The all-white Manhattan Beach Unified School District has embraced wokeness and earned the ire of local parents by advocating Critical Race Theory (CRT) and EDSJI (Equity, Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusion). It begs the question: if there is so much racism in Manhattan Beach, why doesn’t the all-white board just resign so that people of color can address whatever issues exist?
The short answer is that they won’t. This is the same MBUSD that spent some $25,000 for an “equity report” to Center for Leadership and Equity Research (CLEAR). One check of CLEAR’s Linked In page and any clear-thinking person will know what their agenda is:
The Center for Leadership, Equity, and Research (CLEAR) is dedicated to eliminating educational and social disparities which impede equitable opportunities and outcomes for all students and the communities from which they arrive. This includes advocacy by its leadership which is called upon to intentionally amplify a collective voice of educational leaders and allies through a forum of professional learning, political action, and community empowerment.
And of course, the MBUSD hired this organization knowing what type of response they would receive.
The response from parents in Manhattan Beach is similar to the volcanic backlash seen in other parts of the country – irate parents confronting a runaway education establishment foisting Marxist propaganda on their kids. But in typical deceptive political fashion, the president of the MBUSD, Jennifer Fenton, claims she doesn’t bear any responsibility for the possibility of implementing CRT / EDSJI. As if anybody really believes that the school board has no say in implementing this latest version of out-of-control wokeness.
“I unilaterally do not have the authority to impart CRT, white fragility or racial reckoning into our teacher’s course material,“ she said in a meeting October 8th, 2021. She continued: “On October 20th we are hosting a workshop to discuss an equity audit that was conducted for MBUSD. And during that conversation we’ll explore next steps to make our campuses and our curriculum more inclusive.”
But in fact, establishing curriculum is exactly what the MBUSB does.
At the October 20th “workshop” the MBUSD heard from an independent expert, Pamela Davidson, Ph.D. Dr. Davidson reviewed the report from CLEAR and found that “there was a disconnect between the data and the conclusions and voluminous CRT recommendations. A concerned parent, Fred Taylor, concluded that the CLEAR, organization contracted by the MBUSD for the equity report, looks like it “took a survey, ignoring the data and recommended the ‘narrative’ they’re pushing.”
MBUSD chair Jennifer Fenton, who found herself on the board after winning an uncontested election, has earned the anger of parents. These parents are constituents she never had to answer to in the election. This is the same Jennifer Fenton who’s failed Hollywood agent husband Chris Fenton is currently being sued in a multimillion-dollar law suit for “fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and negligence.” Like Tom and Daisy Buchanan out of The Great Gatsby, they appear to create disasters for other people and never have to answer for their consequences.
There is a tried-and-true adage that all politics are local. And there’s nothing more local than one’s child or one’s wallet. Given the earthquake elections in Virginia, don’t be surprised to see something like a Parent’s Bill of Rights being floated in time for the next election cycle. Such an issue would directly confront the education lobby, which has been controlled by left wing elements for more than a generation. Whether or not someone like Jennifer Fenton or fellow travelers would actually show the courage of their convictions and actually resign awaits to be seen. But I wouldn’t hold my breath
