Public Ed, Devilish Disco & Offensive Mascot

[Ting Tang]

I'm not really big on Halloween. I hate it, actually, lol.  

But our local school, which is K-8, is hosting a "Devilish Disco" for the students.  I guess I find it odd that people involved in public education were comfortable calling an event a "Devilish Disco" for children ranging in age from 5-14.  Maybe I am overreacting?

The school's mascot is also a Brave.  Some of the logos just show the word "Brave."  They deleted the school's Facebook page and created a "group" instead.  The logo now features a very cartoonish depiction of a Native American. 

Teachers are making these decisions.  The school is failing according to test scores.  It is physically not in very good shape.  My life would be easier if my kids could go there, of course.  We never returned them due to Covid, when my oldest was in 2nd grade.  I should go to school board meetings, but I know nobody would agree with these points, and it is a very small community.  They were already defensive when I pointed out the school is ranked near the bottom of the bottom 50th percent.  I do not like that I pay tax dollars for it, and I do believe in strong public education---I greatly benefitted from going to great public schools.  Maybe I am just a complainer, but I am very resentful of it all.

 

 

[City Mouse]

Not sure if this is just a vent post or if you are asking for suggestions. 

If you are wanting changes to happen, maybe pick one issue at a time to try and fight/change. Where I live, getting the mascot changed would probably be the easiest thing to do because there are lots of Native American groups that would get involved with that. 

I would assume that there is a PTO or other parent organization organizing the dance. The best way to make changes there would be to participate in the group when your children attend the school. Otherwise, yes, I do think you are overreacting to simply the name chosen for the dance, but I am not religious in any way, so “devil” has no more meaning to me as a word than “tooth fairy”. I know that other people may feel more strongly.

The physical condition of the school and academic success of the school is worth going to the school board meetings and speaking, but I agree that you will not carry much weight especially when your children are not attending the school.

[Pam in CT]

I agree with @City Mouse - be the change you want to see. 

 

[I mean, if you're just sorta venting, there's a place for that, and these forums are a fine place. But if you actually want to effect change, pick an issue or two that are particularly important to you, find or start a group of people who also care, find an access point or process to make a difference, and lean in.]

 

[katilac]

I don't think Devilish Disco for a children's Halloween dance is that odd. Kids (and adults) dress in devil costumes for Halloween. They are referencing a pop culture version of the character, not a religious version. The decorations and theming would have to be over-the-top for me to think much of this. 

Your kids don't go there, so I wouldn't complain about the dance theme. Pick your battles and all that. I'm guessing you're not in the FB group, but a nicely worded message that assumes they have good intent would probably get that picture changed. They should probably be using the official school logo in the first place. 

I wouldn't personally bring up the Braves mascot unless I had standing in the court, so to speak: either having a child in the system or Native heritage. 

We all pay tax dollars for things we don't use and don't like. That's just the nature of government and community living. 

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Are you bored?  You don’t have kids in the school. You aren’t attending the disco party. You aren’t affected by the school’s low test scores. So why are you getting bent out of shape over this?  
 

(there are ways to affect positive changes in a community like offering tutoring or volunteering at the school but you aren’t asking about those things. ). 

[Ting Tang]

Just kinda venting.  I feel like these little things are indicators for why there are bigger problems there. I think I am frustrated because I feel my children should be able to go there.  I pay taxes for the school, and I do not feel it is a suitable school for them or anyone.  So I have a lot of resentment about it.   We are not homeschooling because I felt a calling to do it.  My reason for continuing to homeschool is because the local school is so bad and private schools are farther away and cost more money. I probably should stop following their news and whatnot.  

[Farrar]

The mascot bothers me because I believe it does real harm to indigenous people. 

I'm not so bothered by the "devilish" theme. I don't see it as religious. It's a pop culture reference and the word isn't even "devil"  but an adjective that is more connotated to "mischievous" than "evil." But I will say if I was the teacher on the planning committee and someone objected on religious grounds, I'd be like, meh, but okay. Like, obviously it's not respectful of a certain brand of Christians, though I don't see the harm in the same fashion. It's not perpetuating a stereotype of Christians that affects how real people make decisions and treat Christians the way using Native people as mascots can.

The test scores are a complex issue. Tests aren't a great measure. The pandemic messed everyone up and going by these scores is generally not a good thing right now. Test scores are a better proctor for socioeconomic status than anything else. 

None of it would have me griping if my kids didn't go to the school. I think there are bigger issues in the world. The treatment of teachers and the core things wrong with school systems bother me. Even the test scores are just surface to that. And that I do care about. But this stuff? Meh.

