Kettering City School's Chinese Language Students Implore Board to Keep the Program but Unintentionally Reveal Something Very Disturbing

The Recital Hall at Fairmont High School was standing room only at the Kettering Board of Education meeting that took place on March 21, 2023.  

Several elementary and middle school students were recognized for demonstrating the characteristics embodied in Kettering's Portrait of a Graduate, and high schoolers were celebrated for multiple academic achievements, such as scoring a 30 or higher on the ACT.

The hot topic of the evening revolved around the board's decision to axe the Chinese language program from the district's World Language offerings due to low enrollment and general lack of interest.

Kettering Students Express Impassioned Pleas for Chinese Language Program to Continue

Six current Fairmont students, one former student, and three adult community members spoke in favor of continuing the Chinese language program despite low enrollment.

The most reasonable arguments to save the program stemmed from the impact the loss would have on students' Advanced Placement (AP) scores and ability to secure their International Baccalaureate (IB) diplomas.  Fairmont High School is currently only one of three schools in Ohio to offer this IB program.

Other students blamed the district's lack of advertising as the culprit behind the low enrollment numbers, citing that teachers and students from both Fairmont and the middle schools weren't even aware that Chinese was offered as a course of study.  Some asked for a chance to do the legwork themselves to promote the program to see if they could spark enough interest to save it and requested the district delay its decision until they could analyze the results.

One parent voiced the need in the marketplace for bilingual employees and suggested the Chinese language course would help some students find good-paying jobs.  

Another advocate for the program shared that learning Chinese is different from acquiring other Indo-European languages: it is so different that new neurological pathways develop during the process.  She also pointed out that Chinese is the world's third most spoken language and is being cancelled while French isn't in the top five or German in the top ten, yet those languages continue to be taught at Fairmont.

The superintendent, Mindy McCarty-Stewart, and the school board both expressed that "data can be insensitive" and assured students that if Chinese is removed from the world language course offerings as planned, they would make students aware of other options and offer support for AP exams.

In reality, the school board's decision to cut the Chinese course is wise.  It demonstrates the district's fiscal responsibility in utilizing tax dollars and gearing them towards programs that deliver higher returns.  There's simply a much higher demand for Spanish, French, and German to be included.

To support their position, many speakers used the statistic that Chinese is spoken by 1.3 billion people, but they conveniently failed to mention that China's population alone is over 1.4 billion.    

Most of the presenters who beseeched the board to save the Chinese program based their case on emotionalism rather than logic, and it revealed something very disturbing.

Left-Wing Indoctrination Very Apparent in the Speeches of Several Kettering Students

Kettering City Schools came under fire in January 2023 when Supervisor of Student Services, Rick Earley, was caught on hidden camera revealing that Critical Race Theory (CRT) could still be taught in the district under the radar:  "It all goes back to how you dress the window," he said.

The board of education and superintendent's office both defended Earley's damning admissions, claiming all of his comments were taken out of context.  Parents didn't buy it.

What is CRT?  It's a complex beast, but it all boils down to the Marxist notion that society is systemically racist.  CRT is filtered through identity politics which judges and treats people differently based on skin color rather than character or merit.  You're either an oppressor or a victim.  Radical, left-wing proponents of CRT camouflage its tenets under an ever-growing list of terminology to throw society off its scent:  anti-racism, social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-bias, white guilt, cultural appropriation, white privilege, restorative justice, just to name a few.  CRT is the very definition of racism and discrimination.  It often worms its way into schools through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, Social & Emotional Learning lessons, and "culturally responsive" teaching.

Although Kettering City Schools emphatically denies that CRT is taught in K-12 classrooms, the speeches of several high school students would indicate otherwise.

One student cited that Fairmont enrolls 21% non-white students, but she would prefer a teacher with a similar racial background to her own and for more racial diversity to be introduced to classes.  Imagine being born into a white family in Africa, China, or India and having the audacity and the child-like petulance to demand the country's demographics be re-engineered to accommodate you.  This student, either at home or school, has been molded into a racist.

Another student said the Chinese program should be preserved because the classroom is an "inclusive safe space."  Sounds like someone needs a can of play-doh and a pacifier.

One student supported his argument by saying the Chinese classroom "accepted different cultures" and offered a "community" where students were "safe" to "be themselves."  If this student doesn't feel safe, then maybe he should consult with the school resource officer.

A student who felt "under-appreciated" as a middle schooler when the gifted program ended felt appreciated once again in the Chinese language classroom.  She shared that when the students are "stressed," the Chinese language teacher lets them skip assignments, offers them granola bars, tells them to go to bed early, and tends to their emotional health when they cry or are upset.  Get this student a mental health evaluation and maybe an emotional support animal.  Unless she plans to work in Silicon Valley where snowflakes are coddled, no employer would tolerate this emotional fragility.  The teacher is not preparing these students for the real world.

