By Buffy Snell

I have lived in American Fork for 15 years, and have had 4 children excel in many ways because of the exceptional teachers of Alpine School District (ASD). Understandably then, I am respectful and grateful to the staff. At the same time I have noticed that relativism, a prevalent educational philosophy, is making its way into local classrooms and I feel parents need to be aware of what their children may be learning. Relativism teaches there is no absolute truth—that nothing is certain because it is subjective. Even though our community would largely agree that such a view is false; proponents of relativism, such as John Goodlad, have been influencing educators in our district for many years. Our children and our country are reaping the consequences. In fact, in a recent address to the Chapman University School of Law, Dallin H. Oaks has strongly condemned moral relativism because it leads to a loss of religious freedom. (https://newsroom.lds.org/article/elder-oaks-religious-freedom-Chapman-University)

John Goodlad not only views morality as relative, but patriotism as well:

“…educators must resist the quest for certainty. If there were certainty there would be no scientific advancement. So it is with morals and patriotism.” –John Goodlad, Education for Everyone: Agenda for Education in a Democracy”, Woods Learning Center, pg. 6

If this were true, teaching children allegiance to our country and that 2+2 =4 would NOT lead to “advancement.” I am deeply troubled that undermining views such as this would be allowed to influence the minds of an American classroom, especially my child’s. Because of alarming instruction given to my son, I’ve filed a transfer request from his Jr. High Geography class. I have chosen to share the details of that transfer in hopes that the community will increase their vigilance and hold accountable those who are vested with the responsibility to teach and promote our American form of government. Following are the details.

1. My son came home from his Geography class relaying that his teacher had explained to him why Communism “isn’t really that bad.” (those were my son’s exact words)

His teacher’s response to me was that he explores the pros and cons of many forms of government so that students can understand why different systems of rule appeal to different people. He did this, he said, as a way to promote critical thinking. He also said:

“I do not promote or decry any government, religion, or economic system over another one. It is not my place to put one thing above or below another– that is the job of parents and for the students to decide on their own….I have students who come from homes of MANY different political and religious backgrounds.” He also said, “I will not infringe on people’s right to decide for themselves.”

While religious neutrality is important in a school setting, educators are required to promote our American form of government. According to Utah Code I.53A-13-109 teachers are responsible for:

“reaffirming values and qualities of character which promote an upright and desirable citizenry…. Civic and Character Education are fundamental elements of the public education system’s core mission …students shall be taught in connection with regular school work…respect for and an understanding of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Utah… and qualities of character which will promote an upright and desirable citizenry and better prepare students to recognize and accept responsibility for preserving and defending the blessings of liberty inherited from prior generations and secured by the constitution.” https://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE53A/htm/53A13_010900.htm

Not only has the teacher failed to prepare students to recognize and accept responsibility for preserving liberty, he has failed to help them think critically. Critical thinking can only be done when students have an adequate amount of information. And significant facts about Communism were clearly missing.

I have no problem with a teacher who wants to teach children about Communism. In fact, it’s important that he does—as long as children are given enough information from which to draw a proper conclusion. For example, one of the “pros” discussed about Communism was equality. But to truly educate children about the economic realities of Communism, one would have to inform them that the rulers live lavishly at the people’s expense and that “equality” of impoverishment and subjection could never be considered a “pro” for anyone but those running the government.

In addition, teaching that Communism “appeals” to some people and a Republic “appeals” to others, not only communicates relativism—that there is nothing certain because it is subjective; it gives children the impression that there is actually something good about oppression. When done in conjunction with a teacher who is unwilling to promote one form of government over another, it’s not surprising that a child comes to the FALSE conclusion that Communism “isn’t really that bad.”

