WEBVTT 1 00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:38.600 Ryan Walters has caused many headlines since becoming superintendent of 2 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:42.719 schools in Oklahoma. This time there are some consequences to 3 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:45.960 him tweaking the curriculum. Jonathan has the story. 4 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:52.000 Ryan Waters is the Oklahoma state Supervisor of Elections and 5 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:54.600 he's trying his best to lie about the performance of 6 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:58.600 the Oklahoma schools. First, he claimed he had nothing to 7 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:02.200 do with lowering the standard's on state testing, boosting scores 8 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:07.519 by thirty three percent, basically falsely. His under and lings 9 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:13.280 admitted that they closely supervised the revision process and did 10 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:17.239 not allow any public comment, did not inform the school districts, 11 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:23.560 and sought no public input Sadly, the boost and proficiency 12 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:26.920 was a lie. When tested by the standards set to 13 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:30.599 comply before the change that were set to comply with 14 00:01:30.680 --> 00:01:35.200 the federal standards, it is lower than ever Oklahoma's forty 15 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:41.000 ninth in education in the United States. They're only better 16 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:49.120 than New Mexico and Alabama's actually better than THEMS like 17 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:52.319 not a good seat, not a good site, not a 18 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:57.599 good look for them. And this is an indirect attempt 19 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:01.840 to destroy public education in Oklahoma and do it without 20 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:06.159 anybody noticing they're meeting their objective. As I said, they 21 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:11.199 are forty ninth and the K through twelve, and not 22 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.479 just overall education, but also in K through twelve. So 23 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:17.599 a lot of times the universities bring that number up, 24 00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:20.560 but not but not in the K through twelve. 25 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:20.879 Here. 26 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:25.719 So this story is by Noria Martinez Kiel the Oklahoma 27 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:30.680 Voice and printed in the Oklahoma on eight twenty three, 28 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:34.919 twenty twenty four. I yield to the panel for discussion. 29 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:38.759 Well, actually I was going to come to you, Jonathan, 30 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:42.319 and first, since you introduced the story, how does the 31 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:46.520 lack of transparency in the changes to the test scoring 32 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:51.159 effect public trust in educational assessments and government agents. 33 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:58.520 Well, it obviously isn't good. But the problems, you know, 34 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:01.919 the problem of life. Saying this much about it and 35 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:05.520 this on the heels of his story, we also already 36 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:09.080 cover about his putting a Bible in every classroom kind 37 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:13.919 of puts his and as we know, conservatives hate public education. 38 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.639 It doesn't serve their needs at all. It tends to 39 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.159 teach people how to think, and they don't want anybody 40 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:22.319 to think. They want them to just follow the propaganda 41 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:27.400 and not actually think for themselves. But this is that 42 00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:31.759 attempt but it's fraudulent and it's going to end up 43 00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:36.360 really irritating a lot of parents who now have to 44 00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:41.560 contend with a school system that is not working for 45 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:45.800 their children because they're deliberately trying to sabotage it. They're 46 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:49.639 in a related move that we're not covering necessarily. But 47 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:54.639 there's another action that mister Walters did was to tie 48 00:03:54.680 --> 00:04:00.199 the school's accreditation to the state to the test scores. Oh, 49 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:02.919 this will help them with their accreditation. There are a 50 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:07.599 lot of new rules underneath all these that well, let's 51 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:10.919 just say, is backed by churches but opposed by teachers. 52 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.919 So the checklist that they of these items is mandatory, 53 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:21.160 or the school gets a deficiency on their accreditation, many deficiencies, 54 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:23.800 and the school can be closed or taken over by 55 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:28.519 the state. So this is setting up local school districts 56 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:31.759 to fail, and they want them to fail because they'd 57 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:35.560 rather have them all going to religious schools privately. So 58 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:39.040 this is really a serious issue that we kind of 59 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:44.000 cover in a lot of our stories. But how long 60 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:47.079 are the parents of these kids going to tolerate this 61 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:50.360 kind of stuff. Eventually it's going to reach critical mass, 62 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:52.519 and I don't think they're going to like the results 63 00:04:52.519 --> 00:04:54.959 of that. And that's kind of what I have to 64 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:55.560 say on it. 65 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:56.480 Yeah. 66 00:04:56.519 --> 00:04:59.759 Well, you know, I'm always like a person that supports 67 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:02.879 a critical mass to make chain, but I don't know 68 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:08.639 if Oklahoma, or maybe the constituency there is really organizing 69 00:05:08.759 --> 00:05:11.240 to do that. I but then again, you know, I'm 70 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:14.519 just expressing my ignorance because I really don't know what 71 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:18.160 the advocacy and the activism on the ground to push 72 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:22.560 back against some of the policies that Ryan Walters is pushing. 