Utah State Board of Education Public Hearing on Educational Equity in Schools (R277-328)
The Utah State Board of Education hosted a public hearing on July 22, 2021, to allow for commentary on R277-328 — an administrative rule that dictates what Utah schools can and cannot teach about diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Utah chapter of Mormon Women for Ethical Government shared their position at the meeting with the following text and presentation.
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As parents and members of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, also known as MWEG, we wish to express our appreciation for and concerns regarding R277-328. We take seriously the admonition by the leaders of our faith and by Governor Cox to “abandon attitudes and actions of prejudice” and “root out racism” in our hearts and in our communities.
We cannot “root out racism” in our state without being honest about how racism developed in our past and acknowledging its impacts in the present. We have great faith in our nation and believe it is strong and good enough to do this work in healthy and productive ways. We must be willing to discuss issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion clearly and directly in our homes, schools, and communities.
We applaud the previous efforts of the state school board to denounce racism and promote educational equity, and to do it professionally by supporting teacher development and the publication of clear curriculum standards. We believe those efforts make Utah better and stronger. More importantly, we believe they help all of our children of any race or background to be better and more compassionate citizens. We recognize the role public education plays in helping the children of God who make up this nation to understand each other. Valuing and embracing diverse beliefs and cultures through education is crucial to the function of society. You have been strong leaders in this regard.
In the Utah State Board of Education’s Resolution 2021-01, it states “The Utah State Board of Education firmly denounces racism in any form in our schools and in our education system and embraces principles of equity and justice for all. All of our policies, programs, and activities shall promote unity and civility among diverse groups. The Utah State Board of Education commits to identify and examine issues of race, ethnicity, and color and the effect they have on the education system and community and to understand and correct any inequities; and recognizes that the starting point of this work of racial equity must be a reflection and internal examination, whereby the Board will look for ways to engage our members in open and courageous conversations on racism and inequity” (USBE Resolution 2021-01, p. 1).
In addition, the USBE “Portrait of a Graduate” (May 2019) has the following competency standards for 9-12 students:
Civic Literacy: Students will be able to use their knowledge of government and economic systems to defend civic choices and analyze and evaluate options.
Students cannot use knowledge of government and economic systems they do not have. We must instruct our students clearly in an academic setting the components and purposes of different government and economic systems so they will have the ability to recognize their characteristics in a global context.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Students will be able to analyze and synthesize multiple perspectives of an issue to solve problems. Students will be able to cite valid, reliable data and evidence that apply in a variety of situations across contexts.
This standard correctly identifies the need to understand “multiple perspectives of an issue to solve problems.” To achieve this aim, students clearly must be presented with multiple perspectives. Students cannot be taught to simply recite, they must be taught to think. If presented with only half facts as they apply to only portions of the population they will not learn reasoning skills.
Respect: Students will be able to generate and utilize adaptive strategies, independently, for recognizing, understanding, supporting and advocating for the rights and the unique values, contributions and needs associated with each member of their diverse community.
This kind of respect requires deep understanding–the kind generated by a thorough understanding of the history and experiences of diverse communities. That kind of understanding is generated by a curriculum that includes the voices and stories of people from across the populace.
These admirable standards and values must be supported by the education our children receive in Utah schools.
Throughout the books Latter-day Saints hold to be scripture, there are countless admonitions to remember. Moses councils his people to “remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt” (Ex. 13:3). Alma the Younger asks his people, “Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers?” (Alma 5:6). The Latter-day Saint faith is not alone in this — there is an ever-present reminder in cultures and faith traditions to remember, whether it is the Jewish celebration of Passover or the Native American tradition of recording history through artifacts, songs, and dance to Islamic commemorative celebrations. Every ethnicity and culture has traditions for recording and sharing their history.
Why is this true for so many cultures and faiths? Because if we do not remember the challenges, trials, and mistakes of the past, we are fated to repeat them.
Many of us are Latter-day Saints and have had the experience of hearing the history of our people minimized or distorted by those who do not fully understand our community experience or who minimize what it meant to be a group subject to violence stemming from misinformation and suspicion. We understand how disorienting it is to hear oneself described as a footnote or an afterthought in the history of one’s nation.
This experience should motivate us to give particular care to accurately telling as many of the stories that make the rich tapestry of the American experience as we possibly can — a bright, colorful, rich history in which we want all of our children to feel included. We know it is possible to lie by omission. When we teach our children a partial history, we are distorting the truth and depriving them of the understanding they need to function in a diverse world. Honesty up front can help our children develop and maintain a love of country that is capable of creating better futures.
We cannot remember what we do not know. As Latter-day Saints, we believe it is a religious duty to learn, “Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations…; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms” (D&C 88:79).
We count on both our religious leaders and our educators to work with us, as parents, to instruct our children in learning about and understanding the past. We believe educators have a pivotal role in encouraging and enhancing students’ opportunities for learning. Without the educators of the past and present, much of our history, literature, and knowledge would be lost.
Our concern with R277-328 is that it has the potential to empower those who would vilify and target educators who teach the history of our country using credible, reliable sources. This rule is vague and open to personal interpretation, forcing teachers to self-police or risk attacks on their credibility or livelihood. In an environment such as this, education could become controlled by the loudest and most threatening voices. Which is to say, education will be much less likely to happen.
As we’ve all learned over the last 18 months, we are lost without our teachers. Especially after this hard year, we want to voice our support and encouragement of educators. We, as parents and citizens, should stand with our educators in helping our students learn from the successes and mistakes of the past. We stand with educators who encourage and support the thorough examination of diverse histories, literature, cultures, and societies so that our students become better citizens and lifelong learners.
We ask the state school board members to clarify that educators will not be burdened with undue accusations by parents, citizens, or even school board members who maliciously misinterpret this rule.
We are further concerned with the restrictions this rule places on local school districts to provide curriculum and material for professional development (PD) to the public for approval as stated in R277-328-3 (5).
This section has the potential to discourage diversity, equity, and inclusion professional development because of additional requirements and steps to ensure the public approves of the PD. It creates an environment of mistrust and implies our educators must be monitored more than the children they teach. This is not a requirement for any other PD. It is not required for the professional development of our other civil servants. PD materials should be the purview of local school boards. Therefore, we ask the state school board members to remove this requirement from the rule.
We encourage the school board to remember our goals as stakeholders of Utah education. Our students are best served when the adults in their lives work together to encourage them to gain “knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come” (D&C 93:24) in meaningful and age-appropriate ways.
We gratefully acknowledge the countless hours and effort the state school board members have expended to get this right. We encourage you to resist the effort of individuals who would drive our state backward based on motivations of fear and mistrust or who would fracture the collaborative relationship Utah parents have long had with our educators.
Finally, it is worth the effort on your part to ensure our students are adequately prepared to be contributing citizens and a reflection of the diverse, equitable, and inclusive education they receive here in Utah.
