Parental Concerns

The presence of fentanyl is skyrocketing in our schools. While both the district and police often know who is bringing it in, they lack the will and/or authority to stop it. Kids within the TSD are partaking in these deadly drugs while at school, sometimes leading to overdoses. It’s clear that our schools are becoming an unsafe environment for our children.

Parents within the district have been meeting to share their stories and are actively discussing ways to combat this issue and raise awareness. Be sure to check our calendar for possible future fentanyl awareness meetings.

Critical Race Theory is a Marxist fueled doctrine that realigns class based power structure, into race based systems. It holds that all white people are inherently racist, and that all racial progress (to include the civil rights movement) comes from racist fueled motivations to retain power. CRT seeks to create division and eliminate unity.

While the Tahoma School District claims they are not teaching CRT in schools, there is great evidence showing teachers and staff injecting divisive and controversial narratives into their lessons (CRT Praxis and Pedagogy). See more here.

While bullying and fights in school are not uncommon, many parents have expressed concern that the Tahoma School District is not doing anything meaningful to prevent it. We often receive communication from parents stating that the district is ignoring their reports of harassment and are instead sweeping them under the rug.

The district attempts to appear like they are addressing the issue by holding ineffective “bullying seminars”, but in reality these are seminars taught by social justice advocates promoting CRT like values under the guise of “equity”.

The best initial advice we can give parents is to document all incidents of bullying. The most common mistake we see from parents is a lack of documentation, which allows the district to remain unaccountable. Documentation can be in the form of email, police reports and incident reports. If you have a verbal conversation with staff, immediately follow that conversation up with an email summary of what was discussed. Ask for a reply confirming agreement with the summary for your records. This documentation will go a long way if you must elevate the issue or take legal action.

Do you have a child that is being bullied? Do you you feel that the district is ignoring your concerns? If so, please reach out to us.

Age appropriate sex-education is a major concern amongst many parents. This is understandable as many school districts in the state have injected highly inappropriate content into their lessons. The Tahoma School District has retained its commitment to transparency on this subject, and has done a great job to ensure parents have the resources to decide if the curriculum is appropriate for their children.

Per the TSD, under Washington law, parents have the right to opt their child out of any single lesson or out of an entire unit that includes information about human sexuality. Parents can do this by attending the sexual health curriculum nights or reviewing the lesson material with the teacher and signing the opt out form. If a parent chooses to opt out, an appropriate alternative activity will be provided for their student.

More information here.

Numerous parents have expressed concerns that lessons are being injected with narratives meant to promote agendas in the classroom. As Tahoma Parents believes the district often fails to provide the proper level of curriculum transparency parents are entitled to, we find it important to highlight complaints and concerns so that other parents can stay ahead.

We will report on complaints of propaganda in the classroom as we receive them.

A large concern exists over perceived weak and non-standard security procedures in the school district.

View the story here.

A few educators in the district have taken disgusting initiatives to sexualize and even abuse children.

Public educators have no right to promote, push, or encourage their sexual value systems upon our children. Sadly, this is a frequent issue we see as school staff promote confusing narratives under the guide of “acceptance” and “inclusion”.

Unfortunately, the district is fully bought into the sexual narratives being pushed on kids today. More on this may be reviewed using the resources below.

Rainbow Library Books Approved by the TSD

Teacher Sparks Controversy After Assigning Intrusive and Inappropriate Coursework

Sexually Explicit Graphic Novel Discovered in Tahoma HS Library

Keeping Secrets from Parents? Tahoma Teacher Sends Students Concerning Questionnaire.

School assignment sent 6th graders to wildly graphic, sexual poetry

Discussion on the Sexualization of Children in Schools with Tahoma Parents

Tahoma’s Equity Committee has been the object of heavy scrutiny since the November 2021 local election when School Board Director Haley Pendergraft’s campaign manager, Alicia Busch, posted racist and vulgar TikTok videos. Alicia Busch was also a leader on the district’s equity committee.

When asked what the district is doing to address racism within the district, they have said, “We strive to be anti-racist. That means we are working to develop the skills to dismantle racist actions, policies, and institutions, replacing them with those that support racial equity.” The full Equity FAQ document can be found here.

Tahoma has put out another document listing what they DO and DON’T do in the way of equity. They say, “We ARE teaching empathy and understanding for all people….We are NOT teaching that any racial group is inferior or superior to other groups.”

Having a leader of the equity committee publicly post such anti-white and vulgar sentiments makes one question if the district is practicing what they preach.

Tahoma Parents encourages accountability in all areas of the Tahoma School District. If any behavior found within the district goes against what the Equity Committee says they stand for, it should be called out. If you have concerns, please contact us and reach out to the TSD Director of Equity: Emilie Hard ehard@tahomasd.us

More information on the Equity Committee, including how to get involved with one of the subcommittees can be found on their website: https://www.tahomasd.us/our_district/equity

On April 28th, 2021, the Tahoma School District put out this comment regarding Counter Narrative Books:

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New books will soon be delivered to elementary classrooms, as part of the district’s emphasis on equity. The counter narratives are stories that depict children from diverse backgrounds. It’s an important addition to classrooms so that all Tahoma students can see people in literature that look like themselves.