"We are friends who lean on each other," is the reason one student cited for reviving the Chinese course.  While it's wonderful for teachers to invest in students, it's clear a line has been crossed. Teachers aren't peers and should not conduct themselves as such.

One adult speaker and student mentor who approached the podium with a mask, despite more than 70 studies now proving their ineffectiveness, lost emotional control and had a tearful meltdown as she recounted September 11 and the "intense racism" Muslim students encountered as a result.  She wailed that she could mentor kids through a lot of situations, but she couldn't mentor them through racism.  Like many before her, this lunatic lauded the Chinese classroom as a "safe space."

   

To sum it up....

Waaaaah!

A sane person should be asking, What is going ON in the Fairmont High School Chinese language class?

How much Chinese these students can actually speak is unknown, but they proved at the school board meeting that they are very fluent in the language of woke indoctrination.  Aside from the few students who made valid arguments, the rest of the emotionally-charged speakers came across as narcissistic, virtue-signaling snowflakes.

The primary reasons students voiced for allowing the Chinese program to live on wasn't based on how much they loved learning the language or planned to apply it to their future careers.  They were a unified front demanding a "safe space" that is "inclusive" and "diverse" where they are "accepted" by a teacher who babies them.

The board removed the human capital agenda item anyway, though they agreed to table it for further discussion; however, the solution seems obvious.  These students would flourish in a playpen.

Even if the board would delay their decision and allow the Chinese class to continue, at least temporarily, it's clear a new teacher who prepares students for the real world and who doesn't encourage left-wing activism in her classroom is needed in place of the current instructor.

Other Public Comments Addressed to the Kettering Board of Education

While the Kettering Board of Education commended the students for presenting a unified front and having the courage to articulate their thoughts publicly, they did not extend such grace to conservative community input.

In fact, a police officer remained present in the Recital Hall for the duration of the meeting.  

If you recall, the National School Boards Association wrote a letter in 2021 to Attorney General, Merrick Garland, who then involved the FBI, requesting that parents be labeled "domestic terrorists" who are subject to the Patriot Act should they dare speak up about their kids' education.

The Kettering school board allows five minutes for each speaker, and conservatives are quickly shut down if they slip so much as one second past the limit.

Here are the highlights from the public on non-agenda items:

• Though Kettering Schools brushes off CRT concerns as ungrounded, one parent assured the board that CRT will come to all schools eventually.  With that in mind, he would like to know what the district will do to stop it.  

• After some digging, another community member unearthed that Rick Earley could request a transcript of his conversation with Accuracy in Media, but he hasn't.  The implication is that if the accusations made against him are false, he could sue for defamation. His silence equates to guilt and the hope that the scandal he created will blow over.  She reminded the board that the Pledge of Allegiance is recited before every meeting, which includes "one nation under God."  As such, they should act like it with their words and deeds instead of conducting themselves like hypocrites.  Regarding transgender students, she advised the board to give them separate bathrooms to be fair to all students.

• Another parent referred to a ruling that parental rights to direct a child's upbringing is an enduring American tradition and called on the board to pass a resolution that affirms this, as the state has done.  He voiced his support for the Chinese language program, but quipped that if the school doesn't block CRT from creeping into our schools, we could all be speaking Chinese.  He went on to suggest that the board could use Rick Earley's salary to fund the program.   

• Steve White announced his intention to run for school board in the Fall.  

• One father reiterated the betrayal all parents felt to be told CRT isn't taught in Kettering and then watch Rick Earley state otherwise.  He shared that kids don't see color, but CRT makes sure they do.  Kids today have made MLK's dream a reality, but CRT would reverse the progress.
  
  

Get Involved!

Parents and community members, it's time to mobilize.  Don't sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to fight the battles.  We need you to attend school board meetings as a supportive audience member or someone who is willing to address the board with your concerns.  There's no bigger advocate for your children than YOU!  

Even if your kids are grown, the future is at stake for all of us.  Indoctrinated students, well-versed in left-wing radicalism, will be the ones running our city, state, and local governments and institutions in the future if we don't intervene.  Together, we can make a difference.  

One big way you can get involved is to run for school board.  Is that something that interests you?  Groups like Citizens for a Stronger Kettering can help you make it happen.  It's time we replace spineless board members committed to group think with community leaders willing to fight for our kids and our country.

Plan to come to the next regular session of the Kettering School Board and connect with like-minded people.  You can find a list of meeting dates and times here.