SPEAK
Students, Parents and Educators for Achievement through Knowledge
You have found the web site for SPEAK VT, an organization dedicated to excellence in educating our children.
Our Mission: To usher our children into an educational experience that is directed by parents as quickly as possible.
Here are our concerns:
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in our Essex Westford School District (EWSD) teaches students and staff that white persons are supremacists because of their skin color. Those who do not conform to this belief, are scared and can experience repercussions.
DEI teaches that sex and gender are separate and female and male stereotypes are toxic. This ideology is being inserted in every area of our children's education without question, and free thought is being suppressed.
Students are being separated into affinity groups via identity, creating an atmosphere of group think and exclusion.
The focus from DEI is black and white thinking, oppressor versus oppressed. It is up to one person, the DEI Director, who determines who is oppressed and who is not.
Students, with EWSD's encouragement, keep secrets from parents. Schools keep separate records of children who want different names and pronouns without parents' knowledge. Parents are being excluded, devalued and undermined by EWSD.
Students and teachers are pressured to engage in a ritual of stating preferred pronouns in class. If you decline, you could be called out.
Professional Development is presented with a faulty premise and bias. For example, teachers are being segrated during professional development and ideas that are considered "white supremist thinking" include individualism, progress is bigger and fear of open conflict.
These issues flow directly from the District Equity Policy Goals, Procedures and Action Steps.
Academic progress continues to decline while the budget increases exponentially.
