San Diego Unified launches civics with 'SD Unified for Democracy' project
San Diego USD on Civics - Words v. Actions
Words:
1. SDUSD is launching a new civics education initiative called "SD Unified for Democracy" aimed at promoting critical thinking, civil discourse, and democratic engagement.2. The district claims to be committed to helping students become "collaborative communicators, socially aware agents of change, and critically thinking digital citizens."
3. They state their goal is to provide "educational and non-partisan resources to help cultivate a civically engaged electorate."
4. Board President Shana Hazan emphasized the importance of equipping students to "engage in civil discourse, evaluate sources of information, and contribute meaningfully to our democratic process."
Actions:
1. A report by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights found that SDUSD failed to meet its obligations under federal law in responding to 253 reports of sexual harassment and assault of students from 2017 to 2020.2. The district routinely failed to investigate allegations, act to prevent further harassment, and provide support to student victims.
3. In all 253 cases reviewed, key information and documents were missing from case files.
4. Every district employee responsible for investigating sexual harassment reports said they had received no training on their duties under Title IX.
5. There were multiple instances of parents reporting that their children's sexual assault allegations were not taken seriously by school authorities.
Regarding the adequacy of the new civics program:
While the "SD Unified for Democracy" initiative appears well-intentioned and covers important topics like media literacy, civil discourse, and democratic engagement, it does not directly address the serious issues highlighted in the Department of Education report.
Given the district's track record of mishandling sexual harassment complaints and failing to protect students' civil rights, this new civics program alone is likely inadequate to address the deeper institutional problems. A more comprehensive approach would need to include:
1. Thorough training for all staff on Title IX requirements and proper handling of sexual harassment complaints.
2. Implementation of robust systems for investigating and documenting sexual harassment cases.
3. Measures to ensure accountability for staff who fail to properly handle such cases.
4. Transparent communication about steps being taken to address past failures and prevent future ones.
While educating students about democracy is important, the district's actions suggest a need for significant internal reforms to align their practices with the democratic and civil rights principles they claim to promote.
San Diego Unified launches civics with 'SD Unified for Democracy' project
TRENDING:
Posted by | Aug 22, 2024 | 0
By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–San Diego Unified is introducing a new take on civics education this school year with the SD Unified for Democracy initiative, offering nonpartisan lessons and resources designed to promote critical thinking skills and civil discourse.
Aligning with the district’s broader goals to help students become collaborative communicators, socially aware agents of change, and critically thinking digital citizens, SD Unified for Democracy aims to build a foundation of mutual respect and understanding that transcends political divides and builds an informed, engaged, and civil electorate.
With the General Election some 12 weeks away and pivotal elections occurring this year, there is a unique opportunity to remind students that democracy requires informed participation.
“We know that this year is the largest global election year we have ever seen, and that our own American experience is complex,” Deputy Superintendent Dr. Fabiola Bagula said. “Our students will have questions, comments, and will be coming to our classrooms with curiosity. The goal of SD Unified for Democracy is to provide our educators, students, and families with educational and non-partisan resources to help cultivate a civically engaged electorate.”
The project will make lessons and resources available for teachers, students, and families. In addition to online resources at home and the classroom, SD Unified for Democracy offers volunteer opportunities for students, field trips, and community resources.
For example, teachers and school administrators can sign up their school or classroom to learn more about ballot measures or take a field trip to the San Diego County Registrar to see how ballots are counted. School communities will engage in workshops and presentations with the National Conflict Resolution Center and League of Women Voters. High school students will receive information on volunteering as student poll workers and participating in mock elections.
“At San Diego Unified, we recognize the critical importance of helping our students be well-informed and civically engaged participants in our democracy. Through the SD for Democracy initiative, we are committed to equipping students with the tools to engage in civil discourse, evaluate sources of information, and contribute meaningfully to our democratic process,” Board of Education President Shana Hazan said. “By fostering an environment of open dialogue and objective learning, we aim to prepare the next generation of voters to contribute to our communities with integrity and understanding.”
California’s second-largest school district, San Diego Unified serves a diverse student population representing more than 163 countries, and 60 languages and dialects. Learn more at sandiegounified.org
SD Unified for Democracy
Warning! Editing this pageset section will affect all pages on your website.
