For parents and students in the East Bay (of San Francisco, California), a reminder from a school bureaucrat, who has stayed entirely “neutral”, to “to follow the example set by Presidents Biden and Obama” (for better readability, not in quote style):
DUSD Community,
In the United States, we have always had a peaceful transition of power between presidents, except for January 6, 2021. President Biden and his administration have demonstrated a high level of professionalism during this transition, just as former President Obama did for President-Elect Donald Trump and each president prior.
The 2024 Presidential election was, for the second time, an extremely divisive election for our country. This election has itself become a point of protest for women, Muslim and Jewish communities, immigrants, and people who care about education, Social Security, Medicare, and a whole list of other issues. There has been a great deal of media coverage regarding the Presidential Inauguration that will take place Monday, January 20, in Washington, D.C.
As educators, we have the incredible opportunity to use the presidential election and the second Trump Inauguration as learning opportunities to help promote social justice in a way that actively engages our students. The activities, discussions, and student production that we choose to plan around the inauguration are opportunities to further develop the skills and competencies that we are developing in our Graduate Profile. We need to provide a safe environment for our students during the Presidential Inauguration. I encourage students and staff to reach out to each other and work together on shared, peaceful activities at our school sites. Listening to the Inauguration is an appropriate activity, along with providing the space for students to process Trump’s presidential address. Providing these types of activities is a critical responsibility and opportunity for our educational institutions.
Regardless of the activity, we will stay neutral, share the facts, allow for both sides of an issue to be shared, and create a safe place in our classrooms and at our school sites for discussion to take place. We need to follow the example set by Presidents Biden and Obama and engage in activities that support the peaceful transition of power between Presidents.
In addition, I want to reinforce the importance of maintaining the privacy rights of our students. Under FERPA laws and laws that govern the State of California, our schools will not provide any private student information to ICE (Immigrants and Customs Enforcement) without a formal arrest warrant. Our schools must remain safe and secure for all who attend and work in DUSD.
I thank you in advance for staying in school, remaining respectful, and engaging in meaningful dialogue around the upcoming Presidential Inauguration on Monday, January 20, 2025.
Sincerely,
Chris D. Funk
Superintendent
Dublin Unified School District
In other news, I was just in Berkeley, California, a simple 1.5-hour BART ride from Dublin! The laundry detergent is locked up at Target (along with almost everything you’d find at CVS):
Let’s stroll out of Target, past a few outdoor maskers, and into Pegasus Books, which features a permanent panhandler by the front door. Inside we find empty CD cases for fear that someone without a streaming account will steal the precious CDs themselves:
The Followers of Science (TM) are heavy readers of books about witchcraft:
What if a passion for Hamas rule and Socialism could be combined into a single book?
Some miscellaneous titles:
Wonder what’s that “Ukraine” thing behind the Work, by some Yaroslav? Hopefully, progressive enough.
It’s for people who’ve finished all of the Palestine and Antiracism books!
It’s time for Israel to rebrand itself.
They’re losing the meme wars.
Let’s workshop some of these.
Jewish Palestine
Hebrew Palestina
Greater Judea & Samaria
West Jordan
???
Who’s with me on this? C’mon man.
Netanyahu figured out how to slaughter 33 more Palestinian children and the women trying to protect them, after the ceasefire was announced. Hopefully the Israeli people will finally cut him off.
Last week when I took attendance at Erie High School in Colorado where I work as a substitute teacher, at least 90 percent (I didn’t count–tomorrow I will) of the kids with Hispanic names were absent. I have no doubt that their families are mobilizing for the impending terror and chaos of ICE raids and sudden family separations. It’s heartbreaking. But part of me is happy for those who will return to their or their parents’ country of origin and find a more peaceful, more affordable, more socially-uplifting and embracing way of life than they have experienced in the United States. And part of me is looking forward to the sudden drop in labor that will make the over-consuming, average American not get exactly what they want when they want it.
About one in five American children are living in poverty ($30,900/year for a family of four in 2023) in the United States. Hopefully they will not end up being the ones indirectly most affected by these labor shortages.
King Trump has gained power. We shall soon see what his reign unleashes on planet earth. At least he might help end the war in Ukraine. Maybe RFK Jr. and Usha Vance will somehow save the day….