A parent says:   I am concerned that my children are picking up opinions on political and moral issues that are based on the personal opinions of their teachers. We have not discussed these issues in depth at home, so my children don't have the background to understand how to think about the teacher's opinion. They usually end up assuming the teacher is right, since the teacher is usually the source of accurate information. Teachers SHOULD NOT be using their position to indoctrinate students to their opinions and beliefs.

A parent says:   Day of Silence, Neutrality in classroom

A parent says:   It seems to me that students who are not fully engaged in the honoring of sexual choices or left wing political views are being singled out and in fact being subjected to prejudicial behavior. This in itself is contradictory and hypocritical in the face of those who claim there is mistreatment due to sexual preference. Our board members and superintendent need to take a stand to remedy the situation and put our children's education in the forefront.

A parent says:   a few teachers who have personal agendas, the ones that we have been battling in the high school and one that I am trying to finish my letter about in SMS.

A parent says:   

1. Teachers using classroom time to push biased social/political agendas.

2. Admin. setting aside public school time to forward a biased social agenda (Day of Silence, Week of Bullying) and forcing all students to participate.

3. Teachers who act like parents (feel the need to protect one group of students over another group).

4. Bias in library (displays, books)

5. Teachers disrespect of authority.

A parent says:   My biggest concern is the day of silence activity, an overt political protest with no allowance for opposing viewpoints. There are several teachers who actively state their political and spiritual points of view in the classroom; this bothers me as well. I believe in freedom of speech, but it seems the teachers have undue influence.

A parent says:   Right now it is the disrespectful and rude actions of a few teachers at the Martin Luther King assembly at MT SI.

A parent says:   I am very concerned about how some teachers feel they can say and behave anyway they wish in front of our children and believe it is okay. I'm tired of our children being afraid of being berated by their teachers for being themselves.

A parent says:   That my children will feel criticized for speaking or even holding their own personal beliefs. Teachers or other staff using tolerance to push their own political or social agenda while being intolerant to my children's point of view.

A parent says:   Teachers should teach the subject, not use the school to spread their personal agenda. Also, it seems as if the school has gone too far with this day of silence, and by keeping our kids out of school that day, they will just be graded down.

A parent says:   My greatest concern regarding the SVSD schools is that political, religious, and social opinions are proposed in such a way, as to encourage the students to make a choice for or against situations and opinions that have nothing to do with education, and do not want my tax dollars to be spent in such a way.

A community member says:   Unequal representation. The GSA has taken over the school and all efforts to create a bible study group has been met with extreme resistence.

A parent says:   I am concerned about the indoctrination of our children into others social, political, and moral (or lack thereof) beliefs instead of focusing on reading, writing, math, etc. (the fundamentals of education).

A parent says:   That liberal and left leaning dogma is not allowing free speech and thought in Mt. Si high school. Kids with a Christian worldview are silenced, made fun of or otherwise marginalized. Public school teachers are paid to teach content related the curriculum being offered, not promote their beliefs and put other down who disagree with them.

A parent says:   I have two primary concerns, and I'm not sure I can pick the most important. First, an indication of a talented teacher is his/her ability to understand and teach multiple and/or opposing aspects of an issue so convincingly that students don't have a feel for what the teachers personal opinion of the matter is. We have many talented teachers in this district, but the mediocrity of several teachers is poisoning the reputation of our high school, poisoning public perception of the teachers generally, and left unchecked, they have undue influence over our children. Second, I can't stand the idea of my children being harassed by adults entrusted with the privilege of educating kids. Children should be corrected by teachers and administration for poor behavior, poor performance or participation in the learning process. However, children should not be shamed by teachers for what they think or believe--their peers do enough of that as it is.

A parent says:   That our teachers don't interject their personal views and opinions in the classroom. That they present the facts like a journalist and facilitate a conversation but leave their own opinions out of it.

A parent says:    I want to protect the classroom setting as a neutral environment where children can learn, grow and feel supported.

A parent says:   I see the loudest teachers (who are the minority and most liberal) being given preference over the majority. This bias is creating division and chaos at Mt Si High School.

A parent says:   My greatest concern is biased representation among educators and staff with regard to standard operating procedures. There is an OBVIOUS disregard to the thoughts and feelings of anyone that has an opposing view to this day of silence. I am saddened by this and would like to do my part in making positive changes toward equal rights within our educational system.

A parent says:   The disruptive distraction that is created by such overt social and political motivations, directly imposed by the staff, which in turn robs our students of the education that each of us, as taxpayers, are funding and expecting our kids to receive. Secondarily, the hypocricy of the bias, while using terms for others such as intolerant and narrow-minded, when in fact this is the message that is being exhibited and embodied by these teachers. The issue is not to impart my belief system in the minds of the teachers or even change their beliefs, it is to keep the teaching staff from imparting their belief system in the mind of my child and, further, actually inhibit my child from developing a healthy, confident, cognitive ability to question, challenge, and wrestle with key moral, ethical, political, and social issues and viewpoints, simply because they may differ from those held by that specific teacher Fundamentally, our educators need to get back to the basics of educating..

A parent says:   SVSD is allowing the agendas of certain interest groups have a foothold in Snoqualmie Valley schools. Those agendas are in direct conflict with traditional family values and what my families believes to be morally right.

A parent says:   SVSD is allowing teachers and certain activist groups to try to mislead students against traditional family values. Their messages have nothing to due with true education.

A parent says:   The over crowding at the HS level and the negative impact that has on our students. Bigger crowds make for less space, less supervision, less time for students to receive p.e., library and so on.

A parent says:   The teachers should adhere to the rules and mission of the school just as they expect the students to do.

A parent says:   Day of Silence, Neutrality in the Classroom, Agendas

A parent says:   The example of poor behavior by our teachers. The fact that when the teachers behave badly the students don't see the teachers face consequences like the students would. This may lead them to think, mistakenly, that adults don't have to pay for their mistakes.

A parent says:   That some bias is encouraged and other bias is suppressed. We need an intentionally articulated approach to what it is that we want to teach our students.

A parent says:   Replacing emphasis on reading writing, math and real science and replacing it with politically correct Al Gore videos and liberal life and political philosophy.

A parent says:   I believe that I, as a parent, should be the first and foremost teacher of our child, especially in the area of life's values. It disturbs me that teachers, who have so much influence in our children's lives, can undermine what we teach at home in areas that have nothing to do with basic education.

A parent says:   that my families values will be imposed upon by teachers personal and private agenda and that my childrens grades will be affected if they do not agree with their views, which could hurt them getting into certain colleges due to a lower GPA.

A parent says:   To have the teacher's at SVSD schools to personally emulate the characteristics and virtues that they are expecting from the students. My daughter at Mt. Si High School came home one day and said that a teacher flipped off one of the students. I am hoping that this behavior would not be accepted from a student to a teacher, and that there would be appropriate disciplinary measures taken; AND I would expect the same consequences for the teacher as well, IF, we are going to teach our children the value of taking responsiblity for one's actions

A parent says:   I just want education presented without a personal or political agenda. I don't want to know, or my children to know, the sexual preferences or activities of anyone employed by the school district.