73 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:25.120 But you know, Scott, I'm coming to you because you're 74 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:27.920 an educator and you've been an educator for quite some time, 75 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:30.000 and you know, I would like for you just to, 76 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:34.759 you know, answer, what are the implications of lowering performance 77 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:39.160 standards on long term educational outcomes for students that happen 78 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:40.240 to be in Oklahoma. 79 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:42.759 Well, I mean, if he had gotten away with it, 80 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:46.879 the short term impact would have been to artificially inflate 81 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:48.959 the effectiveness of their current policies. 82 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:50.600 Scott, I have to say it. 83 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:54.399 I do apologize he would gotten away with it if 84 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:56.399 it wasn't for those meddling kids. 85 00:05:58.120 --> 00:05:59.160 Those kids. 86 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:05.920 It's old man Mahoney at the Haunted not good amusement park. 87 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:06.120 Right. 88 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:10.800 Exactly, go ahead continue. 89 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:15.240 So he's artificially I mean, it's it's a misrepresentation obviously, 90 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:17.360 but it's a it's a deceit at the at the 91 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:20.160 deepest level. He's you know, Jonathan was talking about how 92 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:22.160 he's deceiving the public. 93 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:22.439 Right. 94 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:25.759 They they they lower the standard to make it look 95 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:28.720 like they're being more effective. And and I think I'm 96 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:31.319 presuming here. I don't know this for a fact, but 97 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:34.959 I'm presuming that it's to prop up the other changes 98 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:37.879 that they're doing to say, Look how effective we are now. 99 00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:41.439 Look how effective book banning is doing. Look how effective 100 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:44.000 it is now that we have the Ten Commandments in 101 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:46.839 the in the classrooms. Look how effective we are now 102 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:50.519 that we're incorporating Bible stories into our day to day 103 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:52.600 lessons and that kind of thing. And so it's just 104 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:56.120 artificial inflation. What does the effect that What effect does 105 00:06:56.120 --> 00:06:59.040 that have on the education? It gives it. First of all, 106 00:06:59.079 --> 00:07:03.720 it guts one of the main tools that educators have 107 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:07.839 to assess themselves and to assess how effective they are 108 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:11.319 with their students, and that is assessments. Right, It's it's 109 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:15.120 responses from testing whether it be standardized testing, whether it 110 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:18.959 be testing in the classroom, whether it be written paper tests, 111 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:21.600 or whether it be activities or you know, it's just 112 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:24.439 totally invalidating all all of those. 113 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:25.959 Efforts to improve. 114 00:07:26.040 --> 00:07:27.839 I think I don't think I'm going out on a 115 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:31.399 limb here when I say that educators generally go into 116 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:33.600 the field because they care, because. 117 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:34.279 They want to do well. 118 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:36.959 They want to do They want to help children, they 119 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:40.240 want to empower children, they want to you know, teach 120 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:45.519 them things. They want them to be enlightened and educated. Citizenry. Right, 121 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:48.079 it's good for the country, it's good for the individuals, 122 00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:51.079 it's good for the neighborhoods, it's good for the local government, 123 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:54.120 it's good for it's good for everybody. And so so 124 00:07:54.199 --> 00:07:56.360 what this is doing is it's just taking away the 125 00:07:56.360 --> 00:07:59.800 effectiveness of those of those methods. As teachers, we like 126 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:04.399 to talk about critical reflection. We want we want to 127 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:06.319 look back at ourselves. We want to look back at 128 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:09.319 what we're doing, and if we can change things to 129 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:11.720 make them better then we can't, then we do that. 130 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:14.920 And so this is not only is this covering up 131 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:17.360 a problem that was there. I think Jonathan said they 132 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:20.360 were forty ninth in the state. Yeah, rah rah right. 133 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:22.279 And so it's covering up a problem that was there, 134 00:08:22.279 --> 00:08:25.720 but it's also making the problem look like it's a 135 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:26.240 good thing. 