Penn Delco Puts Propaganda Over Education

Penn Delco Puts Propaganda Over Education

An open letter to the PDSD school board

Board members, parents and students, teachers and administrators, residents and tax payers:

I’m writing to follow up on the establishment of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee now known as CARES.

While I was unable to join the very start of the meeting, parts of the presentation stood out. Instead of assuaging my concerns, I now have more questions than answers. I plan to view the archived meeting in it’s entirety as soon as it is posted online.

It was implied this committee should be adopted because other districts and corporations have DEI policies. Recent revelations about diversity training involving Coca Cola under the guise of equity show employees were told they need to be “less white.” In the United States there is no room for this type of discrimination and quite frankly this vile hatred. How can the board assure us this rhetoric will not be allowed to creep into the the policy setting process? What accountability will there be for an all volunteer committee? What is the criteria for selecting CARES members?

In addition, during the public comment section one of the speakers used “alt right” to describe those of us with concerns about the committee. This was in my opinion inflammatory, distracting from the substance of the issue. A prominent resident of Delaware County and well known blogger was castigated simply for publishing a letter I authored because they live in a neighboring district. This is the exact opposite of inclusivity. Part of the First Amendment guarantees our right to petition elected officials, of speaking freely and reporting events and opinions.

Finally, the committee was not even minutes old after being established when “cancel culture” surfaced. The lone dissenter on the school board was told in no uncertain terms to resign. So much for respecting other opinions. Is this how the committee will address issues they do not agree with? Will the person who made this comment be allowed to sit on the committee? How does this support an open and honest dialogue?

I intend to follow the development and staffing of this committee very closely. We must all continue to work together, as Americans, to continue to advance our cause to form a more perfect Union. As stated in my public comments, growing up in the City of Chester I grew up in diversity and never saw color or race until that was pointed out to me. I believe people, especially children, are inherently good and kind. I submit that if we continue to point out our physical and other differences, rather than celebrate our shared experiences of this unique melting pot that we are all truly blessed to be a part of, we will continue to drift further apart to our own detriment and to that of the young people we profess to be helping.

Sincerely,
Joseph B Dychala

Penn Delco Puts Propaganda Over Education