Four Questions to Ask of Any Program or Policy

It sounds ridiculous. How can you dare to question a new program or curriculum your school district's experts want to implement when you don't have all the facts you need? The answer is: It's easy - and you won't even look like a fool. To the contrary, you will be helping your school district achieve excellence.

Here are four questions you can ask when any new program is proposed. If school officials can satisfactorily answer them, that's wonderful. You can support the change. If they evade the questions, watch out. If they stumble in their answers, you know there's a problem. You shouldn't ask these questions to sabotage a program. You should ask them to spur the district on to excellence and greater accountability.

1. What will success look like? 

You want the district to give you measurable definitions of how the program will be called successful. Is success defined as increased scores on tests? What measurable increase can be considered successful? Is success defined as increased graduation rates or decreased vandalism? What percentage of increase or decrease is considered successful? Ultimately, how is student performance increased by this change?

2. Where has this program been implemented successfully? 

Get the names and telephone numbers of school districts where the program has been a success. Call up the superintendent's office in each district. Explain that you are a parent at another school district exploring the pros and cons of the program. Then, ask what they like and dislike about the program. What would they do differently?

3. What are the success benchmarks set up by the district? 

How does the district intend to tangibly measure the success or failure of the program over time? What will be the 6-month measure of success? What will be considered success after having implemented the program for one year? Who will measure it? How will they measure it? When will they measure it?

4. If the program doesn't work well, at what point will it be deemed a failure and greatly modified or removed? 

Once the measure of success is established, you'll want to know how long the district will push for success. Most programs take some adjusting once implemented. That's understandable. But at what point will the district stop chasing after success if it is clear that the previously set measures of success are not being met? One year? Two years? Five years?

These four questions will help you and the community hold the district accountable. They'll also help the district be more successful in establishing clear goals.

© 2002, Eric Buehrer

By The Book/Understanding the Proper Process for Removing a Book

Understanding the Proper Process for Removing a Book from School Use

Can a school remove objectionable library books without running afoul of the First Amendment? The answer is a decided "yes," says Bryan Brown, a staff attorney for the American Family Association's Center for Law and Policy. Brown cautions that any removal of a book should only be attempted according to guidelines deduced from the U.S. Supreme Court's Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico, 457 US, 853 (1982). Brown offers three points that administrators and school board members should keep in mind: 

1. Fashion a policy

If the school board has no policy regarding guidelines for book challenges, one must be drafted. A review of any challenged book should be in accordance with guidelines drafted in advance of the challenge. 

The policy should create a review committee comprised of parents and educators appointed by the board. Committee members should serve by designation of the school board, not by election, because the courts prefer that a committee be removed from politics and partisan pressure. Parents can ask to be considered for serving on such a committee. 

2. Review legitimate complaints

Once such policies are in place, any parent or educator can recommend that a book be reviewed. Books in question should be truly offensive and patently unsuitable. 

Once a book is challenged as being unsuitable, the school board must refer the book to the review committee. The review committee must then read and research the book, taking into account, at a minimum, the following: the book's educational suitability, good taste, relevance and age-appropriateness. Any and all published reviews, especially by professional associations, should be discussed and considered. Alternatives to removal, such as restricted access, should be considered. 

3. Document your reasoning

The committee should decide, by majority vote, whether to retain the book in the library or have it removed. If the vote is for removal, then the majority should put their reasons in writing. Acceptable reasons include their finding that the book is "pervasively vulgar" or "educationally unsuitable." 

Unacceptable reasons would be that the book is "un-American," religiously intolerable, or that its removal is a bid to prescribe an orthodoxy in "politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion." 

The school board must then review the committee's recommendation. Like the committee, the school board should document the reasons supporting its action. If challenged, the courts will review the entire process, ensuring that the removal was undertaken through "established, regular and facially unbiased procedures for the review of controversial materials." 

Brown cites an example of parents in Medford, Wisconsin, who challenged the book Iceman, written by Chris Lynch and endorsed as a "Best Book" for young adults (sixth through eighth graders) by the American Library Association. Medford parents raised concerns that the book was in the local junior high library. 

Iceman is the fictional tale of a prone-to-violence, 14-year-old hockey player who has an unhealthy obsession with death. The book is laced with four-letter words, blasphemous slang, and repeated interviews with a creepy mortician who claims to "pimp for the dead folks I got." 

The school board voted to remove the book from the library. By following well-planned guidelines, your district will have more success in reviewing and, if necessary, removing inappropriate books. 

© 2000 - 2016, Gateways to Better Education 

Resurrect Easter in Your School

You can help get the Easter story told to your child's class this year. How? By presenting the non-threatening Holiday Restoration Card from Gateways to Better Education to your child's teacher. You also may want to ask the teacher if you can share what Easter means to your family, and even read scripture. 

Diane Borja, a parent, wrote: "The effectiveness of the Easter cards multiplied like bunnies!" She shared the card with her prayer group, and every mom purchased a card to give to their child's teacher. 

"I bought extra cards," Diane explained, "and mailed them to teacher friends in other school districts. My friends were elated and enthusiastically shared the information with fellow teachers." "Thanks to your Easter card," Diane added, "I did a Passover/Easter presentation (complete with a homemade tomb and figures) in my son's second grade class. I had the privilege of explaining the historical meaning of the holiday in a fifth grade class as well." 

