Sartell's Equity Alliance plot thickens

Things just got stickier for Jeff Ridlehoover, the superintendent of Sartell-St. Stephen schools. After Kelsey and Haylee Yasgar's interview on Fox & Friends, Ridlehoover issued a statement, saying that "the context that was shared -- which may have been misinterpreted by students and/or staff -- was that students were asked to answer the questions related to their own personal experience and that their answers not reflect those of classmates, friends or family members." That's just the start of things.

According to this article, "In the Sartell-St. Stephen School District, school administrators entered into an $80,000 contract with Equity Alliance Minnesota last October, according to a copy of the contract recently obtained by a group of concerned parents. The district was charged $54,243 for an equity audit and another $40,000 for an 'equity action plan' but received a $14,000 discount for selecting 'multiple services.'"

That isn't all. The article also says that "Equity Alliance Minnesota also offered to provide 'professional development' services, presumably for teachers and staff, in which they would 'understand how culture, power, and race impact self and others' and learn to 'identify the impacts of racism and bias in and out of the classroom.'"

Was this contract approved after proper discussion? Or was it approved as part of a meeting's consent agenda?

This is stunning:

The Centennial School Board was in the process of approving a contract with Equity Alliance Minnesota earlier this summer but paused the discussions amid community backlash. According to one report, residents were primarily concerned by the board’s plan to join Equity Alliance as a full-time member. The annual membership cost is $32,500, according to a copy of the proposed two-year contract obtained by Alpha News.

 That's only part of it. Here's more:

All told, Centennial planned to pay $125,000 for its first year of membership — including $50,700 for an equity audit and $28,000 for an equity action plan — and $38,500 for its second year.

It appears member districts are also asked to enter into a joint powers agreement, the purpose of which is to “support the movement toward systemic E-21 education equity and integration,” according to a 2017 copy of the agreement.

Then there's this:

Current members of Equity Alliance Minnesota include Roseville Area Schools, Inver Grove Heights Schools, South St. Paul Schools, White Bear Lake Area Schools, and Forest Lake Area Schools. As members, these districts have likely paid Equity Alliance Minnesota for its costly services as well as annual fees for "consortium membership."

Apparently, the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board story is causing EAM some heartburn:

We are aware that there is information being discussed on how an equity audit survey was administered. Throughout all stages of an equity audit, Equity Alliance MN values dialogue between school leadership, teachers, staff, families and students amongst and between one another. At no time does Equity Alliance MN, nor the districts we partner with, tell students not to talk with or discuss the survey with their parents. It is also standard practice that school districts inform families of any surveys that may take place. The survey encompasses several grade levels and allows students to skip or not respond to any of the questions.

It's time for people to read the various pages of EAM's website. The most-used word is equity, though it isn't defined. Most pages are word salads. This organization has lots of explaining to do. Frankly, I don't see them as being particularly in touch with what parents want for their children's education.