Letter To The Editor: The Calvert School Board Had “Gone Woke”

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — The following letter comes from Kyle Webber of Calvert County, regarding the upcoming election of the Calvert County Board of Education.

Dear Calvert County Residents, 

On Thursday, October 27th I took a short walk down Merrimac Court toward Duke Street and the old Prince Fredrick library for the purpose of voting (early) in the mid- term election. On that day I cast votes for Lisa Grenis and Jana Post in the Calvert County Public School (CCPS) Board contest. 

If this is the last sentence you read, then please remember the names: JANA and LISA. If you’d like a mnemonic device, then remember that Jana and Lisa both end with an ‘A’; or note that both candidates spell their first names with four letters. That’s all you need – Jana and Lisa. 

Many of my friends and relatives show little regard for the school board contest or are undecided about who will receive their vote, but people should know the importance of this contest and what’s at stake. Please note that I have written without the consent of, or prior contact to either campaign. 

All of Calvert County is tasked with funding our schools (nearly $148,000,000.00 for the FY ‘23 budget alone). Thus, every taxpayer in Calvert is connected to CCPS. So, a question worth asking is: how does the school board stack up ideologically to its shareholders? With one exception (Pat Nutter), the previous school board demonstrated themselves to be rigorously progressive, or to use a more common vernacular – the school board had gone ‘woke’. 

If you are a parent, or are considering parenthood, ask yourself: who knows what is in the best interest of your child better than you? Most agree that, with few exceptions, the parent is more apt than anyone on planet earth to guide, nurture, and raise their child. Unfortunately, progressive (‘woke’) school board policies seek to supplant this natural order, and as a result children across the country are locked in an environment where they are subjected to many of the unintended consequences of ‘woke’ thinking. 

Let me share two examples. 

Last year, one of my kids told me that a biological male student had started using the girl’s locker room before PE (this is in middle school). I emailed the principal to inquire after the veracity of this claim. The principal dutifully responded and sent me the document that was adopted by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and served as the guiding policy for Calvert County. That document is entitled: Providing Safe Spaces for Transgender and Gender Non-conforming Youth: Guidelines for Gender Identity Non-discrimination. 

https://marylandpublicschools.org/about/Documents/DSFSS/SSSP/ProvidingSafeSpac esTransgendergenderNonConformingYouth012016.pdf 

I strongly encourage every parent to read the document cover to cover. The practices and policies that are outlined in the document raise serious questions. For example: Do parents have a right to know if their child intends to change gender? Are parents entitled to know when their kids are being asked to change in front of other kids who are biologically the opposite sex? What, if any, guidance is solicited from medical or mental health professionals prior to allowing a child to decide that they are a different gender than the one assigned at birth? Should children who are biologically opposite sexes be permitted to room together on overnight school trips? 

Incidentally, last year the CCPS Board past the Resolution in Support of Transgender, Nonbinary, and All LGBTQ+ Students. It’s worth noting that among other things, the decision by the school board to adopt this resolution effectively ends girls’ sports. 

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/calvert/Board.nsf/files/CEPSR272CDFA/$file/RESO LUTION%20LGBTQ%2B.pdf 

It is not my desire to debate the transgender movement and its effect on public education, but rather to illustrate the following truth: the people who lead our schools have tremendous power over the lives of our children. 

Allow me to share one more anecdote before I close. 

Maryland schools are under tremendous pressure to discipline their students equitably. If the MSDE decides that a school is disciplining a minority group at too high a rate, that school faces what is tantamount to an IRS audit from the MSDE. Ostensibly, the goal of this policy is to prevent discriminatory discipline practices. The unintended consequence of equitable discipline is increased school violence. 

Recently, I chatted with a high school teacher from a local area school. It was very early in the school year, and I asked how things went on the first day. His response was sardonic: “Great, we had more than 20 fights on the first day. We’ve reached a point where we can’t suspend anyone from a certain ethnic group. We’ll have to wait around for other ethnicities to mess up before we can discipline them.” 

This deeply flawed approach to discipline not only hinders teachers and administrators, but it leaves all children less safe. To progressive school board members, however, the safety of students and staff are subordinate to the dogma of ‘woke’ thinking. 

We need leaders who are sensible, strong, and fair. They need real moral courage as they fight an uphill battle against progressive policies that have, in recent months and years, ravaged schools. 

In the upcoming school board contest, we must recognize that there is an ideological movement afoot that is poisoning our public schools and destroying them from inside out. We need to elect executives who are not wed to this poisonous ideology. We need leaders who focus on bringing excellence back to our schools. Jana Post and Lisa Grenis will provide that much needed leadership. 

The battle will not be won unless we start by restoring balance to the school board within our own backyard. Therefore, I conclude with one final plea. Vote early and vote for Jana Post and Lisa Grenis. 

Very Respectfully Yours,

Kyle Webber