades.  Disappearance of merit ironically hurts minorities and social mobility the most.

·      After decades/centuries, Independent X School is no longer.

The War Will Still Be Here Tomorrow

The Propo Wars are not confined to the Ukraine and World Economic Forum.  Transhumanism?  Delete, delete, delete.  NAIS and our favorite DEI Industrial Complex consultants are scrubbing their sites.  Black Panther?  Scrub, scrub, scrub.  What server in the basement?  NAIS headmasters got the call to block us on Twitter, but several talked to Business Insider?  Nope.  Any article with headmaster statements is obvious PR by crisis management firm The Baby Jane Group for NAIS CYA.  What does it say when parents trying to communicate with Independent X School is classified as a “crisis?”  Juxtapose these statements to headmaster’s actions summarily expelling the children of “insubordinate” parents at Charleston Day School and having children escorted off school premises like a Drexel Burnham perp walk at Charlotte Latin School.

You can stop this.  A rising tide lifts all ships.  School choice will be one of the biggest issues come midterms, but there is no choice if we don’t make private schools independent again.  Roughly 43 schools left NAIS between 2019 and 2021.  Independent X School can, too.  Democracy dies in darkness unless you take action:

·      Ask questions and get everything in writing

·      Communicate with other parents and alums

·      Start a proton mail account to share information

·      Keep timelines and documents

·      Analyze Financials: Obtain 990s online (correction: schools affiliated with a specific tax exempt religious organization are exempt from filing 990s - the racket needs to stop), legal fees, amount spent on DEI consultants, loans to headmaster, government funds

Take your annual fund $$ and put it somewhere it can actually help our kids: (1) 1776 PAC to strengthen publics (2) Give Send Go to make private school jurisprudence.

**Send evidence of political incidents in your school to BonjourUndercoverMother@protonmail.com**

Shits & Giggles Corner