Latest news with #WheelofPowerandPrivilege
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Manchester schools 'Wheel of Power' packet still stirring strong emotions
Manchester residents and school officials weighed in publicly this week for the first time since a packet on microaggressions and a 'Wheel of Power and Privilege' shared with some students elicited strong reactions across the city. The May 12 Board of School Committee meeting was the first since word of the packet spread late last month. Several speakers expressed concerns with the materials during the public comment portion of the session, while others — including some board members — spoke on the importance of recognizing diversity in the Queen City. 'When our district started to become more diverse, it was a challenge in schools, and I witnessed firsthand some of the prejudice against students that might speak a different language,' said Bob Baines, who is a former mayor, educator and current school board member. 'At West High School, before I got there, French was the dominant language that people spoke in their homes. English was the second language. I had a teacher one time in class tell a student to go back to Puerto Rico, where he belonged, because he was from Puerto Rico. 'We have to create an understanding of where people come from, that's how you create a community. Manchester is becoming a minority majority school district.' Eighth graders in a class at Henry J. McLaughlin Middle School brought home a packet Thursday, April 24, titled 'Cultural Fluency 2.0: Microaggressions.' The packet was distributed in connection with a unit on the Holocaust. School officials said the packet contained some materials intended only for staff development. Microaggressions are defined by Merriam-Webster as 'a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority).' In response to concerns aired by some parents, the district issued a statement saying they understand the topic can 'create reactions and conversations within our classrooms.' 'In this isolated incident, students were asked to complete an anonymous self-reflection form to explore their understanding of self to text within the unit,' the statement read. 'Unfortunately, materials intended only for staff professional development were used for this anonymous student self-reflection.' On Friday, April 25, Amadou Hamady — executive director of Student Engagement, Outcomes and Success for the Manchester School District — sent staff an email regarding Cultural Fluency training PowerPoint slides asking them to 'refrain from sharing any training materials, especially presentation slides, surveys, facilitator guides, or discussion content with students or external parties.' At Monday's meeting, Alderman Crissy Kantor said the packet is a divisive element in a city home to 'so much beautiful diversity.' 'When I was 10, 11, 12, I was one of the most brown kids in school, and now there's even more colors, more cultures and everything,' Kantor said. 'So to push this divide — and it is a divide, it's a complete divide — we're just dividing our children up and making them feel bad about themselves.' Manchester resident Camille Craffey called the 'Wheel of Power and Privilege' a 'very divisive piece of paper.' 'Wheel of Power and Privilege,' list cultural identifiers — such as White, middle-class or citizen — and the degree of power and privilege associated with each. It listed categories including skin color, sexuality, ability, citizenship, neurodiversity, body size, housing, wealth, and gender identity (options there were trans non-binary, female identified, male identified). 'There's even a portion in this packet that says, if you say you don't see color, then you are expressing a microaggression,' Craffey said. 'Is that not where we want to be? Is that not part of Dr Martin Luther King's message, to judge someone by the content of their character and not the color of their skin?' Manchester resident Callie Rojas said the Google definition of the Wheel of Power is 'a visual tool illustrating how different social identities can be associated with varying degrees of power and privilege within a society.' 'So if we left segregation in the past, then why are we telling individuals that they are limited?' Rojas said. 'My father is the first of his 10 siblings who came to America from Colombia. He is proud to be an American and blessed to have achieved the American dream. He worked hard his whole life and has now retired from a company that he has worked for for over 25 years. He has college degrees, certificates and a pension. According to this wheel standard, he should be large, homeless, poor, with an elementary education. This is blatant racism.' School board Vice Chairman Jim O'Connell said he thinks people are looking at something and claiming that it's creating division, not recognizing diversity, when 'actually it's doing exactly the opposite.' 'I think it's very important that we as a district recognize that we do have a diverse population,' O'Connell said. 'It is important that our students learn to live in the society that we live in today, and we'd be doing a disservice if we were not helping them to understand the world that they're living in.'