136 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:29.879 And so it's kind of giving them a. 137 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:31.680 Free path, or it would have, if it had worked, 138 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:35.360 given him a pass to incorporate more of these changes 139 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:40.759 that will also undermine the educational system even further. And 140 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:44.320 and like you both mentioned, I would have to assume 141 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:46.919 that part of the goal at least is to get 142 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:51.240 rid of public education. And so it's it's a I mean, 143 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:55.919 it's it's very callous, and it's very devious, and you know, 144 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:59.600 it's almost almost too cruel to imagine to do something 145 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:04.559 like to to take away a child's ability to become 146 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:07.360 a better human being, to learn how to become a 147 00:09:07.399 --> 00:09:10.360 more productive member of society, to take away their their 148 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:12.200 power to make their lives better. 149 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:13.960 And that's really what it's doing. 150 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:18.279 That's the ultimate cost that education can pay can pay 151 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:21.440 here is we will lose the effectiveness of the educational 152 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:24.440 system we have, and we will in fact even roll 153 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:27.039 back even further and make it even less effective. 154 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:30.799 Well, Cindy, you are on the outside looking in, all 155 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:35.919 safe and tucked away in a different country, but I 156 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:39.080 know that you definitely pay attention to a lot of 157 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:41.039 the things that are going on here in the good 158 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:44.320 old us of a American apple pie. 159 00:09:45.559 --> 00:09:46.240 Four by four. 160 00:09:46.360 --> 00:09:49.000 So anyway, don't forget the guns. 161 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:53.120 We got guns, yeah, Jesus guns and babies. 162 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:56.000 Right, Yeah, gotta get that straight, my bad guys. 163 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:01.240 But you know, Cindy, I'm just wondering because, like you know, 164 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:03.879 since you like pay attention to a lot of these 165 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.480 things that's going on, what do you really think I 166 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:08.600 think that you know, Scott alluded to it a bit, 167 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:12.720 but can you expand on really what the motivation is 168 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:20.440 behind the I call the Shenanigans in O Colahoma. I'm 169 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:22.159 not going to send the rest of the song because 170 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:24.000 I don't know the rest of the words, so I'm 171 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:26.600 just not going to do it and embarrass myself. But 172 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:31.080 what is the motivation behind, you know, doing the things 173 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:35.919 that they are doing when it's quite obvious that well, 174 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:38.120 I guess to us that happens to be on the 175 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:40.720 other side of the looking glass that this is detrimental 176 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:41.799 and harmful to the kid. 177 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:42.639 Yeah. 178 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:45.759 On top of everything that Scott said, and I think 179 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:50.679 was very very much one point, there's another side of this. 180 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:53.519 Let's say that this worked and nobody. 181 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:57.159 Noticed what happens to the students Once they leave those 182 00:10:57.159 --> 00:11:01.639 schools and go to university. They will be behind everyone 183 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:05.919 else because they think they did very good and they 184 00:11:05.960 --> 00:11:08.480 think they have the level to be in a university 185 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:11.840 and they don't. And what happens They feel like they 186 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:16.960 don't belong here, and they feel bad about themselves, and 187 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:19.840 then they feel like they're stupid and not deserving of 188 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:26.519 more education. And I'm wondering if it's an intended purpose 189 00:11:26.919 --> 00:11:31.480 or if it's just a sad consequence. But I think 190 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:35.639 that's something we need to take a look at, because 191 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:40.919 if this keeps going in the future, whether it's this 192 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:46.480 specific action or any other that the Republican r are taking, 193 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:49.960 the United States is going to be very very much 194 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:55.360 behind in terms of workforce. In terms of education, of course, 195 00:11:55.399 --> 00:11:59.919 which is already the case, but yeah, workforce economics, because 196 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.600 economics are linked to the workforce, which is linked to 197 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:07.759 the education. And so I think it was a couple 198 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:11.159 of years ago that China took the first place in 199 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:17.159 terms of scientific publications, and I don't see that specific 200 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:24.519 story helping in this situation. So yeah, I think as 201 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:30.480 as Scott said, the Repulican survive on an uneducated base. 202 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:34.159 That's how they've been surviving in the last twenty years, 203 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:38.440 and so they do everything they can to keep that going. 204 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:39.639 Last fifty years. 