The writers’ identities are being kept anonymous on this website as many of them fear reprisals by the administration, teachers or fellow students. Where necessary to protect student or teacher privacy, some testimonies have been abbreviated for posting. Superintendent Andrew Corey has been supplied with a full report about these incidents and the teachers involved.
“White people are the only ones who can be racists.”
– Direct quote from Hollis Primary School teacher heard by parent in online class. 2021
“I am afraid to share my beliefs. This is because we are labeled as racists and sexist for doing so. I have been pressured by a few teachers to believe different political views and it made me very uncomfortable. Critical Race Theory teachings will add to the division in our school.”
– Hollis Brookline High School Student 2021
“It was white people who created slavery.”*
“The white people brought slavery to the Americas.”*
“White people cause racism.” *
– Direct quotes from Hollis Primary School teacher heard by parent in online class. 2021
*factually inaccurate
“You’d never understand because you are a white male.” –
– Hollis/Brookline Middle School English teacher to student during class discussion of women’s rights. 2018
ASK YOUR KIDS and find out . . .
Has your child experienced political discrimination, bullying or indoctrination in SAU 41 schools?
Have you as a teacher or a parent?
“Thanksgiving celebrates white people doing bad things and should not be celebrated.” “Columbus was evil.”
–Upset Hollis 7-year-old tells parents what teacher said in class. Fall 2019
“As I sit in class writing this, a teacher is ranting against Warrant Article 15 and the Amendment to it. (Warrant Article 15 and the amendment were offered to protect Hollis/Brookline Schools from CRT.) She went on to say that she had managed to get most of the kids in her first period class upset about it.”
-Hollis Brookline High School Student 2021
“One teacher discussed ‘white privilege.’ We are basically being told that only white people can be racist against other races. There are more students of the COOP who are too afraid to come forward because it is common now that you will labeled and judged if you speak up.”
– Hollis Brookline High School Student 2021
“I know quite a few other students like myself who are forced to remain silent because of the risk of their social status. At HB things like intersectionality and tolerance are only applied to those who fit within a specific agenda.”
– Hollis Brookline High School Student 2021
ASK YOUR KIDS and find out . . .
Has your child experienced political discrimination, bullying or indoctrination in SAU 41 schools?
Have you as a teacher or a parent?
“Kids like me rarely share our beliefs in class. I have been cyber-bullied for my beliefs in school, kicked out of groups, sent hateful texts, etc.”
-Hollis Brookline High School Student 2021
“As a teacher, it really bothered me, and several other educators, that a third-grade instructor in our Hollis Primary school apologized to the class for Trump being elected President. We have an enormous amount of authority and influence as teachers and should not bring our personal political views into the classroom.”
-Concerned Hollis Primary School Teacher 2021
CLICK HERE TO LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO!
“One day in history class, I challenged a teacher’s left-leaning opinion. She completely shut down my opinion and everything I said, tearing me to shreds. I have been bullied by teachers and students and told that I am a racist and an idiot.”
-Hollis Brookline High School Student 2021
“Left wing discussions usually show up in English and social studies classes but every once in a while they show up in STEM classes and it has gotten worse this year.”
-Hollis Brookline High School Student 2021
“We need to rethink Thanksgiving as a Day of Mourning for indigenous people . . . since we are living on stolen land.”
–Excerpt from a CRT/ “Anti-Bias Anti-Racism” (ABAR) presentation given by a Hollis Primary School teacher to other teachers citing the work of radical Critical Race Theory proponent, Ibram Kendi. 2020
*This statement is factually inaccurate. Learn why: https://wallbuilders.com/no-revisionists-thanksgiving-not-day-mourning/
“I’m writing to you because school is becoming increasingly worse with regards to indoctrination and the pushing of a leftist agenda, and I know my friends and I are struggling immensely. As evidence of the indoctrination,* I have attached the latest assignment.”
– Hollis Brookline High School Student 2021
*Parents should be informed about what instructors are teaching to their children — both the content and calls for student advocacy and activism. Here is the title of the assignment referred to above along with the statement that the teacher presents as the premise of fact for all of the questions that followed.
Gender Revolution Questions
Gender is a “social construct,” and Western culture starts to “impose” its [“two gender mentality”] values before we are born, even in the way we decorate nurseries for babies.
Quote from pp. 48-73 “Rethinking Gender” in the National Geographic special issue Gender Revolution 2017
This assignment went on to suggest points of personal and societal change, as well as advocacy and activism students may wish to consider. This assignment was provided to SAU 41 Superintendant Andrew Corey ([email protected]) and parents may request a copy.
MORE teacher intimidation of students at HBHS took place as a direct result of what occurred in the COOP meeting on April 10th.
In a speech given at the meeting, a number of student testimonies of CRT influence, political bias, discrimination and verbal bullying by teachers were shared.
Apparently this upset an HBHS COOP teacher who was present. A few days later, according to the report AboutHollis.com received, this teacher further intimidated students by quoting back to the class some of the “outrageous” claims from the testimonies made public in the speech.
Yet again, this type of teacher behavior caused at least one of our SAU 41 students to be afraid. The student who reported the incident remarked:
“Luckily, I was able to remain anonymous.” Adding, “when it comes to direct confrontation with teachers, I would prefer to stay anonymous for the sake of my grades.”
CLICK HERE TO LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO!
“I am finding out that my child was required to read a book titled: ‘Ghost Boy,’ which appears to be a story about a 12-year old black child, who was accidentally shot by a police officer because the child had a toy gun. (Sounds loosely based on the Tamir Rice story).
I take GREAT issue with this fictional book because if you are familiar with the Tamir Rice story, you would also be familiar with the fact that the shooting had NOTHING to do with racism, and EVERYTHING to do with a toy gun being altered to look like a real gun (feel free to take a look at the actual pictures of the said gun).
So what is the intention of the book? What is the point this English teacher is trying to convey? WHY is my child being required to read heavily biased books? Why is this happening in an English class?! This “English” class sounds more like a Social Studies course since the theme seems to be focused around current events as it relates to racism towards people of color.”
-Middle School parent’s email to her child’s teacher, guidance counselor and Vice Principal of the HB COOP regarding questionable Middle School Reading Assignments. 2020
CLICK HERE TO LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO!
“My child, who attends HBHS, was assigned work in her 11th grade Civics class.
The assignment was a “survey” for students to determine where their views align politically (liberal or conservative).
It was a two-part assignment. The first part of the assignment was for the student to read each viewpoint and determine where their political views align.
The second part was to give the same survey to someone (anonymously/nameless, and enter the answers into Google Classroom) who influences them politically.
In reading the document, I was shocked at how politically slanted and misleading it was. I was also shocked that this was the only thing from which students were to form their political alignment and asked to ‘Understand the difference between each’ political party, as the heading of the assignment states.
Examples of differences on several topics:
Welfare: ‘Conservatives oppose welfare because they are not compassionate to the poor.’
Environment: ‘Conservatives don’t care about protecting the environment.’
Especially in this off the charts political climate, I feel representing either party to our youth the way this assignment/document does is wrong and doesn’t provide students with the foundation they need to form a fact based opinion.”
–Hollis Brookline High School Parent 2020
CLICK HERE TO LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO!
Have you or your child experienced political discrimination, bullying or indoctrination in SAU 41 schools?
Please email us and tell us your story at [email protected]
We can help.
If you are a student, parent, teacher, or employee in the Hollis Brookline school district and you have witnessed or experienced political discrimination, indoctrination or intimidation at school, we can help your voice be heard. You are not alone!
We understand that you may feel afraid to come forward but we encourage you to do so because your story matters and you can make a big difference by sharing it. Your information will be handled in confidence.
Here is the Proposed ACADEMIC FREEDOM Policy for Hollis School District (COOP HB):
Proposed ACADEMIC FREEDOM Policy for Hollis School District (COOP HB)
Instructors of Hollis Schools are granted academic freedom to execute their duties in compliance with the curriculum and policies of the Hollis School district. The term instructor includes teachers, assistant teachers, substitute teachers, coaches and paraeducators. Academic Freedom includes an individual instructor’s right to select course materials, participate in and guide discussions and to select topics and content in accordance with approved curriculum and in accordance with this and other school policies. It also includes the right to make assignments relevant to approved curriculum and assess student performance in approved curriculum and to act in accordance with this and other school policies.
It is the policy of the Hollis School Board that an instructor shall avoid discussions or expressions in regard to political, social and religious values or issues unless they relate directly to the approved curriculum and are in compliance with this and other school policies. Discussions or presentations related to the previously described values or issues shall be permitted provided that the total presentation is balanced and that they pertain to the approved curriculum. Statements related to political social and religious values or issues or current events should be avoided unless they relate to approved curriculum in which case instructors should at all times be factual, exercise appropriate restraint, show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that the teacher, administrator or other employee is not an institutional spokesperson.
An Instructor is limited to the academic freedom afforded by this policy whenever discharging their duties, including in the classroom while discussing his/her assigned subject matter An instructor or employee shall limit him/herself to comments that are directly related to the curriculum established by the School Board. This limitation applies to speech and the components of academic freedom that is ordinarily within the scope of the instructor’s duty.
District employees do not have privileged status by virtue of their positions to make statements that are libelous, slanderous, or that violate the civil rights of others. The academic freedom granted by this policy extends only to speech that is ordinarily within the scope of the employee’s duty. District employees shall not use their professional contacts with students to further their own political aims or those of any individual or group. They shall not use district resources to advocate or promote for political or social values or issues and they shall not advocate or promote for political or social values during the discharge of their duties. District employees shall not encourage or direct student advocacy for any particular issue or position.
Each teacher, administrator, or other employee recognizes and accepts his/her obligation to support the goals of education and to foster respect for the heritage of democratic values.
References:
Supreme Court cases
On appeal, the Supreme Court reversed the circuit court and held that “when public employees make statements pursuant to their official duties, the employees are not speaking as citizens for First Amendment purposes, and the Constitution does not insulate their communications from employer discipline.”
Lane v. Franks
Garcetti does not transform citizen speech into employee speech simply because the speech involves subject matter acquired in the course of employment. The crucial component of Garcetti then, is, whether the speech “is itself ordinarily within the scope of an employee’s duties, not whether it merely concerns those duties.”
Academic Freedom best practice:
https://www.oah.org/about/governance/policies/academic-freedom-guidelines-and-best-practices/
Academic freedom includes the individual instructor’s right to select course materials and content, pedagogy, make assignments and assess student performance. These should be germane to the subject matter.