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Heads up! We have scanned the upcoming agenda for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified. We found 10 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 10) |
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District to Adopt Ibram Kendi’s ‘Antiracism’ Book
The board will vote to adopt ‘Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You’ by Ibram X. Kendi for 11th-grade English and US History. The district’s rationale confirms the book is intended to teach students about ‘identity, power, equity, and belonging’ through an ‘antiracist’ lens, replacing traditional history with ideological instruction.
Recommended Action Plan
PACK THE ROOM: This is a direct injection of Critical Race Theory into the classroom. Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Vote NO on Consent Item I.1.vi. Parents demand a focus on academic excellence, not ideological indoctrination using Ibram Kendi’s ‘Stamped’.’
💰 Impact: Replacing Academics with Activism
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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School to Host ‘Trauma-Informed’ Counseling Program
The district is entering a no-cost agreement with the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation to provide ‘Margaret’s Place,’ an in-school counseling center. The program includes individual and group counseling, a classroom curriculum called ‘YES,’ and trauma-related training for all school staff, creating a therapeutic environment that operates outside of parental oversight.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Pull Consent Item I.1.ii, the Joe Torre Foundation MOU, for a separate vote. What is in the ‘YES’ curriculum, and what are the parental consent and opt-out procedures for these in-school counseling services?’
💰 Impact: Your Child’s Mental Health Data
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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‘Excellence through Equity’ Mandated for Parent Committees
Item I.5.i forces all District Advisory Committees (DACs) to align their goals with the district’s ‘central focus on Excellence through Equity.’ The Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) committee charge explicitly adds teaching ‘cross-cultural and socio-emotional skills,’ turning parent advisory groups into rubber stamps for a political agenda.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND NEUTRALITY: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Vote NO on Consent Item I.5.i. Parent advisory committees must be free to focus on academics and student achievement, not be forced to adopt the district’s ‘Excellence through Equity’ ideology.’
💰 Impact: Parent Voice Subverted
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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Over $435,000 in SEL-Focused After-School Contracts
Hidden in the purchase order list (Item I.2.i) are large contracts for after-school (ELOP) providers who focus on Social Emotional Learning. This includes $185,000 to ‘Roots Education’ and $250,000 to ‘Right at School LLC,’ both of which use SEL as a core part of their programming.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Regarding the Purchase Orders in Item I.2.i, why is the district spending over $435,000 on after-school programs focused on SEL instead of academic tutoring? Parents want a return to basics.’
💰 Impact: $435,000+ for SEL
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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Board Limits Public Comment to 6 Minutes Total
The public comment rules under item II.E state that ‘each person will be given a total of six minutes to speak for the entire meeting.’ This rule prevents parents from addressing multiple, distinct agenda items and severely restricts their ability to hold the board accountable.
Recommended Action Plan
DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO SPEAK: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘The six-minute total speaking time per person is an unacceptable restriction on public input. I demand you revise the rules in Item II.E to allow parents to speak on each agenda item they are concerned about.’
💰 Impact: Silencing Parental Voice
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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District to Adopt Politicized ‘United Against Hate’ Resolution
The board will vote on Resolution 26-16, recognizing ‘United Against Hate Week.’ The resolution’s language, which includes terms like ‘marginalized groups’ and ‘implicit biases,’ aligns with divisive ideologies and often serves as a pretext for introducing political activism into school policies and curriculum.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND NEUTRALITY: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Vote NO on Resolution 26-16 (Item K.3). While we all oppose hate, this resolution uses politically charged language that does not belong in our schools. Keep the focus on academics.’
💰 Impact: Political Agendas in School
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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District Spending Over $60,000 on In-School Therapy
Consent Item I.1.i includes two contracts for in-school mental health services: $34,200 for ‘Dialectical Behavior Therapy groups’ with Brooke Schwartz and $28,800 for ‘Group facilitation for students’ with Soul Salon/My LA Therapy. These services position the school as a mental health clinic, operating without direct parental involvement.
Recommended Action Plan
OPT-OUT ALERT: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Regarding the therapy contracts in Item I.1.i, what are the specific parental notification and consent policies before a student is placed in these groups? Parents must be the primary decision-makers for their child’s mental health.’
💰 Impact: $63,000
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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District Approving $47,000 for Game Design Software
Consent Item I.1.i includes a $47,000 contract with Digital Dragon to provide a ‘Game Design Academy.’ The district has not provided any independent evidence that this program produces academic gains, or what essential instruction time (like math or reading) it will replace.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND PROOF OF PERFORMANCE: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Before approving the $47,000 Digital Dragon contract in Item I.1.i, please publish the independent, non-vendor-supplied evidence of its academic effectiveness and state how much daily screen time it adds for students.’
💰 Impact: $47,000 (Unproven ROI)
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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Vague Contracts for Student ‘Development’ and ‘Counseling’
The agenda includes several vaguely described contracts for student services, with attachments missing. These include a $9,556 contract with Fulcrum Adventures for ‘Leadership and Team Development’ (Item I.1.i) and a no-cost MOU with Daybreak Medical for ‘counseling intervention services’ (Item I.1.ii).
Recommended Action Plan
INVESTIGATE: Open the Official Agenda (linked above) and find the attachments for Fulcrum Adventures (Item I.1.i) and Daybreak Medical (Item I.1.ii). We need to know exactly what services they will provide to our children before the board votes.
💰 Impact: Undisclosed SEL/Therapy
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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Board to Approve New Book with No Public Review
Consent Item I.1.vi asks the board to approve ‘The Amazing Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt for 10th-grade advisory classes. While the author is respected, the district has not provided the book or a summary for parental review, asking for a blind approval of new instructional materials.
Recommended Action Plan
INVESTIGATE: Open the file for ‘The Amazing Generation’ attached in the Official Agenda (linked above) under Item I.1.vi. Parents have a right to review all instructional materials before they are approved for the classroom.
💰 Impact: Bypassing Parental Review
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