205 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:45.279 Yeah, I was pretty much I would say that's even longer. Well, 206 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:47.799 you know, guys, this is not in my notes, but 207 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:52.480 I did read this little document called Project. 208 00:12:55.559 --> 00:13:00.159 And one are nine and twenty five pages. 209 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:01.960 Well, I'm not going to say that I read through 210 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:04.080 all nine hundred and twenty five pages, but I did 211 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:06.279 go through the contents, and I would go back and 212 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:08.440 forth and skip and skim and things of that nature. 213 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:10.840 But you know, one of the things that is in 214 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:13.960 Project twenty twenty five, and it's also on you know, 215 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:17.799 on the on the darket as far as like you know, 216 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:21.840 platform items for people who happen to be conservative on 217 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:24.000 the right is to get rid of the Department of Education. 218 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:28.399 And I'm always like concerned because like one of the 219 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:31.120 talking points is let's get rid of the Department of 220 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:35.440 Education on the federal level and leave the decisions on 221 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:41.240 how to run schools to the state, including having parents 222 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:44.919 be able to utilize I guess text dollars to do 223 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:49.320 school choice but you know, I'm curious to know, and 224 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:53.720 especially since we're looking at stories like this from a 225 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:58.879 person the superintendent that has clearly demonstrated and said out 226 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:01.360 of his mouth that he is a Christian national, what 227 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:07.360 type of really horrible, horrendous implications could this have if 228 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:11.960 there is no oversight or regulatory body over education on 229 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:12.879 the federal level. 230 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:16.399 And do you all see. 231 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:23.399 His actions kind of fulfilling that that wishless that the 232 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:26.919 that the project has implicated. Jonathan, I'm going to start 233 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:29.200 with you, and then Scott and then Cindy. 234 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:30.480 I would like to hear your thoughts. 235 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:36.320 Well, first off, this is this is a process that 236 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:41.120 they've been already implementing. As we see here, the uh 237 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:46.039 the accredit accreditation changes I look through kind of indicate this. 238 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:51.679 So it would penalize districts that maintain active employment of 239 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:55.679 teachers under investigation for certificate or vocation. That's one thing. 240 00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:57.440 There's quite a few. 241 00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:58.600 I'm going to skip some of them. 242 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:02.919 But the the other thing it would do is districts 243 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:05.519 would not be able to receive state funding if they 244 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:12.759 support or maintain certain diversity you know, DEI programs, And 245 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:15.360 so that means that kind of tells you where they're 246 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:16.759 going with this moment. 247 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:20.000 John, I just want to actually tell the audience for 248 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:23.240 those who do not know what DEI means, that needs diversity, 249 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:26.320 equity and inclusion continue. 250 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:33.559 Please, Yes, my brain had a hole for that and 251 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:38.320 would subject teachers to potential dismissal for sexual acts and 252 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:42.360 this is not in school. This is Uh. If sexual 253 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:45.399 acts or acts that appeal to the period interest in 254 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:51.039 sex as found by the average person applying contemporary community standards, 255 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:55.720 or acts that excessively promote sexuality, they can be refused. 256 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:58.600 Employment critics say it could be used as grounds to 257 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:03.759 terminate teachers who engage in after hours activities like drag performances, 258 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:08.240 if those performances were recorded and put online. And uh, 259 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:11.039 there are some people who say that that you know, 260 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:13.879 in my comments, I said, you know, this could mean 261 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:17.879 that if somebody happens to catch you at home watching 262 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:21.679 Rupe Paul's drag race, they could fire, you know, if 263 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:24.519 they could twist this to make it fireable. 264 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:27.120 New America, Welcome to America. 265 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:30.360 To do what you want in your own time, or 266 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:33.120 they watching a porn channel or something. You know, it's 267 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:33.919 none of those things. 