Home Schools, Alternatives, post-pandemic

[Ken]

Lots of states protect political speech outside the workplace:

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/de ... -workplace

There are many sources of law that may be implicated in regulating employee political speech and activity. A variety of federal and state statutes address discrimination in the workplace, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA), and the Michigan Persons With Disabilities Civil Rights Act, which respectively prohibit discrimination and retaliation based on an individual's race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, height, weight, or marital status. Other statutes like the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), 29 U.S.C. §151 et seq., protect certain concerted activity by employees related to the terms and conditions of employment. The NLRA protects both union and nonunion employees who engage in concerted activity. Section 7 of the NLRA provides that employees have the right to engage in "concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection." The NLRA also might protect employee speech where it concerns the terms and conditions of employment under the 'mutual aid or protection' clause. Eastex, Inc. v. N.L.R.B., 437 U.S. 556, 566-69 (1978).

Retaliation for engaging in activity which is purely political, without a nexus to employment-related issues, is not likely covered by Title VII, the ELCRA, or the NLRA. However, certain types of political speech-such as comparing "me too" harassment described in the media with the employees' work environment, or advocacy for better wages in connection with political activity-may constitute protected activity and trigger statutory protection. Also, employers may be required to stop certain types of "political" speech if it creates a hostile environment for, or indicates animus towards, other employees in a protected class.

Additionally, some states have passed legislation to address adverse action based on political activity. For instance, Colorado, North Dakota, and Utah prohibit discrimination based on "lawful conduct outside of work." Connecticut goes even further and prohibits discrimination based on the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, even for private employers so long as the activity does not substantially interfere with the employee's job performance. Other states, such as California and New York, prohibit discrimination for off-duty "recreational activities," which could include attending political events.

A handful of states and jurisdictions, including California, Colorado, Guam, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Seattle (Washington), and Madison (Wisconsin), prohibit employers from retaliating against employees for engaging in "political activities." New Mexico protects employees' "political opinions." Colorado and North Dakota ban employers from firing employees for any off-duty lawful activity, including speech. Finally, other states and jurisdictions, including New York, Illinois, Washington D.C., Utah, Iowa, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Broward County (Florida) and Urbana (Illinois) specifically prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on party membership or for engaging in election-related speech and political activities. Thus, it is very important to consider all state authority that might impact employee conduct related to demonstrations.

[Josh]

Colorado is another state the protects employees' political speech.

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail ... 5fee786f7f

Like many other states, Colorado is a state that prevents an employer from terminating an employee for lawful off-duty activity, which could include political affiliation and activism. As a result, prudent employers should carefully analyze their policies and protocols related to discipline and potential employment terminations in this socially and politically active environment.

The Colorado Lawful Off-Duty Activity Statute, codified at C.R.S. § 24-34-402.5, prohibits employers from taking any adverse employment action against a job applicant or employee as a result of (1) any lawful activity (2) off the premises of the employer (3) during nonworking hours. The statute is sometimes known as the “smokers’ rights law” or “lifestyle discrimination statute” because it was originally enacted to protect employees from being terminated for, as an example, being a smoker. Today, as a result of developing case law, the statute has been extended to a broader range of circumstances, including off-duty marijuana use and politically motivated speech and activities, exposing employers to additional avenues of liability. And in some cases, the statute has even been found applicable where a de minimis part of the disputed activity takes place on the employer’s premises during traditional working hours.

This doesn't protect your political affiliations. A rather obvious example is being an open Trump supporter; it's legal to discriminate against such people (and indeed quite a few employers said they would do just that last year). Obviously, this varies by sector. In industries that are more focused on appearing "woke", these kind of things would be more common.

Just to be clear, I haven't been asked my political affiliation. Rather, I was asked about my willingness to support various political causes having nothing to do with the job at hand.

Keep in mind that many people now have an opinion that (for example) being pro-LGBT-affirmation is not "political" and say things like "My existence is not political", as if not affirming homosexual relationships somehow denies someone else their existence.

[temporal1]

Public school salary?
i’m not sure decent grammar is a requirement/deal-breaker. your internet opinions might be. probably would be.

I was recently hired to teach high school in a public school. Do you know how many conversations I've had with the administration about my political and social views? 0.

I've had more conversations about farm animals with my principal than anything remotely political.

Good. Keep it that way.

Reminder: This thread is about what’s happening with alternative/non-government schools.

Jeremy,
If there were no problems, if gov schools were to RELIABLY focus on their basic jobs, this would be a non issue.
i would love it. i WANT good reliable public schools, with little need for alternatives. “if wishes were horses” ..

School districts will vary, there is no need to point out there are always exceptions to generalizations.

Presently, THE VAST MAJORITY of police are criticized for what tiny minorities of bad apple police sometimes do.
Problems in public schools are far more widespread than problems in police departments.

But here we are.

This thread is about increased interest in alternative education options.

[temporal1]

Josh:
Just to be clear, I haven't been asked my political affiliation.

Rather, I was asked about my willingness to support various political causes having nothing to do with the job at hand.

Bingo.
Thus the increased interest in alternative ed options. The topic at hand.

[temporal1]

i miss Herman Cain.
i’ve found Thomas Sowell.

“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.”

“Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.”

“Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked
with what sounded good.”

“The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best.”

“People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.”

Thomas Sowell spoke about public schools. Before the pandemic.