Communism has been described as “the greatest crime against humanity in the 20th century” and has resulted in the estimated death of 100 million people. https://www.autentico.org/oa09347.php

2. Because of something his teacher said my son came home believing that Mormons are naive and uninformed. He was very upset about a certain aspect of our religion (which he learned from the teacher) and wasn’t sure that he wanted to be Mormon anymore. According to my son, his teacher said he knows more about the Mormon religion than most Mormons because he goes on the Church web site all the time and Mormons can’t even go to the highest kingdom of heaven unless they practice polygamy. These remarks are disparaging and a contradiction of what he expressed to me in point 1 above. The teacher was criticizing Mormons, not only for their views, but for their alleged ignorance. The law states, “employees may not use their positions to …disparage a particular religious… belief or viewpoint. (See 53A-13-101.1. https://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE53A/htm/53A13_010101.htm)

When I reported these incidents to the principal, he defended the teacher and blamed my son for “misinterpreting” classroom dialogue without even verifying whether or not other students had similar views. He skillfully avoided my questions during our meeting, and refused TWO follow up requests for a WRITTEN response to the following:

1. Would it concern you (specifically) if teachers in your school taught as if they believed this statement by John Goodlad? There is a belief by some that there exists “objective knowledge” and a

“correct” view of the world. This view is incorrect. All knowledge is partial

and subjective. There is no single worldview that deserves complete

acceptance. https://woodslearningcenter.org/Docs/EducationforEveryoneSummary.pdf 2. I would like to know what the consequences are for violating the Utah Code and how the school plans to ensure that such violations will not continue.

After failing to get a response, I sent the following question to the Superintendent and the Board member for my district.

I would like to know what the consequences are for violating I.53A-13-109 and 53A-13-101.1 of the Utah code and what actions will be taken if there is a violation?

The correspondence from the Superintendent read,

“I encourage you to continue working with [the Principal] concerning this matter.”

My board member never responded to me.

What are my options? If the teacher refuses to comply with the law; if the Principal fails to investigate; if the Superintendent simply deflects my concerns back to the Principal; and my elected representative doesn’t respond, how do I make sure that teachers are held accountable for what they teach in the classroom?

Although the teacher declined to address many of my concerns or promote our American form of government, he did apologize to my son for the offensive remarks he made about Mormons. But I am troubled that the Principal refused to take any corrective action before amendments were made, choosing instead to blame my son.

The Principal informed me that the school would be happy to help me find a “better fit” for my son. When I protested that the other Geography teachers at the school were also exploring the “pros” of Communism, I was informed that my child could do packets or go to a class at the High School. I was also told that I am the only one who has expressed any concern. While that may be true, I believe it is because many parents are unaware of what is happening in some classrooms or what Utah law requires. You can see below from a survey given to 10 students in this teacher’s Geography class that a high percentage of other children have drawn conclusions similar to my son’s—conclusions I consider dangerous to the future of our freedoms.

In the NNER Today 2009-2010 update published by the Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling at BYU, it says:

“To join the NNER is to commit to action. It means committing to the principles of the Agenda for Education in a Democracy and becoming stewards of our democracy. As Dr. Goodlad has observed, education must be the foundation for seeking positive social and political change.”—Ann Foster, Goodlad’s Executive Director

Alpine School District is fully committed to the NNER and regularly attends their conferences. By committing to its agenda and allowing John Goodlad to influence education in our district, political change is upon us. Time is short. And unless we hold public educators responsible for teaching this generation to preserve liberty, there will be no liberty left to preserve.

2010/2011 Survey for Geography Class (Semester I)

Y=Yes N=No

Mr. Gray is a fun teacher.

8 marked (Y)

2 marked (M) for maybe

There are some good things about Communism.

9 marked (Y)

1 marked (N)

One of the good things about Communism is equality.

7 marked (Y)

3 marked (N)

We should respect others views, even if we disagree. There is not one “right” view when it comes to different kinds of government.

10 marked (Y)– 100% lack the basic understanding that the American Republic is the most successful and superior form of government there is and well worth defending.

Ed. note: Are you really sure you know what’s being taught in your child’s classroom and what ideas your child is picking up on?

Ed. note 2: This article has been edited with the permission of the author so the article just focuses on the most pertinent issues which pertain to state law.

