Democrats Claim Public Schools Mostly Run By Democrats Are Deeply Racist
The knee-jerk reaction that disparities are caused by discrimination is an all-too-common political argument. And in this case, it is not supported by the evidence.The knee-jerk reaction that disparities are caused by discrimination is an all-too-common political argument. And in this case, it is not supported by the evidence.'Malicious misgendering,' 'malicious deadnaming' are 'slurs' and could get students suspended if school board approves updated rules
"Malicious misgendering" and "malicious deadnaming" are considered gender identity "slurs," and students who use them could face suspensions depending on the "frequency and intensity" of the acts if Virginia's Fairfax County school board approves updated rules.
Changes to the Fairfax County Public Schools Students Rights and Responsibilities handbook will be voted on May 26, Fox News reported.
What are the details?
The handbook on page 63 defines "misgendering" as "the act of labelling others with a gender that does not match their gender identity — deliberately or accidentally," and "deadnaming" (page 61) means "when someone, intentionally or not, refers to a person who is transgender or gender-expansive by a name other than their own chosen name."
The section dealing with such gender identity "slurs" (page 21) indicates such acts could be considered "Level 4" offenses.
A Level 4 offense "allows for a suspension up to 5 days," the handbook says on page 19 — and new language adds "if frequency and intensity are present."
Page 27 of the handbook notes that while responses to Level 4 violations "customarily result in school-based disciplinary action," the principal "may make a referral to the Division Superintendent," which "may result in a number of different responses based on circumstances and rarely results in an expulsion."
Kindergartners through third graders who engage in such gender identity slurs are dealt with also, but on a Level 1 violation basis. Interventions for young students include seat changes, written reflections, and conferences with teachers, parents, and administrators. Sanctions can include detentions and confiscation of student articles.
What did the school district have to say?
"This was introduced last year and is not new for this year’s [handbook]," a school district spokesperson said, according to Fox News. "This is about the purposeful and deliberate misgendering of a student aimed at causing harm." The cable network added that it has reached out to the district for clarification regarding the new "frequency and intensity" language.
What did the governor have to say?
Fox News added that a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said "local school boards need to be listening to parents and focusing on core issues like school safety, learning loss from shutdowns, and ensuring our students are graduating high school college and career-ready."
Anything else?
In related news, Wisconsin's Kiel Area School District has accused a trio of eighth-grade boys of sexual harassment for using incorrect pronouns while addressing another student and filed a Title IX complaint against them amid an investigation.
Fairfax Schools Suspend Maskless Kids Despite Youngkin’s Ban On Forced Masking
Despite Youngkin's ban on school mask mandates, Fairfax County Public Schools is suspending students who don't cover their faces.University reinstates student who proclaimed ‘a man is a man, a woman is a woman’ after immediate suspension: 'I win'
The New York college student who was suspended in February after he defended biological gender has been reinstated by the university, according to a Monday report from the College Fix.
Owen Stevens went viral in November after saying "a man is a man, a woman is a woman" in a social media video.
What are the details?
Stevens told the outlet that SUNY-Geneseo allowed him to continue his education at the school following the February suspension.
In November, Stevens caught the attention of his fellow students and school administrators with a video in which he stated, "A man is a man. A woman is a woman. A man cannot become a woman and a woman cannot become a man. If I am a man and I think I am a woman, I am still a man. If I am a woman who thinks I'm a man, I am still a woman. Regardless of what you feel on the inside is irrelevant to your biological status. It doesn't change biology."
The president of the university issued a memo to the college community vowing to promote social justice. Stevens was also prevented from continuing his coursework until removing the offending videos, was required to tone down his social media presence, and told to attend school-sanctioned sensitivity training.
"The university has vastly eased up on those requirements, according to reinstatement documents obtained this week by the Daily Wire, which state he now only must 'review the state's "Guidance to School Districts for Creating a Safe and Support School Environment for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students" documents and must "self-monitor" his social media posts to "ensure that he presents himself in a professional manner,"'" the College Fix reported.
