Category Archives: Education

May 18, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Glad I don’t Live in California!

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 18, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

You’ve probably heard that whatever happens in California spreads to the rest of the country. If true, we’re in for big trouble in Georgia, because parents of students in California have just been told they cannot opt their children out of the newly “integrated, comprehensive, accurate, and inclusive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education” for K – 12 students.

That opinion was published in the March 29th memo of Orange County Department of Education general council Ronald Wenkart who said, “Education Code Section 51938 allows a parent or guardian to excuse their child from all or part of comprehensive sexual health education.” Then, he said, “Parents who disagree with the instructional materials related to gender, gender ID, gender expression and sexual orientation may not excuse their children from this instruction. However, parents are free to advise their children that they disagree with some or all of the information presented in the instructional program and express their views on these subjects to their children.”

This government power grab violates the right of parents to determine the up-bringing of their children and every California parent should object to any school’s use of such indoctrination. In its analysis of the law, the California Department of Education infers that children have a right to engage in sexual relationships with other children, regardless of age. That is a false assumption. Continue reading →

April 27, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Couldn’t Get Rid of “Safe Spaces”

If the original version of S.B. 339 had passed, students could no longer have infringed upon other students’ freedom of speech. Students who continued to limit the freedom of speech of others would have been warned the first time; then suspended or expelled the second time. Since that was deleted before S.B. 339 passed, safe spaces and unconstitutional gag orders will continue. The term “gag order” is accurate, since safe space areas in colleges and universities squelch opinions the politically correct crowd finds offensive or contrary to its agenda.

S.B. 339 was cut in half. The prohibition of safe spaces was deleted and prohibition against peer-on-peer harassment in safe spaces was deleted, also. The bill’s focus became freedom of speech protection for visiting speakers and students in assembly. Therefore, S.B. 339 requires the board of regents to write a system-wide freedom-of-speech policy that protects the press and invited speakers and assures students and faculty the right to assemble spontaneously in constitutional activities that do not interfere with scheduled events, campus activities or invited speakers who might be heckled, otherwise. Meaning, the freedom of speech will be protected in assemblies but not in safe spaces. Assemblies and safe spaces are two different issues. Continue reading →

August 11, 2017 Radio Commentary

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Parent Power Resurfacing

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, August 11, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

It was over a year ago on January 14, 2016 when Representative Kevin Tanner and five other representatives introduced H.B. 739 that passed, overwhelmingly, with only three representatives and eight senators voting against it.  The governor signed it into law on May 3rd of last year, but nothing changed in 2016, because H.B. 739 allowed a year for educators to get ready to put it in place.  So, several things became effective July 1st of this year.

First: The State Board of Education is no longer required to appoint a committee to examine school curriculum, although board members may choose to do so.

With that change, the power to review and approve curriculum content and supplementary material shifted from the state to the local level, where local boards of education must provide an opportunity for public comment and parental input before any instructional material is adopted.

No. 2: The local school board must post in a prominent place on its website and make available for public review a list of proposed instructional material, complete with version or edition or ID number, plus any required State guidelines and the course number where the material will be used. Continue reading →

May 12, 2017 Radio Commentary

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New Laws for Education

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 12, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Since 11:59 p.m. last Tuesday was the end of Governor Deal’s 40-day period to sign or veto bills, today’s subject is two education bills he decided to sign.  One became law the day he signed it; the other becomes law July 1st.

Of eight education bills he signed April 27th, only S.B. 211 concerning federal assessments of student progress became law that day.  A mention of “grouping” in S.B. 211 reminded me that, until recent years, students were always grouped according to learning ability, but not so, now.  Though grouping is mentioned in this bill, it’s unclear whether grouping is for testing only or for everyday classwork.

Also, it’s important to note that writing performance will continue to be assessed within reading, math, science, or social studies assessments, but there’s no mention of cursive writing, which seems to be more or less abandoned in today’s education.  What a loss!

S.B. 211 gives the State Board of Education until July 1st to include in workgroups a component about maximum flexibility for local assessments under federal law.  It, also, protects the right of students who take dual credit courses to be school valedictorian or salutatorian, which could affect this year’s graduating students, since it became law on April 27th.

Several weeks will pass before H.B. 37 becomes law on July 1st and prohibits sanctuary policies on private college and university campuses.  The bill says violators will lose funding, but time will tell whether that happens.   H.B. 37’s delayed date-of-effect reminds me of the time Moses asked Pharaoh when he wanted God to remove judgment and, surprisingly, Pharaoh said tomorrow, leaving Egypt under that particular judgment for another 24 hours or so.  Maybe wise administrators will use the weeks before H.B. 37 becomes law to redirect their illegal students. Continue reading →