 

[Corraleno]

The Devilish Disco name doesn’t bother me any more than “deviled eggs” does, but the cartoon mascot is really offensive and I would probably send copies to local news organizations and post it on social media, tagging any people or organizations that I thought might be in a position to force a change. (You could probably also report the post or group to FB for racist imagery, but It seems really random what they delete and what they allow.) There’s not much you can do about the test scores or the physical state of the school. 

[Ting Tang]

3 hours ago, Farrar said:

The mascot bothers me because I believe it does real harm to indigenous people. 

I'm not so bothered by the "devilish" theme. I don't see it as religious. It's a pop culture reference and the word isn't even "devil"  but an adjective that is more connotated to "mischievous" than "evil." But I will say if I was the teacher on the planning committee and someone objected on religious grounds, I'd be like, meh, but okay. Like, obviously it's not respectful of a certain brand of Christians, though I don't see the harm in the same fashion. It's not perpetuating a stereotype of Christians that affects how real people make decisions and treat Christians the way using Native people as mascots can.

The test scores are a complex issue. Tests aren't a great measure. The pandemic messed everyone up and going by these scores is generally not a good thing right now. Test scores are a better proctor for socioeconomic status than anything else. 

None of it would have me griping if my kids didn't go to the school. I think there are bigger issues in the world. The treatment of teachers and the core things wrong with school systems bother me. Even the test scores are just surface to that. And that I do care about. But this stuff? Meh.

 

The school has been in decline since 2016, and it really has been a revolving door for teachers.  I blame a bad school board, but the community really rallies around these people.  The former president from 2016-2021 now sends his kids to a private school. They fired one teacher for making pro-mask comments to students when the governor said masks needed to stay on in schools.  I'm  not really looking at the Devilish thing just from a religious standpoint, but I guess I feel it just wasn't the best decision to call it that for the age group? But I see how it wouldn't bother a lot of people.  The mascot does bother me.  The evolution of it has gotten worse with the school.  

 

3 hours ago, Corraleno said:

The Devilish Disco name doesn’t bother me any more than “deviled eggs” does, but the cartoon mascot is really offensive and I would probably send copies to local news organizations and post it on social media, tagging any people or organizations that I thought might be in a position to force a change. (You could probably also report the post or group to FB for racist imagery, but It seems really random what they delete and what they allow.) There’s not much you can do about the test scores or the physical state of the school. 

I am going to report it!  That is a great idea.  I don't know if anything will happen, but we will see. I'll make sure it is anonymous.

[Hilltopmom]

The teachers are not the ones making the decision about the mascot. Trust me. That’s a district/ admin thing, many places have changed away from those types of names but it usually takes years of community arguement to finally decide on a new mascot. And lots of angry board meetings. Btdt.

Edited October 1, 2022 by Hilltopmom

[pinball]

4 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Are you bored?  You don’t have kids in the school. You aren’t attending the disco party. You aren’t affected by the school’s low test scores. So why are you getting bent out of shape over this?  
 

(there are ways to affect positive changes in a community like offering tutoring or volunteering at the school but you aren’t asking about those things. ). 

Are you bored?

LOL

We could do this all day…now someone quote me and ask if I’M bored.

(lots of people think that the Devil is an actual entity, BTW. FYI)

[Frances]

4 hours ago, City Mouse said:

Not sure if this is just a vent post or if you are asking for suggestions. 

If you are wanting changes to happen, maybe pick one issue at a time to try and fight/change. Where I live, getting the mascot changed would probably be the easiest thing to do because there are lots of Native American groups that would get involved with that. 

I would assume that there is a PTO or other parent organization organizing the dance. The best way to make changes there would be to participate in the group when your children attend the school. Otherwise, yes, I do think you are overreacting to simply the name chosen for the dance, but I am not religious in any way, so “devil” has no more meaning to me as a word than “tooth fairy”. I know that other people may feel more strongly.

The physical condition of the school and academic success of the school is worth going to the school board meetings and speaking, but I agree that you will not carry much weight especially when your children are not attending the school.

In regards to the last point, I think this is especially true right now, as there is a concerted grassroots effort throughout the country to harass and threaten left leaning board members so that they will resign. We know numerous board members whose lives have been turned upside down and our recent large school district had to ban anyone but board members from attending meetings. And the majority of those leading these efforts are either homeschooling, have their kids in private school, are have no school aged children. Not that we all shouldn’t have a say because we are paying taxes, but in the current political climate, I’m not sure your remarks would be taken in the spirit intended. I would do as other have suggested and choose just one issue to focus on, perhaps the mascot, and find like minded individuals.