On Wednesday, Stevens told the outlet, "Universities should be a marketplace of ideas, not an assembly line for one type of thought. Instead of policing speech on social media platforms, they should be engaging in educating future world leaders."
Addressing his reinstatement on social media, Stevens wrote, "I win."
Stevens also added to the Fix, "Although this situation was mended, they still have not changed their destructive policies. We [Stevens and his legal team] will be taking every action necessary to get these policies changed legally."
The outlet stated that the school's media affairs division did not respond to "repeated emails and phone calls" on both Wednesday and Thursday seeking comment on Stevens' reinstatement.
Slate suspends podcast host Mike Pesca after delivering opinion on NYT reporter's use of N-word
Slate has suspended podcast host Mike Pesca of "The Gist" after remarks he made during an in-house debate about using the N-word.
The debate centered on former New York Times reporter Donald McNeil Jr., who admitted to using the N-word in the context of answering a question about the slur while guiding students on an educational tour in Peru.
What are the details?
According to reports, Slate has indefinitely suspended Pesca pending an investigation into his workplace behavior.
The Times reported that Slate suspended Pesca "after he debated with colleagues over whether people who are not Black should be able to quote a racial slur in some contexts."
The Wrap reported that the suspension "stemmed from comments Pesca made last week during a conversation about former New York Times reporter Donald McNeil, who resigned after he was accused of using the N-word and making sexist and racist comments in front of a group of high school students on a 2019 trip to Peru."
"Mr. Pesca, who is white, said he felt there were contexts in which the slur could be used, according to screenshots of the Slack conversation that were shared with The Times," the outlet added. "Slate's chief executive, Dan Check, stepped in to shut down the discussion."
A spokesperson for Slate told The Wrap that there is more to the story, and suggested that Pesca isn't under investigation for that one purported instance.
"While I can't get into specific allegations that are under investigation, I can confirm this was not a decision based around making an isolated abstract argument in a Slack channel," the spokesperson said. "After additional issues were raised by staff, we felt it was appropriate to take further action and indefinitely suspend the show pending an investigation."
What happened in 2019?
The Times noted that Pesca broached the topic before in 2019.
"Mr. Pesca explored the argument over the use of the slur in a 2019 podcast about a black security guard who was fired for using it," the outlet notes. "In one recording of the episode, Mr. Pesca said, he used the term while quoting the man, but asked his producer to make a version without the term. After consulting with his producers and his supervisor, who objected to his quotation of the slur, they decided to go with the version without it, he said."
At the time, Pesca said, "The version of the story with the offensive word never aired, and this is how I think the editorial process should go."
Pesca said that he issued an apology for the producers involved and no action was reportedly taken against Pesca at the time.
Of his suspension, Pesca said that he is "heartsick" over offending his colleagues — but appears to be doubling down on the purported remarks.
"I hate the idea of things that are beyond debate and things that cannot be said," he insisted.
American cyclist suspended from team following 'divisive, incendiary, and detrimental' pro-Trump tweet — which showed a dark-skinned waving hand emoji
Trek-Segafredo suspended Quinn Simmons from the team after the 19-year-old cyclist reportedly fired off at least one "divisive, incendiary, and detrimental" tweet as he spoke of his support of President Donald Trump.
The tweet contained a dark-skinned waving hand emoji, which prompted many social media users to cry "racism."
Simmons won the junior World Championship road race in Yorkshire in 2019, according to Cycling Weekly.
What are the details?
The tweet in question emerged after Dutch cycling journalist and commentator Jose Been said she hoped "this horrible presidency ends" for her American friends.
"My dear American friends, I hope this horrible presidency ends for you," Been's tweet began. "And for us as (former?) allies too."
Been, in the since-deleted tweet, added, "If you follow me and support Trump, you can go. There is zero excuse to follow or vote for the vile, horrible man."
Simmons, who apparently followed Been, wrote "Bye" alongside a dark-skinned waving hand emoji.
I like talented young bike racers as much as anyone, but I refused to cheer for anyone who supports a racist, hatef… https://t.co/j45jzlyuHp— Peter Flax (@Peter Flax)1601480192.0
Another later user added that Simmons was "[a]pparently a Trumper," which prompted Simmons to fire back, "That's right" next to an American flag emoji.
@compassionsix @TourDeJose That’s right 🇺🇸— Quinn Simmons (@Quinn Simmons)1601477999.0
Following Simmons' remarks, some social media users said that Simmons' use of a dark-skinned hand emoji was a form of racism and insisted they would no longer purchase Trek Bikes, according to Cycling News.
According to Cycling Weekly, "The use of a black emoji by a white person online has been equated with blackface, showing a lack of racial awareness and temporarily adopting a racial identity."
In a statement, Trek-Segafredo wrote, "Trek-Segafredo is an organization that values inclusivity and supports a more diverse and equitable sport for all athletes. While we support the right to free speech, we will hold people accountable for their words and actions."
"Regrettably, team rider Quinn Simmons made statements online that we feel are divisive, incendiary, and detrimental to the team, professional cycling, its fans, and the positive future we hope to help create for the sport," the statement continued.
"In response, he will not be racing for Trek-Segafredo until further notice," the statement concluded. "The team and its partners will work together to determine how we will move forward and keep fans and the public informed as to the decisions made in the matter."
Trek-Segafredo response to public comments made by Quinn Simmons https://t.co/ygqYjy8FWz— Trek-Segafredo (@Trek-Segafredo)1601503186.0
What else?
On Thursday, Trek-Segafredo shared another update — this time with a statement from Simmons and team management.
Trek-Segafredo's team also insisted that Simmons was not suspended for his "political views," but for "engaging in conversation on Twitter in a way that we felt was conduct unbefitting a Trek athlete."
Simmons' statement read, "As an American rider, I have always been proud to represent my country. Riding for an American team has been a lifelong dream. A big reason I chose this team was because of the American values behind it."
"To those who found the color of the emoji racist, I can promise that I did not mean for it to be interpreted that way. I would like to apologize to everyone who found this offensive as I strongly stand against racism in any form. To anyone who disagrees with me politically, that is fine. I won't hate you for it. I only ask the same," Simmons' statement concluded.
Team manager Luca Guercilena added, "We all hold Trek staff and management to a high ethical standard and our athletes are no exception. We believe that Quinn has a bright future as a professional athlete if he can use this opportunity to grow as a person and make a positive contribution for a better future for cycling. We remain committed to helping Quinn as much as we can."
Statement from Trek-Segafredo and Quinn Simmons. https://t.co/WvtK9htYWN— Trek-Segafredo (@Trek-Segafredo)1601575163.0
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Parents of fighting students actually enter Philly HS and get physically involved in the fracas, forcing hour-long lockdown
Parents of students involved in fighting at a Philadelphia high school believe it or not traveled to the school this week and got physically involved in the caught-on-video fighting themselves, which resulted in a lockdown and calls to police.
What are the details?
"Stop, stop, stop," one adult hollered in the the hallway at Paul Robeson High School in an attempt to break up a fight between two girls, WTXF-TV reported.
The station said a person who wished to remain anonymous shared cellphone video of the fighting with WTXF and that the station blurred the video.
The clip shows one girl grabbing another girl's hair as they throw punches and slam into lockers, the station said. At one point, an adult appears to try breaking up the fight but then walks away in an apparent attempt to get help, WTXF said, adding that what appears to be two male students try to break things up.
Another video shows at least one person emerging from a brawl with a bloody face as well as a scene in a school office showing a woman trying to restrain a girl as another woman pulls another girl away, the station said.
It's unclear what led to the Monday fights, WTXF said, adding that police said students were suspended.
Officials with the School District of Philadelphia added to the station that several family members of the students came to the school and also became physically involved in the fighting, which forced the school to call police and the Office of School Safety.
Officials also told WTXF that students were moved into classrooms and a lockdown lasted for about an hour.
How are folks reacting?
As you might guess, commenters underneath a PhillyVoice story about the violent incident turned up the sarcasm knob just a tad:
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