Teacher Sparks Controversy After Assigning Intrusive and Inappropriate Coursework
A recent situation stemming from off-topic coursework deemed inappropriate by many parents is sparking controversy at Tahoma High School (THS). World Culture Through Film / English teacher Hilary Ledford has been giving her students assignments that require them to divulge their religion, gender identity, and sexual preference while simultaneously creating a “sexual activist” type environment in her class. A student who was enrolled in her class brought it to their parent’s attention after being made extremely uncomfortable by the teacher. The parent has since reported the issue to both the THS principal and Tahoma District School Board.
In response to the parent's complaints and concerns, Ms. Ledford took to her social media to publicly attack the parent who was simply trying to protect her child. Ledford’s social media is actively followed by her students according to a video obtained by Tahoma Parents. This situation has now become a larger issue, with community members weighing in on the matter and calling for accountability and action.
Videos and photos submitted to us show unprofessional relationships with students, off-topic classroom signage, promotion of controversial ideological values, public thoughts of suicide, and more. This display is extremely concerning considering she posts videos of her students and their content. Moreover she is actively aware that her students follow her on social media.
The school district has since responded to the reporting parent stating they agree that such courseware is inappropriate and unrelated to the class. No update has been given on whether this teacher will face reprimand for her behavior and unethical conduct, however.
According to an anonymous school administrator, teachers often get away with injecting personal narratives due to contractual clauses that provide them Academic Freedom. Academic Freedom is a principle that ensures the protection of scholars in their pursuit of knowledge and the expression of ideas, regardless of political views or beliefs. It allows academics to teach, research, and communicate freely without fear of consequences like job loss or repression. While academic freedom is important, it is often abused.
Unfortunately, administrators who wish to correct issues of personal narratives being injected into lessons may have their hands tied as the School Board continues to allow overbroad academic freedom clauses to be written into TSD union contracts.
Excerpt on Academic Freedom from the active 2022-2024 Tahoma teachers union contract.
Tahoma’s history of swiftly dealing with employees who act inappropriately is damning and does not build confidence, unfortunately. In 2020 a Paraeducator at Glacier Park was charged with molesting and raping children.
Never before seen court documents obtained by Tahoma Parents show that the district was made aware of the paraeducator's inappropriate behavior but failed to act. The teacher would make comments such as: “I’ll give you a nickle if you suck my pickle.” to kids in an attempt to groom them predatorily. If the district cannot act to stop a blatant lead-up to molestation, it is understandable to be worried about how they will address a lesser but more subtle and tactful manipulation of students.
Tahoma Parents is still reading through the obtained documents related to this case and will report on future findings.
Tahoma Parents usually prefers to not specify teachers by name as we have found that they wish to maintain a high standard of ethics in most instances. Teachers often adjust to give their students the best environment possible and will usually correct improper action after reprimand. Ms. Ledford is not exhibiting such qualities however, leading Tahoma Parents to believe that her class may not be a safe environment for children who are made rightfully uncomfortable by such content. If a teacher cannot remove their personal beliefs from the classroom, they do not deserve to be there.
It is unfortunate that we must report on this story and understand the additional stress that this may cause. The safety of our children outweighs this fact nevertheless, so we wish to make other parents aware so that they may react and protect their kids accordingly. We sincerely hope that Ms. Ledford and the district come to understand why many parents are not comfortable with this behavior.
We recommend that parents request the removal of their kids from Ms. Ledford’s classes if they believe their children will be negatively influenced.
We will update this story and alter recommendations as proper corrective action by Ms. Ledford and staff is taken.