News Release: San Diego Unified Places Focus on Civics Education with SD Unified For Democracy Project
Posted on 08/21/2024
August 20, 2024
SAN DIEGO – San Diego Unified is introducing a new take on civics education this school year with the SD Unified for Democracy initiative, offering nonpartisan lessons and resources designed to promote critical thinking skills and civil discourse.
Aligning with the district’s broader goals to help students become collaborative communicators, socially aware agents of change, and critically thinking digital citizens, SD Unified for Democracy aims to build a foundation of mutual respect and understanding that transcends political divides and builds an informed, engaged, and civil electorate.
With the General Election some 12 weeks away and pivotal elections occurring across the world this year, there is a unique opportunity to remind students that democracy requires informed participation.
“We know that this year is the largest global election year we have ever seen, and that our own American experience is complex,” Deputy Superintendent Dr. Fabiola Bagula said. “Our students will have questions, comments, and will be coming to our classrooms with curiosity. The goal of SD Unified for Democracy is to provide our educators, students and families with educational and non-partisan resources to help cultivate a civically engaged electorate.”
The project will make lessons and resources available for teachers, students, and families. In addition to online resources for at home and in the classroom, SD Unified for Democracy offers volunteer opportunities for students, field trips, and community resources.
For example, teachers and school administrators can sign up their school or classroom to learn more about ballot measures or take a field trip to the San Diego County Registrar to see how ballots are counted. School communities will have the opportunity to engage in workshops and presentations with the National Conflict Resolution Center and League of Women Voters. High school students will receive information on how they can volunteer as student poll workers and participate in mock elections.
“At San Diego Unified, we recognize the critical importance of helping our students be well-informed and civically engaged participants in our democracy. Through the SD for Democracy initiative, we are committed to equipping students with the tools to engage in civil discourse, evaluate sources of information, and contribute meaningfully to our democratic process,” Board of Education President Shana Hazan said. “By fostering an environment of open dialogue and objective learning, we aim to prepare the next generation of voters to contribute to our communities with integrity and understanding."
California’s second-largest school district, San Diego Unified serves a diverse student population representing more than 163 countries, and 60 languages and dialects. Learn more at sandiegounified.org
MEDIA CONTACT: Information Services Specialist Tara McNamara, tmcnamara@sandi.net
###
Why appalling report on San Diego Unified was no surprise
For more than 180 years after the nation’s founding in 1776, America’s attitudes toward sexism and sexual discrimination, harassment and violence were deeply troubling. But by the mid-20th century, there was an increasing understanding that these toxic problems were inevitable with a societal power dynamic in which men dominated nearly every aspect of life. This understanding, and a racial reckoning in U.S. politics in the late 1950 and 1960s, led to a series of civil rights breakthroughs meant to guarantee that not just Black but female Americans would receive equal, fair treatment under the law.
For women, the most epochal moment came in 1972, when Title IX became the law of the land. It prohibited educational institutions that received federal assistance from barring or limiting access to benefits or to program participation based on gender. In the 40 years that followed, the federal government built on this framework. Of particular note: a unanimous 1986 Supreme Court decision holding that employers’ tolerance of sexual harassment and a “hostile environment” amounted to punishable violations of civil rights, and the steps taken in 2011 by the Obama administration to make more colleges consistently investigate and seriously address allegations of sexual harassment or abuse.
But did these developments translate into real change? Or did they create complacency by encouraging the idea that society’s job was largely done in acting to limit pervasive gender bias?
With the accelerating movement of women into many previously male-dominated fields — and the emergence of an America in which there are far more women college students than men — the case for progress is plain.
But with the rise of the “Me Too” movement in 2017 — in which thousands of women professionals in industries from the sciences to the arts to philanthropy to journalism documented their mistreatment at the hands of powerful men — it was fair to question whether progress has been overrated.