The eight-page Easter card tells the humorous story of an encounter between the Easter Bunny and a teacher. The bunny explains that the true message of Easter is about new life in Jesus. The teacher raises all the objections commonly heard from public school educators, but in this story, the smart little bunny is very familiar with U.S. court cases. He helps the teacher understand that teaching about Jesus at Easter is legally permitted. The card also includes legal documentation, Constitutionally-sound lesson plan ideas, and more! 

EASTER RESOURCES:

Order the EASTER CARD, Bunny goes to School, to give to your teacher.

Download our Easter Lesson Plan for Public Schools by CLICKING HERE.

Similar in appearance to a middle school textbook, it adapts Luke 22-24 into a textbook-style lesson with pictures, vocabulary, culture facts, and discussion questions.

We would love to hear how you helped restore Easter in your school. Tell us your story here.

Holiday Restoration Campaign

What will happen if our nation forgets the messages portrayed in our holidays? Many of our children are learning only the secular side of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. They never understand that these traditional holidays teach important lessons about Christianity. 

The problem goes beyond how Christianity is treated during the holidays. Even the mention of God is now suppressed in many classrooms. Both teachers and students are uncertain about their rights of religious expression. Many feel that the law forbids any discussion of God or even praying privately over their lunch. 

The Holiday Restoration Campaign is designed to help correct misinformation and restore accurate teaching of the religious nature of these traditional American holidays. 

Join us in restoring the real reasons for the seasons for public school children. 

An Easy Way to Proclaim the Truth

Gateways to Better Education has published unique materials that open the eyes of educators regarding what the law actually says they can do in the classroom to commemorate religious holidays. The information is packaged in non-threatening holiday cards for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. 

Each 8-page card uses a lighthearted story to show the teacher that teaching about the holidays is legal, and that it is good education for the children. Each card also contains different legal documentation and lesson plan ideas for the teacher to use. By the end of the school year, the teacher will have a better understanding of religious expression and accommodation in public schools. 

Our goal is for every Christian parent to give the cards to their children's teachers. We have found that by the end of the last Christian holiday of the school year (Easter), many of the hearts and minds of educators have opened to the idea of teaching the truth behind each holiday.

Three Powerful Elements Combined in Each Card

Persuasion: Each card is designed to convince educators that teaching about the holiday is a good thing to do.

Documentation: Legal quotes and documentation assure educators that teaching about the holidays is legal.

Action: Each card contains lesson plan ideas to show educators how to teach about the holiday.

How the Campaign Works

The goal of our campaign is to have as many Christian parents as possible give cards to their children's teachers. Also, more and more teachers are purchasing the cards for themselves and for other educators. They find the legal documentation and lesson plan ideas very helpful and reassuring. 

Some of the benefits include:

• More Christian parents will make personal contacts with teachers and administrators.

• Parents, by reading the cards themselves, will learn what the law states about the rights of religious expression in the classroom.

• Teachers and administrators will see the size of the religious community by the sheer number of cards they receive.

• More children than ever before will learn the truth about the religious nature of the holidays.

• Schools will become more open to religious expression and accommodation.

Here's How to Get Started

Parents can purchase our holiday card for their children's teachers and later follow up with them to ask what they thought about the card. Teachers can purchase cards to share with like-minded colleagues. Click HERE to shop.

Teacher-Reacher Packets are also available for parents. They make it easy for you to have a year-long outreach to your child's teacher. The packet contains a set of three holiday cards (1 Thanksgiving, 1 Christmas, 1 Easter), two note cards, a parent-teacher conference checklist to improve communication, and a prayer sheet for recording school-related prayer requests. Quantity discount prices are available. 

To learn how to promote the Holiday Restoration Campaign in your church, call Gateways toll free at (800) 929-1163, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). Gateways has promotional materials available and can offer advice and support.

What Others Are Saying

"The Holiday Restoration Campaign gives teachers and administrators the encouragement and documentation they need to support religious expression and accommodation in their schools. I'd love to see this happen in every school district in America!"
Josh McDowell,
Campus Crusade for Christ

"I've examined these cards carefully and, clearly, they do not violate any constitutional rule or regulation whatsoever."
Judge William Lawless,
Former Dean of Notre Dame Law School

"The cards had a tremendous impact. They just made our Christmas at school!"
Judy Johnson,
A mom from Novi, Michigan

Other holiday resources: Thanksgiving, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter.

Movies in the Classroom

It is quite common for schools to show PG movies to students without getting permission from their parents beforehand. This can be a troubling issue for parents who turn to Gateways to Better Education for advice on how to deal with it. 

A friendly visit with the teacher or school principal is always the best first step in any attempt to dissuade a school from showing questionable movies. If this doesn't work, there are legal issues you can point out to the administrator. 

We recently contacted the Permissions Department of Buena Vista Films, a division of Disney. According to a spokesman for the department, the school would need a public performance license in order to show any Disney film for any reason other than directly related to the curriculum. For example, if students were learning about Lewis Carroll's books, the teacher could show Alice in Wonderland without obtaining a special license. It would not be permissible to show the video just for entertainment. 

It is reasonable to assume that other studios have similar restrictions and requirements. 

Parents concerned about schools showing students entertainment videos as substitutes for academic work (whether G, PG, PG-13, or R) can alert the school principal to the illegality of the activity.