268 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:36.679 I lived in Oklahoma, they would have fired me a 269 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:39.799 long time ago because I love that damn show. But 270 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:41.759 but you know, Johnathan, can you spend this a little bit, 271 00:16:41.799 --> 00:16:44.000 because it almost sounds like that what you're saying is 272 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:46.960 that they're trying to penalize you for either being allied 273 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:50.240 or being part of the LGBTQ community and also living 274 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:51.120 your truth out lot. 275 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:53.600 Is that what? That's what I'm That's what. 276 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:55.440 I'm they want to they want to suppress that, I'm 277 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:59.279 quite sure because these rules are rather draconian if you 278 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:05.279 think about it, And if districts fail to comply after 279 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:09.400 receiving notice from the department, they will receive an accreditation 280 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:14.680 deficiency as well. So it's like, you know, it would 281 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:17.880 strike from existing rules on local school boards that board 282 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:21.960 members shall refrain from involvement or interference with the administrative 283 00:17:21.960 --> 00:17:24.799 functions of the school. That means the school boards could 284 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:26.640 come around and say you can't do that, No, we 285 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:29.480 want it this way, take the power out of the 286 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:35.079 principle and the teachers and start micromanaging what's going on. 287 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:43.160 And so, yeah, well I think. 288 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:46.759 You should this right? Do you want to follow what 289 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:48.920 gets worth? Sure? Sure? 290 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:49.359 Yeah? 291 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:51.119 Okay, So let me give me a second here, I 292 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:52.119 gotta catch my breath. 293 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:57.200 Okay, all right, So so you were asking about I'm sorry, 294 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:58.720 could you repeat the question. 295 00:17:59.160 --> 00:18:03.240 Yeah, bas I was asking, you know, with Project twenty 296 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:07.039 twenty five and the right basically allowing themselves to get 297 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:10.480 rid of the Department of Education on the federal level. Great, 298 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:14.440 what kind of implications could this have? Like detrimental implications 299 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:17.039 could this have, you know, on kids, you know, especially 300 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:19.160 who happened to attend public schools. 301 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:24.960 I think that attacking the indirectly attacking the Department of Education, 302 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:28.960 I think I'm not entirely convinced that that's either the 303 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:31.079 main goal or even one of the main goals here. 304 00:18:31.160 --> 00:18:33.799 That might just be you know, gravy, right, that's just 305 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:36.319 a fringe benefit. I think what's really happening here, and 306 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:39.400 again this is my opinion, but what I think is 307 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:43.559 happening is that Oklahoma lawmakers they just want to operate 308 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:47.519 in this fictional world, and they want to dictate how 309 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:52.319 things operate, and they want to enforce that perception of 310 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:56.160 that fictional world onto others as well. Gas Lighting. That's 311 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:59.279 I mean, this is really just high stakes gas lighting. 312 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:04.559 And so the problem is the drawback to that is effectiveness. 313 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:08.079 Educational effectiveness be damned, right, I mean it's like, that's 314 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:11.759 not it's hard to imagine that that would be a 315 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:15.799 consideration at all. It's all about how do we look 316 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:18.640 and what can we do with it? And you know 317 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:23.160 that is just misguided leadership right there. You know, it's 318 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:25.559 it would be hard to make up something worse than that. 319 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:29.039 I mean, it's just sacrificing the kid's futures in order 320 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:33.559 to enforce this story that you know, they they can't 321 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:37.240 back it up themselves there, you know, their their religious stories. 322 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:41.440 They can't justify that kind of belief and so but 323 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:43.720 what they can do is they can kind of morph 324 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:47.319 the rest of the world back into their viewpoint. And 325 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.119 you know, like I said, education be damned, and it's 326 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:53.720 it's it's really infuriating and asinine. 327 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:57.519 Well, I'm going to give the semi last word to Cindy. Cindy, 328 00:19:57.640 --> 00:19:58.759 say what say you? 329 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:06.119 I remember in twenty sixteen, after Trump was elected, I 330 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:11.440 read this fascinating article explaining how and why Trump won 331 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:16.880 back then in red states and mostly rural areas. It's 332 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:21.599 because but by destroying the education system in these places, 333 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:26.640 the only source of information the public has is the church. 