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Manchester school staff asked not to share DEI training materials in wake of controversy
A Manchester school official is asking district staff to refrain from sharing any Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training materials with students or 'external parties' after a packet on microaggressions and a 'Wheel of Power and Privilege' distributed to students at a local middle school elicited strong reactions on social media over the weekend. State Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, has gone so far to suggest the wheel — on which students were asked to circle categorizations they identified with — violated state law. As first reported by the Union Leader over the weekend, eighth graders in a class at Henry J. McLaughlin Middle School brought home a packet last Thursday titled 'Cultural Fluency 2.0: Microaggressions,' distributed by Grade 8 language arts teacher Jennifer Doucette. The packet was distributed in connection with a unit on the Holocaust. School officials said the packet contained some materials intended only for staff development. Microaggressions are defined by Merriam-Webster as 'a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority).' On Friday, the district issued a statement saying it is 'aware of social media posts regarding a classroom lesson in one of our schools.' The district said officials had reviewed the matter with the building principal, but couldn't address personnel matters directly. 'We understand that this topic can create reactions and conversations within our classrooms,' the statement said. 'In this isolated incident, students were asked to complete an anonymous self-reflection form to explore their understanding of self to text within the unit. Unfortunately, materials intended only for staff professional development were used for this anonymous student self-reflection.' McLaughlin Middle School Materials used in an eighth grade lesson on the Holocaust at McLaughlin Middle School in Manchester has set off a storm of controversy among parents. Don't share As word of the packet spread last Friday, Amadou Hamady — executive director of Student Engagement, Outcomes and Success for the Manchester School District — sent staff an email alerting them to a situation requiring 'immediate care and discretion' regarding Cultural Fluency training PowerPoint slides that were shared with students as part of a class assignment. 'Unfortunately, it appears the slides were then shared beyond the student's use, possibly reaching individuals outside the school community and even the local press,' the email says. 'Given the current political climate and heightened scrutiny around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work, we are again reminding all staff to refrain from sharing any training materials, especially presentation slides, surveys, facilitator guides, or discussion content with students or external parties. 'These resources were designed strictly for internal staff development purposes.' Political reaction House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, on Monday said Republicans are "shocked but not surprised that the Manchester School District is trying to hide its curriculum from public view." "This newest incident is yet another example of their disdain for parents who inquire about their own children," said Osbourne. "It is clear, the only DEI that the Manchester School District is focused on is disdain, exclusion, and intimidation against parents and students." Osborne said the situation highlights the need for the state's Education Freedom Accounts. "Transparency is of the utmost importance, and if Manchester Schools are refusing to provide that, then parents deserve the ability to send their student to another school that will,' Osborne said. 'Offered for reflection' The packet shared with students contained a list of examples 'offered for reflection' of possible microaggressions, such as failing to learn to pronounce or continuing to mispronounce the names of students after they have corrected you; using the terms 'illegals' to reference undocumented students, or continuing to misuse pronouns after a student — transgender or not — indicates their preferred gender pronoun. The packet also contained a 'Wheel of Power and Privilege,' listing cultural identifiers — such as White, middle-class or citizen — and the degree of power and privilege associated with each. It listed categories including skin color, sexuality, ability, citizenship, neurodiversity, body size, housing, wealth, and gender identity (options there were trans non-binary, female identified, male identified). Students could circle cultural identifiers on the wheel they felt matched up with them, and learn what category the wheel places them in: most power, marginalized or most marginalized. 'We want to be clear that there was never a survey completed as part of this lesson or unit,' school officials said in a statement. 'The district team has taken steps so this action is not repeated." But in an email to Manchester Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel and Mayor Jay Ruais, Sen. Sullivan says referring to the wheel as a non-academic survey is 'incorrect.' 'This document was designed to elicit information,' she wrote. Sullivan said state law requires school districts to notify a parent or legal guardian of a non-academic survey or questionnaire and its purpose. 'Per this RSA, that was in fact a survey that violated state law,' Sullivan wrote. Social media responds News of the packet and wheel sparked more than 200 responses via email and social media. Colleen Smith wrote, 'This is EXACTLY why we choose private school for our children. This BS 'micro aggression' is not being taught in their school and should not be taught. Instead of focusing on gender, body size, and sexuality, the schools should focus on academics so our students can actually exceed in reading, writing, and math.' Sandy Hamilton wrote, 'Oh no! Teaching children to have self awareness and have openness to see other's perspectives? Horrors!' State Rep. Erin Kerwin, D-Manchester, wrote, 'I believe that learning about microaggressions and understanding the experiences of people from different backgrounds is an important and necessary part of education today. We live in a multicultural world, and helping students develop empathy, awareness, and the ability to appreciate different perspectives is essential if we want to build a more inclusive, united community.' Former Manchester school board member Ken Tassey Jr. called the situation 'disgraceful.' 'The excuse that these materials were meant for staff training is an admission of guilt: it is worse than the crime of overtly putting it on the kids' desks,' Tassey wrote. 'It means there was intent to train teachers on divisive Critical Theory under the guise of a sweet-smelling title, and then drip-market it to our students in a way that circumvents parental consent and compliance with new federal law. Get the Marxists out of our schools.' pfeely@
