NH School Administration Unit 16 (SAU16) held a meeting (see video) titled “Learning About DEIJ” at Exeter High School on 19 August. I attended the meeting, and this essay gives my views.
Seacoastonline.com covered the meeting in an article titled “SAU16: Teaching diversity in schools is not critical race theory” by Alexander LaCasse of the Portsmouth Herald. It is fair and balanced.
The meeting presenters were not at all balanced, all appeared to me to be DEI-J (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice) evangelists.
The audience was similarly unbalanced. We would not be discussing this subject if there were not appreciable dissenting opinions, and they should have been represented on stage.
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My impressions follow.
After the administrative remarks and introductions, Mr. Andres Mejia, the SAU16 DEI-J Director, presented an overview of DEI-J using the video as an aide. At approximately 19:30 minutes on the referenced video, Mr. Mejia stated, “Our DEI-J vision and efforts will obey the HB2 law,” “We are not teaching CRT [Critical Race Theory],” and “DEI-J is not CRT.”
See the article by Mr. LaCasse on HB2 which is the state budget and contains non-budgetary language prohibiting “divisive concepts.” Mr. Mejia committed to obey the law.
Mr. Mejia was followed (at 29:00) by four teachers from SAU16 schools. They were all articulate spokespersons for DEI-J. They spoke in high-sounding general principles sprinkled with specific concepts such as extended learning opportunities (ELO), standard centered learning, subliminal curriculums on the walls, book lists, and the DEI-J Lens. Simple points perhaps, but certainly nuanced, and they did not drill down into any of the nuances.
Superintendent David Ryan spoke at 44:20. After a brief introduction, he said:
“Whether people wish to believe us when we say there’s no political agenda or not, will not stop the work we are doing because it is the right thing to do, but there is no political agenda.”
This statement was given an enthusiastic round of applause. I found it autocratic and in defiance of the split in the local body politic on this and associated issues. For a more experienced perspective, see Ann Marie Banfield’s assessment of the meeting.
While the Superintendent was speaking, the screen showed the following statement:
“Equity Centered leadership, same high expectations for all, different resources for each.”
There is nothing inherently wrong with the statement, but it is highly dependent upon the criteria for selecting who gets what resources. The overall presentation is replete with such statements, most more opaque than this example.
The Superintendent’s closing included (at 53:15) the phrase “… progressive nature of this particular region of the state.” Progressive is one of those words whose classical meaning has been coopted by glib politicians, where it now denotes the far-left faction of the Democrat Party. QED.
At 55:23 Mr. Mejia said, “There is no DEI-J curriculum.” This is consistent with my understanding that DEI-J is a framework, not a curriculum. The DEI-J framework would be appropriate for a curriculum based on the 1776 Project or one based on the 1619 Project, but obviously not at the same time.
If the goal of the DEI-J Meeting was to preach to the choir, it succeeded. If the goal was to educate the citizenry relative to DEI-J, it failed. There is a serious and widespread schism amongst local voters and the SAU16 management philosophy seems to be damn the parents and full steam ahead.
Mike Johnson is a small government conservative, a live-free-or-die resident of NH, and the author of the e-book John Kerry & PCF-44. E-mail mnosnhoj@comcast.net