334 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:31.960 And so if you don't have enough information about why 335 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:35.279 you are in a bad situation, then the only source 336 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:40.400 of information again comes becomes the church. And that's the 337 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:45.880 point of Christophacism. It's to give back central place to 338 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.960 the church, not in terms of not only in terms 339 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:56.880 of society and community and everything else, but also information. 340 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.559 Because when you control information, of course, you control uh 341 00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:04.559 the entire population. And I think it's uh, it's basically 342 00:21:04.599 --> 00:21:08.279 what's what's happening here again, it's just more and more 343 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:12.720 of the same stuff. Just control information from uh, from 344 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:17.720 the people you want to uh to to not to lead, 345 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:21.599 but to control. And so that's that's the only way 346 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:21.920 to do it. 347 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:27.119 To destroy education, yeah, I definitely i'dhere exactly what you 348 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:29.960 guys are saying, especially when it comes to if you 349 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:33.119 want to control the minds of the people who happen 350 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:37.640 to be under you destroy the institutions that educate them. 351 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:42.160 And when test scores suddenly improve, but it's due to 352 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:47.240 alter benchmarks rather than real student gains, it's a red flag. 353 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:51.599 Even covering up actual student losses. It's not just false gains, 354 00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:53.160 it's covering up losses. 355 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:54.599 And it's so it's even worse. 356 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:58.640 Yeah, exactly, it's it's covering up the losses that happen 357 00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:02.559 to know, come to those who are not getting the 358 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:07.000 proper education that they're supposed to get, oftentimes because the 359 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:11.240 curricula and also the benchmarks for them for their achievements 360 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:15.839 are being altered. But schools, parents and lawmakers deserve clear 361 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:20.640 and upfront information because when it comes to education, the 362 00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:24.359 only thing worse than Perer performance is a lack of 363 00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:29.119 honesty about what the numbers really mean. So let's remember 364 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:33.640 if something sounds too good to be true, it might 365 00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:38.079 just be a change in the rules. Always ask what's 366 00:22:38.119 --> 00:22:41.519 the real score? And if you dear viewer and listener 367 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:44.119 want to ask what the real score is, or if 368 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:45.720 you want more nonprofits, click here. 369 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:04.240 In a familiar tale of Florida High school has concerned 370 00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:08.960 parents reporting that a math teacher's sugary attempt at divine 371 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:13.240 indoctrination has been occurring. The teacher, armed with Christmas pamphlets, 372 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:17.279 leads students on a divine journey involving candy canes, questionable 373 00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:21.880 biblical interpretations, and downright nonsense the Freedom from Religion foundations. 374 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:25.559 Chris Line steps in reminding the school district of the 375 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:30.400 establishment clause and the fine line between education and indoctrination. 376 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:33.039 With a dash of humor, co president of the Freedom 377 00:23:33.079 --> 00:23:38.839 From Religion Foundation, Laurie glor equipped public schools exists to educate, 378 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:43.079 not to discriminate or indoctrinate into religion. It's up to parents, 379 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:47.400 not math teachers to decide religious upbringings. Unwrapping the absurdity, 380 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:51.799 FFRF calls for divine discipline in the classroom. This story 381 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:54.440 is from the Freedom From Religion Foundation on the fourth 382 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:56.079 of January twenty twenty. 383 00:23:55.799 --> 00:24:00.519 Four, and unfortunately there isn't a whole lot to this story, 384 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:03.720 but as always, kudos to the FFRL for being on 385 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:07.200 the forefront of the battle against religion in our public schools. 386 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:11.319 It's an important job and I'm glad they're there. They are, 387 00:24:11.400 --> 00:24:14.319 they're doing it. Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat. It 388 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:17.319 really bothers me that in today's day and age, that 389 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:21.000 there's still people, still still people that have the idea 390 00:24:21.319 --> 00:24:25.319 that this ardent a parent preaching is going to be legal. 391 00:24:25.079 --> 00:24:26.559 Somehow in a public school. 392 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:28.599 I have no idea how they think it's going to 393 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:31.039 be They're going to be able to get away with it. 394 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:34.359 And it makes me wonder where these people have been 395 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:37.359 living at and so that they still have these nineteenth 396 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:40.839 century ideals instead of living in the modern day. They 397 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:43.799 have to know what they're doing is wrong legally, So 398 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:45.920 why do they keep doing it? What is it that 399 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:48.960 keeps driving them to keep going? Do they think their 400 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:52.799 God is going to protect them from prosecution? I said prosecution, 401 00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:56.200