Opposition to 10-21-2021 Board Agenda Item 11.A

Francis Howell Familes urges the Board to amend Agenda Item 11.A  regarding the first reading of this policy review.  We recommend the Board of Education amend the first reading to remove P1450, P6230, and R6230, which would reduce transparency in the Francis Howell School District.  We urge the Board to engage the Administration about these proposed policy changes at the meeting so that the public may learn the reasons behind the proposed changes.

  • P1450 would reduce transparency by placing additional financial burdens on FHSD residents who request information via the Missouri Sunshine Law. If the FHSD finds that Missouri Sunshine Law requests have become too burdensome for FHSD, we urge the Board to refrain from such controversial decision making that prompts Sunshine Law requests. Simply making it more costly, even if it is legal in the State, is a step towards less transparency.
  • P6230 would reduce transparency by only allowing the Academic Advisory Committee to review only textbooks, not all resources used in curriculum. Textbooks are a minor part of most course materials, and it has been shown that the non-textbook resources are often the most troublesome and least checked.
  • R6230 reduces transparency by not only changing the language from “resource” to “textbook” but removes ultimate approval of textbooks and resource recommendation from the Board of Education and places that final approval with the Superintendent for all textbooks and resources below $7,500. Recent experience suggests that the most troubling and controversial resources are available free of charge via the internet.

Francis Howell Families strongly objects to these policy changes, and we urge the Board of Education not to adopt them.

What you can do:

    • Attend the FHSD School board meeting tonight and demand transparency in our schools –
      10/21/21 6:30pm – 810 Westwood Ind. Park Dr., Weldon Spring, MO 63304
    • For more information, read this article: Critical Race Theory in Francis Howell – The Evidence
    • Please contact us to get involved or find out more.
    • Consider making a donation to help us elect better school board members.