[Farrar]

If you're not viewing the "devilish" thing from a religious standpoint, I have zero clue what you're even objecting to about it. Outside of a certain type of Christian that takes anything even devil adjacent super seriously (and I'm trying to be respectful about that, honestly) I have no concept what would be bad about this. It's just alliterative and slightly cutesy if you take religion out of it.

While you may see the school's evolution in a long term sort of way, I can promise you that statistically the pandemic is messing with it or accelerating these issues. The teacher shortage is nationwide and it keeps getting worse. The disrespect and abuse of teachers is getting worse. Teacher pay is terrible - even in markets where it's "decent" it doesn't compare favorably to other jobs, especially when many teachers have debt from masters degrees that they were essentially pushed to get by districts. Schools and teachers are political punching bags in every single state and it has gotten worse everywhere. So what you may feel is local to your school is definitely part of nationwide trends and issues.

[MercyA]

45 minutes ago, pinball said:

We could do this all day…now someone quote me and ask if I’M bored.

Well...are you? 😉 

Ting Tang, I get your frustrations. I think you might be able to affect a little change re: the offensive mascot, and I think it's fine to do that regardless of whether your children are in the school or not.

I think the "Devilish Disco" is tacky for little kids. I mean, a lot of cultures and religions believe in the devil, not just Christians, and he's pretty universally associated with darkness and evil. I know they are doing the "Halloween version" of the devil, but there are so many other choices. Why pick that one? But I also wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

[Melissa Louise]

The Devilish Disco.is for the alliteration. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

The mascot/logo thing - gross. Find the right person to complain to about that. Not 'the teachers'.

'The teachers' have very little control over these things. You're looking at the executive or the district or whomever. 

I doubt there's a single link between an alliterative Halloween event and test scores. 

 

[Ting Tang]

I think I just question the decisions and choices everyone seems to make.  I worked in social services, so I understand how teachers feel.  There are a lot of expectations placed on teachers with very little support and very little pay.  I do feel teachers have often been victims in the way our school district has been managed.  I would like to find out why they think the mascot is still appropriate.

[Terabith]

I would be REALLY bothered by the mascot.  That's just wrong, especially if it's a new mascot??? 

The Devilish Disco would give me pause, honestly, and I'm a pretty liberal and progressive Christian.  Like, I get they're going for alliteration and probably a kind of spooky, Halloween themed dance, but I feel like it's just using bad judgment because it's going to upset SO MANY people.  But I live in an area with a lot of evangelicals.  But even beyond that, it makes me uncomfortable or squeamish, even though I don't really think there's anything terrible going on.  

But the Devilish Disco isn't in the same league as the mascot.  

[Farrar]

1 hour ago, MercyA said:

I think the "Devilish Disco" is tacky for little kids. I mean, a lot of cultures and religions believe in the devil, not just Christians, and he's pretty universally associated with darkness and evil. 

Is he though...?

The top results when I look up devil clipart contain a lot of cutesy images.

Were all above the fold for me. Like, most of that is not what I'd think of as evil.

[MercyA]

31 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Is he though...?

Yeah, that's why I said I know they are doing the "Halloween" version of the devil. I should have said "universally associated with darkness and evil" in a religious sense, not necessarily in a secular sense.

I think they could have picked something less religiously significant, but obviously this particular school system is missing a sensitivity chip. 

Edited October 1, 2022 by MercyA

[kbutton]

53 minutes ago, Terabith said:

But even beyond that, it makes me uncomfortable or squeamish, even though I don't really think there's anything terrible going on.  

I agree. But like Mercy, I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

One of my kids (a teen) really hates that Halloween is going through another phase of being particularly ghoulish and dark. I think it sort of swings back and forth between fun/cute and more dark over time. 

Tackling the mascot is a worthwhile use of time.

I agree that schools are struggling. I know that our local district gets dinged if they do things that are sometimes good for kids, such as letting them delay graduation if they have an IEP. Kids with IEPs are legally entitled to stay in school until age 22, but for some reason, that makes a school look bad. And tests scores...sigh. My son takes state testing as a state scholarship recipient, and he didn't do so hot on one of the recent tests, but he also said it was a vocabulary problem; his math vocabulary is not where it should be, and it had an outsized effect on his score (following directions, etc.). In a classroom, he would probably go, "Oh yeah, that kind of problem again." Anyway, lots of things can make a school look worse than it is.

[catz]

I agree tackling the mascot MIGHT be worthwhile. 

