Indiana Teacher Fired For FB Post Questioning Social-Emotional Learning

There once was a day when the public school system was non-controversial due to the fact that it offered innocent subjects like reading, writing, and arithmetic, what we would very simply call, Academics. But now, as our schools and our school children have been overrun by data-collecting surveys, political indoctrination, and socialist programs, schools are now claiming that they want to “educate the whole child.”

What the school systems are referring to when they speak of “educating the whole child” is a program called, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).

One problem with SEL is that the program circumvents or bypasses the moral upbringing and religious traditions of the children within the family, and essentially replaces the natural parental “raising” process for a state-sanctioned psychology-based moral compass replacement.

The effects of SEL on the students is questionable at best and quite disturbing at worst as SEL programming causes the children to “groupthink” rather than to think as an individual, thus isolating anyone who doesn’t think like the rest of the group.

For instance, if most of the children are influenced to support abortion, have sex at a young age, support illegal immigration, support the LGBTQ agenda, support socialism, oppose Christians, oppose capitalism, and hate Donald Trump, then the child who was raised in a conservative home with Christian morals and values will be silenced, isolated, ridiculed, bullied, and ostracized – a near perfect agenda for Progressivism to transform this nation into… well… a very different nation.

Another problem with SEL is that the schools haven’t even asked the parents for permission to “educate their whole child” with this psychological programming. They’ve just taken it upon themselves to “take over” the parenting process from the parents, justifying their decision by claiming that the parents don’t raise kids anymore so “somebody has to.”

One Indiana teacher had the guts to question the socialist-based RedForEd movement, to start the Indiana chapter of PurpleForParents opposing #RedForEd, and then to question this SEL social-programming, posting an article about it on Facebook. She was attacked by her peers in the comment feed of her post, and was subsequently fired.

After having been silenced, isolated, bullied, and ostracized, she wrote the following letter detailing her experiences:

“I am the teacher who started the Purple for Parents chapter in Indiana.

Last fall many people in my school district were supporting the Red for Ed movement and before I jumped on board, I did my research.

The far-left socialist agenda behind Red for Ed (NEA) concerned me immensely and I wanted to share my concerns with others.

I found Purple for Parents in Arizona and reached out to them in hopes of bringing some much-needed attention to the issues. Red for Ed supporters are being used to get people to back left politicians and shift elections to empower people who will empower them. One of the very hot topic issues they are pushing is Social Emotional Programs.

Frankton Elementary is in its third year of a social emotional learning program called Leader In Me based on a book by Stephen Covey.  This program is used to change the school culture and educate the “whole child”.  SEL programs teach children values and morals which have no place being taught in a public school.  They use language manipulation, role playing and propaganda to influence the emotion of children.  I have huge issues with this because children come to public schools from families of varying belief systems.  How can a public school assume that role for everyone?

On February 10th I posted an article written by someone else on my personal Facebook page and encouraged people to scroll down and read the comments that had been made over the years about the program.  I believed it gave awareness to a lot of concerns about the program that many people need to know.  I also made a comment about how the program was in everything at our school and it was impossible to even opt your child out.

On Friday (2/14) I was called to the office and told I could resign, or they were letting me go.  I asked them why and they said I was being untruthful about things in the school, that teachers were offended by what I had said, I was hurting the school’s reputation and they said I am not a team player.

I asked them what I have said that was untruthful and the only thing they said was I stated our school would be graded on how well we implemented the program.  I pushed back and stated that was true for the program and they quickly moved on from that point.

I told them a school doesn’t have the right to teach children morals and values because that is a parent’s job.  They told me the SEL program is the same thing schools have always done with “The Golden Rule”.  I mentioned that this program teaches kids to compromise everything and there are things parents don’t want their children to compromise.

I immediately realized I had just been fired for exercising my freedom of speech and felt I had no choice but to unroll my daughter from school there.  How could I possibly trust that she would be treated fairly?  They took my keys, waited around my room while my 6-year-old and I packed my things and escorted me out the building. I literally had to walk down the hallway with a cart of my stuff past 2 classes standing in the hallway. 

Parents and communities need to know how far these schools will go to silence anyone who opposes what they are pushing.

I am a hard worker, professional, and someone who had a great rapport with my students.  My concern for their innocence led me to speak out and I lost my job for exercising my first amendment right.  This should alarm all American citizens even if they don’t agree with my personal views.

Teachers need to stick to academics and schools must respect a parent’s right to teach morals to their children.”

– Jennifer McWilliams

Purple for Parents
Indiana Chapter