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Heads up! We have scanned the upcoming agenda for Bakersfield City. We found 12 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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District Hides SEL Training in $213,658 Cybersecurity Contract
Item K.24 is a massive $213,658 cybersecurity contract renewal that explicitly includes ‘deployment of District-Approved Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) modules.’ The district is using a critical security purchase as a Trojan horse to sneak in ideological SEL content for students and staff.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND A SEPARATE VOTE: Email the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘Pull Consent Item K.24 immediately. A cybersecurity contract must not be used to fund and distribute SEL modules. Vote NO unless the SEL component is completely removed from this agreement.’
💰 Impact: $213,658.25 (Ideological Strings)
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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District Hiding $49,632 “SEL-Infused” Recess Program on Consent Agenda
Buried in the consent agenda (Items K.7 and K.16), the district plans to pay consultant ‘Elevo’ $49,632 for ‘SEL-infused programming’ and ‘social-emotional development’ during noontime recess at Stella Hills. This replaces free play with structured social engineering, funded by LCFF and other sources, without a public discussion.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email the Board of Education (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘I demand Consent Items K.7 and K.16 be pulled for a separate discussion and vote. Why are we paying a consultant nearly $50,000 to inject ‘social-emotional learning’ into recess?’
💰 Impact: $49,632
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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District to Buy $8,500 Student Behavior Tracking Software
Under Consent Item K.15, the district is buying ‘PBIS Rewards’ software from Navigate360 to track and manage student behavior in real-time. This system, based on the MTSS framework, creates a digital record of student actions, turning discipline into a data-collection and social credit system.
Recommended Action Plan
Email the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘Pull Consent Item K.15 for a public discussion. Parents do not consent to our children’s behavior being tracked in a digital surveillance system. Vote NO on the Navigate360 contract.’
💰 Impact: Your Child’s Privacy
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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District to Spend $323,150 on New Computers
Consent Item K.26 awards a bid for $323,150 worth of new All-In-One desktop computers. This purchase expands the district’s 1:1 device infrastructure, further entrenching screen-based learning in the classroom.
Recommended Action Plan
Email the Board regarding Consent Item K.26 (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘Before spending over $300,000 on new computers, what is the total daily screen time for a student in this district, and what evidence shows these devices are producing better academic results than traditional instruction?’
💰 Impact: $323,150.00
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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Board to Use District Platform for Political Lobbying
The Board is voting on Resolution 2026-41 to officially support Proposition 3, a state-level tax initiative. This means the district is spending taxpayer-funded time and resources to take a political side on an issue that should be decided by voters.
Recommended Action Plan
Email the Board of Education (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘Regarding Item C.6, the district’s job is to educate children, not to lobby for or against state tax propositions. I demand the Board remain neutral on Proposition 3 and vote NO on Resolution 2026-41.’
💰 Impact: Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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“Ethnic Studies” Program Update
The district’s Executive Director of Curriculum will present an update on the ‘Ethnic Studies Taskforce.’ These programs are often a vehicle for introducing politically charged, divisive concepts into the classroom under the guise of history.
Recommended Action Plan
Attend the meeting to hear the presentation on Item G.2. Email the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘Parents expect history, not activism. What is the purpose of the Ethnic Studies Taskforce, and how will you ensure any proposed curriculum is free of political bias and age-appropriate?’
💰 Impact: Divisive Classroom Concepts
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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District to Adopt “Affirming Curriculum” for LGBTQ+ Month
The Board is adopting Resolution 2026-42 to recognize October as LGBTQ+ History Month. The resolution commits the district to ‘affirming curriculum’ and ‘inclusive practices’ related to ‘gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation,’ signaling a shift in classroom content.
Recommended Action Plan
Sign up for public comment on Item E.4. Ask the Board: ‘What specific “affirming curriculum” will be introduced into classrooms under Resolution 2026-42, and how can parents review these materials before they are taught to our children?’
💰 Impact: Replacing Academics
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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District to Spend $11,267 on Digital News Platform for Classrooms
Item K.13 approves an $11,267 contract for Newsela, a digital platform that provides news articles for students. This is another student-facing screen-time product, and these platforms often present current events through a biased lens, bypassing traditional textbook review processes.
Recommended Action Plan
Email the Board before the vote on Consent Item K.13 (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘Has the district published independent evidence that Newsela improves academic outcomes? How much daily screen time will this add, and what direct instruction time will it replace?’
💰 Impact: $11,267.40
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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District Approves Another Video-Based Screen Time Tool
Consent Item K.19 is a $1,675 contract for Edpuzzle, a tool for embedding quizzes into videos for students. This is another piece of student-facing software that increases screen time and replaces direct teacher-student interaction with digital content.
Recommended Action Plan
Email the Board regarding Consent Item K.19 (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘Before approving more screen-time software, please publish the evidence that Edpuzzle produces academic gains and state how much daily screen time it will add for students at Walter Stiern Middle School.’
💰 Impact: $1,675.00
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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Vague Title — Manual Review Required
Consent Item K.25 awards afterschool tutoring contracts to three vendors: HeyTutor, StudentNest, and Tutor Me Education. While tutoring is good, parents need to know who is being hired to teach their children and what materials they will use.
Recommended Action Plan
INVESTIGATE: Open the file for Item K.25 in the Official Agenda (linked above) to confirm the background and curriculum of these vendors before the vote. Email the board with any concerns.
💰 Impact: Undisclosed Vendor Ideology
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✅ Wins to Defend
Good moves worth showing up to support so they stick.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 10) |
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HUGE WIN: District Proposes Policy to Stop Social Transitioning Behind Parents’ Backs
In a major victory for parental rights, the board is introducing a new regulation (AR 601.14) that would prohibit staff from misleading parents about a student’s gender identity at school. The policy requires staff to use a student’s legal name and pronoun if a parent objects to alternatives and requires disclosure of a student’s asserted gender identity to parents upon request.
How to Lock It In
PACK THE ROOM TO SUPPORT THIS! Sign up for public comment on Item J.3. Email the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘Thank you for putting parents back in the driver’s seat. I strongly support the first reading of AR 601.14 to ensure transparency and protect parental rights. Please pass it without delay.’
✅ Why It Matters: Strengthened Parental Rights
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| Major Win (LEVEL 7) |
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WIN: New Policy to Ban “Discriminatory Bias” in Curriculum and Teacher Training
The Board is considering a new policy (BP 300.63) that would prohibit the district from using any instructional materials, sponsoring activities, or adopting staff development that ‘promotes a discriminatory bias.’ This gives parents a powerful tool to hold the district accountable for fact-based, non-ideological instruction.
How to Lock It In
Show up to support Item J.4. Email the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact details): ‘I fully support the proposed revisions to BP 300.63. Our schools must focus on academic excellence, not activism. Please adopt this policy to ensure our curriculum and teacher training are free from bias.’
✅ Why It Matters: Focus on Academics
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