BUT your kids aren't attending these schools.  So if I wanted to help with the mascot issue, I'd find a group that was spearheading the issue and donate/volunteer/stand with that group. As a parent NOT using the district, I've seen cases where it looks very holier than thou and not recieved well if someone from the outside tries to lead an effort for a change in the schools of some sort.  I mean I'd consider doing something like writing a letter about my concerns.  But I'd want like a parent group or maybe an NA group spearheading that I could step in line with.  

Someone we know ran for school board while sending his kids to some of the very high-end local private schools.  It wasn't a good look, it was a brutal campaign and he didn't win.   Even though I 100% think his intentions were good.  

The devil thing wouldn't bother me one iota.  The more I read about group standardized testing, the less value I think it has looked at like it is.  And the younger the kids are, the more meaningless it is.  

Edited October 1, 2022 by catz

[maize]

Honestly low school rankings don't necessarily mean much. Since rankings are largely based on peformance on standardized tests, schools with a demographic of kids who are more likely to struggle with standardized tests--such as immigrants and economically disadvantaged students--tend to rank low. Which says nothing whatsoever about the quality of the teaching. I scored horribly on tests when I attended French schools as a child--I was in the process of learning a new language. That didn't mean I had bad teaching!

[lmrich]

I would not waste my energy on it. Give yourself an hour to be angry and move on. 

[Ting Tang]

16 hours ago, Terabith said:

I would be REALLY bothered by the mascot.  That's just wrong, especially if it's a new mascot??? 

The Devilish Disco would give me pause, honestly, and I'm a pretty liberal and progressive Christian.  Like, I get they're going for alliteration and probably a kind of spooky, Halloween themed dance, but I feel like it's just using bad judgment because it's going to upset SO MANY people.  But I live in an area with a lot of evangelicals.  But even beyond that, it makes me uncomfortable or squeamish, even though I don't really think there's anything terrible going on.  

But the Devilish Disco isn't in the same league as the mascot.  

This is exactly what I thought about the Devilish Disco event name.  

[gstharr]

27 minutes ago, Ting Tang said:

This is exactly what I thought about the Devilish Disco event name.  

Wow Ting, two days at this.  What in the devil has gotten into you?

[Terabith]

For what it's worth, as someone who doesn't have kids at the school, I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing up the dance issue (and honestly, even if my kids were enrolled, while I feel squeamish, I probably don't feel strongly enough to bring it up in anything more than a possible gossiping with people I know sort of way).  Especially if there's a group of people spearheading work to get rid of the mascot, though, I'd totally join in with that.  My kids were enrolled in the district, but at a different school, and there was a school named Stonewall Jackson.  I'd griped about that for years, and when other people started complaining, I felt like it was reasonable for all community members to make their feelings known about that.  

[Ting Tang]

2 hours ago, gstharr said:

Wow Ting, two days at this.  What in the devil has gotten into you?

See, it has a negative influence even on those who won't attend!  lol

[Ting Tang]

2 hours ago, Terabith said:

For what it's worth, as someone who doesn't have kids at the school, I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing up the dance issue (and honestly, even if my kids were enrolled, while I feel squeamish, I probably don't feel strongly enough to bring it up in anything more than a possible gossiping with people I know sort of way).  Especially if there's a group of people spearheading work to get rid of the mascot, though, I'd totally join in with that.  My kids were enrolled in the district, but at a different school, and there was a school named Stonewall Jackson.  I'd griped about that for years, and when other people started complaining, I felt like it was reasonable for all community members to make their feelings known about that.  

Yes, I will just leave the dance issue to my thoughts.  The mascot thing bewilders me.  I would think most schools would be proactive about it and change it, even if nobody has complained.  It is 2022.  There are tons of articles about this sort of thing online. 

[Hilltopmom]

1 hour ago, Ting Tang said:

Yes, I will just leave the dance issue to my thoughts.  The mascot thing bewilders me.  I would think most schools would be proactive about it and change it, even if nobody has complained.  It is 2022.  There are tons of articles about this sort of thing online. 

There are still lots of unacceptable mascots. Here- It took years to get our district to change ours. Years. Not because the district wanted to keep it but because the community itself was upset that a change was being proposed. People who had graduated from the school were hurt that it would be changed. It took years, lots of hurt feelings, lots of angry meetings with hundreds of community members. It only changed finally last year. The next district over where I work, still has an icky mascot name. The image was changed years ago but the name has no t yet.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Hilltopmom

[Ting Tang]

9 minutes ago, Hilltopmom said:

There are still lots of unacceptable mascots. Here- It took years to get our district to change ours. Years. Not because the district wanted to keep it but because the community itself was upset that a change was being proposed. People who had graduated from the school were hurt that it would be changed. It took years, lots of hurt feelings, lots of angry meetings with hundreds of community members. It only changed finally last year. The next district over where I work, still has an icky mascot name. The image was changed years ago but the name has no t yet.

My high school mascot was a Warrior, and they have tried to make it work in various ways, so I understand.  The only way to make it okay is to get rid of it, in my opinion.  It should be enough to research how Native Americans feel about this all and decide to make a change, even if the nostalgia of those times makes it difficult.  What is so strange is though this school has always been the "Braves," the image is fairly new---at least new since we left the school.  😞

 

[Pam in CT]

Re the mascot -- If it troubles you, that's a focused issue that you CAN pick up and look for access points to bring it to the attention of SM groups, media, administration, school board, etc.

I sincerely doubt it's "the teachers" who are clinging to it. Three of the four institutions of my secondary/ post-secondary education went through long and ugly mascot name change battles.  The constituents who dug in their heels in opposition to woke-based change were

• Current athletes-- but much more so, athlete PARENTS and really rah-rah team supporters
• Alums, generally-- but much more so, heavy hitting donors
• Defensive administration who over-weighted Tradition, Tradition!!! over current whiny students

Not teachers.  They don't own the decision in the first place, and they have no particular institutional reason to care.  (They're not, for instance, the ones out fundraising with alums and team boosters.)

 

[All three schools did, ultimately, make the change.  As has happened in many schools throughout the country.  But the process was long and took a fair amount of push from a variety of directions.]

[Lady Florida.]

As others said, the devilish disco is just someone having fun with alliteration for Halloween.

The mascot on the other hand, would really upset me. I don't think you have to have children going to that school to be concerned about it. You pay taxes for schools. Children will grow up in your community thinking that type of offensive mascot is okay and not offensive. Some of those children will remain in the community and eventually have children of their own going to that school, possibly with the same offensive mascot.

Citizens and parents shouldn't try to micromanage schools imo, but something that is well known to be clearly offensive to a huge number of people of a particular group should be the concern of all people in a community. Unless your town is entirely insulated from the rest of the country it's not like, "Oh gee, we didn't know that offends people".

That said, if you want to be involved in trying to get it changed it would probably be wise to seek out a group of parents who have kids at that school. 

[Tanaqui]

Without sharing an opinion on either thing - though believe me, I have 'em! - I will say this: When I find myself focused on intensely on an issue that doesn't affect me, sometimes that's because I'm trying to avoid thinking or doing something about something I really ought to be focusing on. Not always, and that doesn't necessarily mean that whatever issue it is isn't important. Upon occasion, those other issues are actually *quite* important, which is why they offer such a good distraction, and one that's morally justifiable too!

I hope this is not one of those cases with you, but if it is, you probably already know it and need a nudge to get back on track, so, uh, consider this your nudge if that's the case.

[Ting Tang]

34 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

Without sharing an opinion on either thing - though believe me, I have 'em! - I will say this: When I find myself focused on intensely on an issue that doesn't affect me, sometimes that's because I'm trying to avoid thinking or doing something about something I really ought to be focusing on. Not always, and that doesn't necessarily mean that whatever issue it is isn't important. Upon occasion, those other issues are actually *quite* important, which is why they offer such a good distraction, and one that's morally justifiable too!

I hope this is not one of those cases with you, but if it is, you probably already know it and need a nudge to get back on track, so, uh, consider this your nudge if that's the case.

It's somewhat of a distraction---yep, boredom causes me to check and see what the school is up to every so often.  Plus, I had a difficult week with my oldest and school, and I found myself telling my husband we needed to talk about returning him to a brick-and-mortar school. 

[katilac]

On 10/1/2022 at 12:29 PM, Corraleno said:

The Devilish Disco name doesn’t bother me any more than “deviled eggs” does, but the cartoon mascot is really offensive and I would probably send copies to local news organizations and post it on social media, tagging any people or organizations that I thought might be in a position to force a change. (You could probably also report the post or group to FB for racist imagery, but It seems really random what they delete and what they allow.) There’s not much you can do about the test scores or the physical state of the school. 

Why not just ask them to change it first? This does not sound like an official image of the mascot, it sounds like someone searched for an image that went with "Braves" and was properly Facebook-sized.  

On 10/1/2022 at 5:33 PM, Terabith said:

I would be REALLY bothered by the mascot.  That's just wrong, especially if it's a new mascot??? 

Not new. 

6 hours ago, