Commentary: Big Tent Ideas

RHYEN STALEY: What Cesar Chavez’s Fall Reveals About Our Schools

(ChatGPT / Daily Caller News Foundation)

The American education system was in love with Cesar Chavez, until it wasn’t.

The meteoric downfall of the leftwing labor hero is the latest example of the tragic consequences of placing the advancement of far-left collectivist ideology and politics over principles that protect the vulnerable.

As K-12 districts across the country publicly and privately distance themselves from Chavez, many schools have been and still are engaging in practices that prioritize the advancement of a leftwing social justice orthodoxy over transparency and federal law.

For example, the New York Times’ bombshell exposé of Chavez comes on the heels of a story out of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia that involved an adult illegal immigrant allegedly groping and sexually assaulting female students inside a school. According to parents of the minor victims, the district was going to allow the assailant to return to the school once he was released from jail.

But this is not the first time one of the nation’s largest school districts has tried to hide illegal or unethical acts from public scrutiny. Last year, it was revealed that during the 2021-22 school year, a district social worker reportedly helped schedule and pay for a 17-year-old to have an abortion without informing her parents. After the incident gained significant media attention, the U.S. Department of Education got engaged and initiated enforcement actions against FCPS for violating the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.

That same year, nearby Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) captured national headlines for a cover up scandal of its own. Not only did the district hide an alleged rape of a female by a male who identified as a girl, but the district moved him to another school where he was accused of raping a second female student.

Around the same time these sexual assaults happened, district officials were in the process of attempting to pass a district policy that would allow students who identify as the opposite sex to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity.

Sadly, LCPS is one of over 1,200 districts across the nation that have policies that not only allow students to use facilities based on their chosen gender identity but also require teachers and staff to keep it a secret from parents.

Thankfully, in early March the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a federal district court ruling that prohibited schools from “misleading parents about their children’s gender presentation.” At this moment, it is unclear how many districts have actually complied.

Unfortunately, these policies have damaging and lasting consequences.

Because some states and districts still allow males to participate in sports based on gender identity, while refusing to disclose the participants actual sex, it is leading to preventable injuries and even sexual assaults.

Such is the case in Puyallup School District in Washington state where a female wrestler alleged she was sexually assaulted during a match last December. It apparently took the district two months to report the incident to the county sheriff’s office despite state law mandating allegations be submitted within 48 hours. In February, the U.S. Department of Education stepped in again and launched an investigation.

While school districts scramble to decide whether to remove Chavez from lessons and curriculum, retract board resolutions honoring his legacy, and if schools should continue to bear his name, a deeper self-reflection needs to be taking place. One that focuses on prioritizing student safety and learning over social justice activism and political indoctrination.

As the heroic mythology around Cesar Chavez transforms into villainy, K-12 district officials would be wise to take stock in how they too might befall the same fate. Most importantly, they need to assess how district policies, procedures, and practices are protecting criminals at the expense of the children and families they serve.

Just as America seeks some semblance of justice and closure for Chavez’s victims, so should we be rallying around the students and parents who ask the same of their school district.

Rhyen Staley is a researcher for Defending Education. He holds a master’s degree in elementary education and has over a decade of classroom experience in both public and private schools. He has over 25 years of coaching experience from junior high to Division I.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

(Featured Image Media Credit: ChatGPT / Daily Caller News Foundation)