Those entrenched in State-sanctioned education continue to display how they value political correctness over safety and are happy to use state aid as a means of extorting compliance.
The New York State Education Department’s Senior Deputy Commissioner, James Baldwin announced in a letter on Thursday a mandate that would affect all New York school districts.
According to the letter, the mandate would require New York schools to remove all mascots, team names and/or logos associated with Native American heritage by the end of the 2022-23 school year.
The letter stated that the use of Native American-themed imagery in schools violates the “Dignity for All Students Act” which was a law allegedly created to combat student harassment and discrimination.
Baldwin also cited an obscure psychological study that claimed Native-themed mascots in schools had negative impacts on Native American students including “reinforced stereotyping and prejudice among non-Native persons.”
Failure to comply with the mandate or to obtain permission from tribal leadership associated with the mascots or team names would mean the withdrawal of state funding.
The withdrawal of funding — according to the letter — would also include the loss of “school officers” for non-compliant schools.
New York City has one of the largest school districts in the country and since 1998, has required the presence of school safety officers on school grounds to protect students and staff from violence.
According to CBS New York, staffing levels for this position are already dangerously low.
Should the Supreme Court step in to stop New York’s insane policy?
Yes: 98% (42 Votes)
No: 2% (1 Votes)
CBS quoted Gregory Floyd, who is a Teamsters Local 237 president and representative of school safety agents.
Floyd stated that “the combination of ‘defund the police’ cuts and the vaccine mandate have spelled a dramatic drop in personnel — 1,200 agents who retired weren’t replaced and 600 more are not at work because they refused to get the COVID shot.”
“This results in violence not being prevented,” he continued.
Despite these important positions not being filled, misguided bureaucrats like Baldwin are threatening to pull the entirety of school safety officers should no schools comply with the mandate.
The piece by CBS discussed how New York parents are already concerned for the safety of their children and the increase in violent incidents on school grounds.
Parents who have children in non-compliant districts should be doubly concerned now that New York officials have declared political correctness to be a higher priority than that of their children’s safety.
“About 60 school districts in the state still have nicknames or mascot images that reference indigenous people,” according to NYSED in an article by Times Union.
Should any readers currently have children enrolled in any of those 60 school districts, it may be wise to consider alternative educational venues as woke “leaders” like Baldwin gladly risk their safety for the sake of virtue signaling.
