Inclusion should include all opinions
A headline in the May 10, 2023 Lamorinda Weekly exposes the hypocrisy of DEI: "As Lafayette School District works to amplify inclusion efforts, outside community members stage weekly protests." It is not completely clear what "outside community members" means. What does "outside" mean: "outside" of what? And what is the "community": is it just Lafayette? Lamorinda?
The headline implies that people outside the community are staging protests and are not welcome. One of the saddest lessons I have learned over the last 6-12 months is that our "community" is not just very woke, but also very closed-minded.? We saw complaints about "outsiders" during the Lafayette school board election last fall, even though all of the candidates were required to live, and did in fact live, in the district.
I do not understand how anyone can claim Lamorinda supports "inclusion" when in fact only certain viewpoints are included, and now outsiders (who live in Lamorinda but perhaps not Lafayette) are also not included.
Two letters published in the May 10 issue also criticize the lack of inclusion. One letter writer observes the hostility towards her because she supports the notion that only biological girls should play in girls' sports and enter girls' locker rooms.
Another letter writer asks the local districts to adhere to their own policy 6144, which requires presentation of diverse viewpoints on controversial issues. It provides, "When a guest speaker is invited to make a presentation related to a controversial issue, the Superintendent or designee shall notify him/her of this policy and the expectations and goals regarding the instruction. If the guest speaker is presenting only one point of view on an issue, the teacher shall be responsible for ensuring that students also receive information on opposing viewpoints." The local school districts have no excuse for disregarding their own policies.
Nick Waranoff
Orinda
A headline in the May 10, 2023 Lamorinda Weekly exposes the hypocrisy of DEI: "As Lafayette School District works to amplify inclusion efforts, outside community members stage weekly protests." It is not completely clear what "outside community members" means. What does "outside" mean: "outside" of what? And what is the "community": is it just Lafayette? Lamorinda?
The headline implies that people outside the community are staging protests and are not welcome. One of the saddest lessons I have learned over the last 6-12 months is that our "community" is not just very woke, but also very closed-minded.? We saw complaints about "outsiders" during the Lafayette school board election last fall, even though all of the candidates were required to live, and did in fact live, in the district.
I do not understand how anyone can claim Lamorinda supports "inclusion" when in fact only certain viewpoints are included, and now outsiders (who live in Lamorinda but perhaps not Lafayette) are also not included.
Two letters published in the May 10 issue also criticize the lack of inclusion. One letter writer observes the hostility towards her because she supports the notion that only biological girls should play in girls' sports and enter girls' locker rooms.
Another letter writer asks the local districts to adhere to their own policy 6144, which requires presentation of diverse viewpoints on controversial issues. It provides, "When a guest speaker is invited to make a presentation related to a controversial issue, the Superintendent or designee shall notify him/her of this policy and the expectations and goals regarding the instruction. If the guest speaker is presenting only one point of view on an issue, the teacher shall be responsible for ensuring that students also receive information on opposing viewpoints." The local school districts have no excuse for disregarding their own policies.
Nick Waranoff
Orinda
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA