Good to see everyone introducing themselves and starting conversations. Build that community and keep the information flowing. Speaking of which, be sure to keep checking the main website, not just SW-Intel but elsewhere too. Incidents occurring in other places can bleed into our own. Here is the most recent Intel Report:

ARIZONA / 28 JULY 2020 / SUMMARY:
The Arizona Board of Education is gradually adopting Deep Equity into public education. These programs by Corwin Publishing and others like it are reeducating teachers in diversity training and inclusivity. In actuality, these mandatory trainings and seminars are discussing white privilege, implicit biases, restorative justice, and how inequality remains systemically oppressive within the United States. The YES (Youth Equity Stewardship) Program by Corwin Publishing has so far only been adopted for teachers, but there is a curriculum ready for adoption to be taught directly to students.

The rhetoric being used and the philosophy behind diversity training overtly violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of Education American Amendments of 1973. However, Corwin Deep Equity and other programs like it are able to skirt past this by using legislative wording from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) signed by President Obama in 2015, and use past Civil Rights laws such as IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and ADA to justify their integration in school curriculums.

ACTS/SITREP:
CHANDLER, AZ – 2017, the Chandler Unified School District was the first to purchase Corwin Deep Equity for $418,000 after an off-campus racial incident involving junior high students went viral, and after the school district settled an earlier multi-million-dollar lawsuit by the parents of teenagers from a local high school football team who were sexually assaulted.

TEMPE, AZ – 2018, numerous school districts in the Tempe boundary have adopted Corwin Deep Equity. Following the actions of their competitor, CUSD, the most notable was Kyrene School District who has integrated the program into their Strategic Plan 2022.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – 2020, the Scottsdale Unified School District is looking to fast track Corwin Deep Equity after the George Floyd incident. They have yet to make a formal decision but committees are established and discussions are underway.

RECOMMENDATION:
Be involved. Know what your children are learning about and know how they are being taught. Create a positive relationship with their teacher. If certain worries are reoccurring and patterns are beginning to develop do not be afraid to voice your concerns against school administration. Do not be afraid to talk to other parents who might be experiencing the same woes as you. Maintain records. Lawyer up if you must. Remember, these are your teachers and your children who need you.

SOURCES:

https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn

https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2019/10/30/chandler-unifieds-deep-equity-program-came-with-shocking-price-tag/

https://www.kyrene.org/equity

https://www.scottsdale.org/city_news/susd-rushed-to-form-equity-panel-emails-show/article_1dbb242a-b7d0-11ea-9b64-b7d72df93dd0.html