[temporal1]

IFI / A Plea to Exit Public Schools ASAP
https://illinoisfamily.org/education/a- ... ools-asap/

IFI / Cultural Collision: “Comprehensive” Sex Ed Passed in Illinois Senate
https://illinoisfamily.org/homosexualit ... is-senate/

From the OP:

.. In addition to massive overall growth in homeschooling, the survey results also revealed
increasing homeschooling rates across all races and ethnicities.

While the homeschooling population has become more demographically diverse over the past decade,
the Census Bureau found that the number of black homeschoolers increased nearly fivefold between spring and fall of 2020,
from 3.3 percent to 16.1 percent. This black homeschooling rate is slightly higher than the approximately 15 percent of black students in the overall K-12 public school population.

The new Census data confirm what previous surveys have shown while also suggesting a tripling of the homeschooling population from its pre-pandemic levels. ..

For those who are accustomed to dismissing alt ed interests as racist+elitist (if not worse) -
the OP points out ALL parents+cultures desire their children’s education to be of quality, and, to reflect their values.

As one who attended very good “mixed cultural” public schools, before “mixed cultural” was a phrase -
i have witnessed this phenomena first-hand, from my earliest years. (The phenomena that parents want their children to respect their family and faith values.)

From what i witness, foreign students in U.S. schools retain their family+faith values in education MUCH BETTER than U.S. legal citizen students in the same schools, who are now systematically seduced into questioning, if not resenting or hating their family and faith values. This change puzzles me. Parents need to be aware, and seek better. Evidently, they are.

The U.S. now has a legal+social culture that allows those who are fringe minority groups IN ALL CULTURES to dominate.
This leaves many alienated, across the family+faith board. Thus, choosing alternative education.

When the inmates run the asylum, hopefully, the asylum will be vacated.

The people least capable of running a group or organization are now in charge.
Said especially when the result is total chaos or calamity.

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com › ...
The inmates are running the asylum - Idioms by The Free Dictionary

“Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked
with what sounded good.”
Thomas Sowell

[Ken]

Since one of my daughters is a HS senior I spent some time this year on the College Confidential parent forums were folks discuss all things to do with college admissions.

A month or so ago there was a very angry and and disappointed homeschooling mom posting on the forum about how her 4.0 GPA daughter was denied admissions to all of the competitive colleges to which she applied. 2020 was a unique year for college applications because SAT testing was shut down in most states due to Covid and most schools switched to a test-blind admissions policy giving a lot more weight to HS transcripts and GPA.

She was asked: "So, if your daughter is homeschooled, who calculated her grades and GPA?"

"Sometimes she does, and sometimes I do" was the answer.

OK then....

Clearly the colleges to which she was applying were not giving her self-reported transcript and GPA the same weight as those from students from traditional high schools.

Obviously a lot of homeschool kids do go to college. But with standardized testing going away permanently in some states it is going to be harder to distinguish oneself. Especially on standardized common applications, which don't leave a lot of room for explanation. Kids who are off the charts bright and accomplished will always stand out. But it is going to be harder for more average kids to do so.

[Josh]

Given that college is spiritual shipwreck for basically everyone high school age who goes there, I don't consider that much of a great loss.

[Ken]

Given that college is spiritual shipwreck for basically everyone high school age who goes there, I don't consider that much of a great loss.

Let me know if you still feel that way the next time you are someone close to you needs a cardiothoracic surgeon. Or do they teach open heart surgery at that rural Menno primary school of yours?

[temporal1]

Given that college is spiritual shipwreck for basically everyone high school age who goes there, I don't consider that much of a great loss.

Many are questioning its value, in respect to cost/employment, definitely the spiritual shipwreck it is (for U.S. citizen students). Foreign students seem better prepared to not totally lose themselves in the mire. (Maybe they don’t face such direct attacks?)

Since one of my daughters is a HS senior I spent some time this year on the College Confidential parent forums were folks discuss all things to do with college admissions.

A month or so ago there was a very angry and and disappointed homeschooling mom posting on the forum about how her 4.0 GPA daughter was denied admissions to all of the competitive colleges to which she applied. 2020 was a unique year for college applications because SAT testing was shut down in most states due to Covid and most schools switched to a test-blind admissions policy giving a lot more weight to HS transcripts and GPA.

She was asked: "So, if your daughter is homeschooled, who calculated her grades and GPA?"

"Sometimes she does, and sometimes I do" was the answer.

OK then....

Clearly the colleges to which she was applying were not giving her self-reported transcript and GPA the same weight as those from students from traditional high schools.

Obviously a lot of homeschool kids do go to college. But with standardized testing going away permanently in some states it is going to be harder to distinguish oneself. Especially on standardized common applications, which don't leave a lot of room for explanation. Kids who are off the charts bright and accomplished will always stand out. But it is going to be harder for more average kids to do so.

A thread on college entry might be of interest. The tales are never-ending.
Competition among wealthy elites is an established reality, no shortage of ugly examples. Lori Loughlin got prison.

https://www.google.com/search?q=home+sc ... e&ie=UTF-8

This is not a thread on college or other post-hs education.
There is a lot being said about the value of more practical certifications and training.
Another thread could be of interest.

Every possible option to restrict+penalize alternate ed should be expected.
including fear of failure, through subtle+overt messages. union workers have no patience with non-union activities. unions are territorial. (it’s only reasonable to attempt to understand the underlying ground rules behind various statements.)

union teachers are not about to empower parents in their children’s ed.
(in my experience) private schools are more likely to be helpful to home schooling families.