Letter from the Superintendent - July 2021
At our July School Board Meeting, the board discussed the proposed draft version of the new health standards (which was also discussed months ago by the board), which you may have heard are changes that we at Southwest Public Schools are not in support of. The standards are being revised, and after receiving a letter from the Commissioner of Education he is in full realization that these standards were rushed and proper input from the community as a whole was not considered. There has been an outcry from the public, and I would like to assure our patrons we have no intention of adopting these standards (districts do not have to, it is optional anyway). We will be considerate of our patrons by saying no to this issue, and our school board is unanimous in its opposition to these new health standards.
I would also briefly address the issue of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and its sudden concept that this is a theory that will be adopted or taught in our schools. Again, Southwest Public Schools has no intention of adopting the teaching of this theory. We will continue to teach the concepts our students need to be good citizens, understand the workings and structure of our National, State and Local Government and how they function. We consider what we have taught in our school to be appropriate and give students the necessary knowledge to move on after they graduate. We also want to emphasize kindness in our everyday lives. I’m looking forward to a great school year without interruptions to our students’ education.
Sincerely,
R. Todd Porter
Superintendent