Now comes a similarly wrenching development in our own backyard: the Aug. 9 release of a report by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that found the San Diego Unified School District had failed to meet its obligations under federal law in responding to 253 reports and complaints of sexual harassment and assault of students from 2017 to 2020. The district routinely failed to investigate the allegations, to act to prevent further harassment and to provide support to student victims. As The San Diego Union-Tribune reported, “In every single one of the 253 case files the federal office reviewed, key information and documents were missing — including police reports and investigative notes, witness statements, interview notes [and] discipline records … . Every district employee interviewed who was responsible for investigating sexual harassment reports said they had received no training on their duties under Title IX.”
Every single case. Every single responsible employee. Incredible. This is a gigantic stain on the record of Cindy Marten, SDUSD superintendent from 2013 to 2021 — who now, perversely enough, is the U.S. deputy education secretary who oversees the civil rights office that produced the report documenting her former district’s abject failures.
This stain is particularly indelible because long before the Aug. 9 report, there were immense warning signs that Marten and the district weren’t doing their jobs. In 2013, the parent of a student at Hamilton Elementary School in City Heights said authorities didn’t take seriously her report that her child had been sexually assaulted in a school bathroom. That same year, parents made strikingly similar allegations about the abuse their child had faced at Green Elementary School in San Carlos. The same scenario played out again in 2017 at Miller Elementary School in Tierrasanta. Based on the federal report, it is close to a metaphysical certainty that there are far more such cases that were ignored by callous and incompetent district officials
In a just society, Marten and many of these officials would immediately be exiled from the world of education. But based on San Diego Unified’s phlegmatic response to the federal report, here’s what residents can expect: nominal displays of concern, followed by a reprise of officials’ what-me-worry response to the 253 claims the district mishandled from 2017 to 2020. The district cares more about image control and limiting legal exposure than protecting its students from being sexually assaulted on campus. Disagree? Actions speak louder than words.
Originally Published:
SD UNIFIED FOR DEMOCRACY - Family and Community Members
This page offers resources and tools adults can use to engage with and learn alongside children and teens during the election cycle and beyond.
If any adjustments are needed, please use our feedback form to let us know.
On This Page Quick Links:
On This Page Quick Links:
Participate in the Next Election!
Participate in the Next Election!
Encourage 16 and 17 year-olds to pre-register and 18+ year-olds to register to vote!
You can register to vote in California if you are:
- - a U.S. citizen
- - a California resident
- - at least 18 years old on or before the next election (pre-register at 16 or 17!)
- - not in state or federal prison for a felony conviction
- - not declared mentally incompetent by court action
California Voter Registration Deadlines:
- ONLINE or BY MAIL: Monday, October 21, 2024
- IN PERSON: Tuesday, November 5, 2024
During the election cycle, students will likely be exposed to talk or media about issues, voting, and the election. These resources can help you and your children understand what they are seeing and hearing.
5 Things to Tell Your Kids About the Election
Scroll through the webpage embedded below to see Democracy Explainers from our partner, Rock the Vote. These Explainers contain clear explanations about topics related to our democracy.
In this Ted Talk, Mónica Guzmán explains how curiosity is the most powerful tool we have to navigate our world, especially when our world is dangerously divided along political lines.
From our partners, National Conflict Resolution Center, The Code of Civil Discourse gives us ways to communicate with empathy and kindness, even when we don't agree.
Tips for Civil Discourse!
Media is the way information is shared (books, news, webpages, Instagram, etc.) Media literacy is the ability to identify different types of media and understand the messages in them. It involves skills such as fact-checking, lateral reading, understanding bias and credibility, thinking critically, and sharing information responsibly.
Given that the way that media is created, presented, and consumed has changed significantly due to technology, it is essential that kids, teens, and adults work to develop media literacy. The tools and resources in this section can help.
Media Literacy: Test Yourself!
SD Unified for Democracy: 2024 Election Cycle is a nonpartisan project aimed at building an informed and civil electorate. We neither support nor oppose any political party, candidate, or ballot measure. Our goal is to develop knowledge of democracy (including diverse perspectives and histories), democratic processes, and the importance of a diverse engaged electorate to a democratic and free society; skills to engage in civil discourse, identify bias and credibility, maintain a focus on issues, and fact-check; and the disposition to be informed and actively engaged in democratic processes. If you have any feedback (compliments, comments, suggestions, questions), please use our feedback form to get that feedback to us. Thank you for visiting our project!
Comments
Post a Comment