“Counter narratives teach students empathy for all people, including those from diverse races and those with disabilities,” said Emilie Hard, Tahoma’s Equity Director. “They also give voice to people who may have been absent or marginalized in our society, and provide alternate points of view about people so that children can see examples that aren’t in the dominant narrative.”

An example would be a book that shows a female as a strong leader, or a boy who is sensitive.

Kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms received five new counter narrative children’s books at the most common reading levels in that grade. Titles include books such as “The Day You Begin,” “Be You,” “Salam Alaikum, a Message of Peace,” “I am Lucy,” “Same, Same but Different,” and “New Kid.”

Elementary teachers can choose to read the books aloud, or provide them for students as options for independent reading, display them in classrooms or weave them into lessons.

The books were selected by a committee of teachers and staff members, and also reviewed by students, parents/guardians and staff on the Equity Curriculum and Instruction Committee. Adding counter narrative titles is part of the larger curriculum review, which is one of six goal areas in Tahoma's equity work https://bit.ly/TSDequityHomepage.

We shared this news in the most recent issue of Tahoma Matters. To read the latest from our students, staff and learning community, click here: https://bit.ly/TSDtahomaMatters23April2021

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The complete list of Counter Narrative Books that has since been placed in elementary school classrooms around the district can be found here.

While Tahoma Parents found the majority of these books to be acceptable and age-appropriate, we encourage all parents and guardians to be familiar with what their children have access to at school.

If you would like to file a formal complaint against a book held in a school library, print the Reconsideration of Library Media Center Material form and return it to the school principal. The book will then go through a formal reconsideration process.

When students at Summit Trail Middle School returned to school after a year and a half of online and abnormal school, they were introduced to the pronoun requirement. This particular use of pronouns wasn’t something that had ever been used in the classroom setting before and brought up many questions as to the educational value of having to submit their personal pronouns on assignments. The asking of pronouns was mainly on computer generated assignments on Google Classroom. There was no way to “opt out.”

One parent commented at a school board meeting about removing the requirement of including their pronouns, or at least making them optional, since the pronouns offered no educational value and served as a way to ostracize students and make them feel uncomfortable. After a week or so, the students reported they no longer had to include their pronouns to turn in assignments. That parent however did NOT hear back personally from the board or school district about the process of removing the requirement or why the requirement was there to begin with. Instead, the parent reported being given the runaround from several employees.

The Tahoma School District has given students surveys that ask them about gender, sexuality, drinking, and drugs. One is “The Healthy Youth Survey of Washington” and the other is the SBIRT. The SBIRT was given recently to 8th graders, along with a few other grades. One parent was able to go through the whole SBIRT survey and read the questions regarding gender, sexuality, etc. Its main purpose is to see if there are any red flags in the kids’ lives, such as: drinking, drugs, or mental health issues. If a kid is flagged, they are brought to the counselors where they talk more in-depth with them and decide a path forward to help them if needed. There are very few districts in the state using this survey. The district has to pay to access the survey and has also hired extra “counselors” to administer and go over results with the kids. It is believed that in order to use this survey, the district also has to share the results. They claim the kids’ info is confidential, however the students use their personal ID number to log in. It is unknown what is done with the results after the survey is completed or who gets access to the information.

The Healthy Youth Survey of Washington is more in-depth and personal. It asks about home life, such as how many drinks per week parents drink. It also asks sexual questions such as their birth gender, what they now identify as, and what they wish they could identify as if they could change.

Parents do have the option to opt out of surveys, but often have to ask ahead of time when the surveys will be given to the students.

The Tahoma teachers union (TEA) uses a PAC (political action committee), called WEA-PAC, to fund their endorsed pro-union school board candidates? More info here.

Actively advocating for children at School Board meetings is a great way to be heard in the Tahoma School District. For every comment made, many like-minded parents are represented. If you wish to voice your comments and concerns directly to the board, knowing the proper protocols will ensure your statements are delivered with maximum effectiveness. See THIS PAGE for everything you need to know.

For all those who make a comment at a school board meeting, please consider sending us a copy of your comment and any response you may get from the district. This encourages district transparency and helps like-minded families have a stronger voice in the district.

In an effort to “stop the spread” of COVID-19, our kids are being forced to eat lunch off their laps or even eat outside at some schools. Numerous parents have complained that their kids have needlessly dropped their lunches on the ground or have been outside in freezing temperatures. Meanwhile, teachers and staff eat inside in cozy areas with tables. Such procedures are draconian and not required by the state. The district seems to be doing this in the name of “safety theater” only.

Moreover, many parents have complained of school staff bullying COVID-19 vaccine hesitant children. One parent reported to us that their child was shown pictures of people in the ICU by the school nurse in an effort to scare them into getting the shot. One school pressured a student into taking a COVID-19 test without notifying or consenting the parents making national news. Multiple parents have expressed to us that teachers have been singling them out and promoting fear in the classroom saying things like, “you will kill your family if you do not mask up at Christmas”. The school district has even faced backlash over a plan to have VIP tables for vaccinated children.