Santa Barbara School Board shields left-wing activists’ scams while student performance declines.

The Broken State‌ of American⁢ Education

The following includes an edited excerpt from the author’s ​new book, School ⁣of Woke: ⁤How Critical Race Theory Infiltrated American Schools and Why We Must Reclaim Them.

As the new school year approaches, it’s disheartening ⁢to see ⁢that America’s student achievement is​ at an all-time low. The‌ impact of ⁤Covid lockdowns has erased years of‍ progress in math and reading, and the 2022-2023‌ school year has only brought further declines.⁢ The most affected​ are low-income minority communities, leaving educators and ‌administrators stunned by the ⁣extent of the ⁢education crisis.

The‌ truth​ is that even ‌before⁤ the pandemic, America’s schools were asleep at the wheel. School boards designed to improve student outcomes ​have become doormats for​ what I term⁤ the “education-industrial⁢ complex,” which describes the sea of activist nonprofits, businesses, and bureaucrats who use our massive pile of ⁣education‌ funding to serve ⁤ideological agendas and their own ends.

In‍ my new book, School‌ of Woke, I uncover one of the darkest‍ examples of ‌this ‍corruption in Santa​ Barbara, California. Jennifer Freed, a sex-ed teacher and founder of ⁤the nonprofit ‍”AHA!,” ⁢exploited her position to push ​critical ⁢race theory and⁢ queer⁤ theory onto students. Under ​the ⁢guise of “social-emotional learning,” ‍Freed engaged⁤ in inappropriate discussions about⁤ sex with children and ⁣invited⁤ adults to do the⁤ same.

AHA!’s contracts with ‍the Santa⁤ Barbara Unified School District were highly⁤ lucrative, and the school board meeting on⁢ June⁣ 11, 2019, revealed ‍the extent of their negligence. Despite clear evidence of​ AHA!’s ineffectiveness, Assistant‌ Superintendent Frann Wageneck struggled to admit⁢ the truth, while board​ member Laura Capps prioritized ​private funding over student well-being.

What people were witnessing in​ that room on that day was a ⁣rare ⁢instance of a school board persuading itself out of the right decision‌ in real time, in public, for all to see. ‌And the⁣ results were evidence of that weakness.

This disturbing case highlights the presence of predatory ⁣outside nonprofit organizations in public schools. These organizations, fueled by taxpayer money, ⁢often receive ⁣additional‍ private ⁢donations⁤ to continue their harmful practices. The Santa Barbara school district’s willingness to overlook AHA!’s ‍failures and continue funding them is a clear example ⁢of the corruption within the‌ education system.

It’s time to ‌acknowledge the damage caused by critical race theory and queer​ theory vultures ⁣who prioritize their own‍ agendas over the education‌ of our⁢ children. We must reclaim ​our schools and ensure⁢ that they prioritize the ​well-being‍ and academic⁣ success of⁣ every student.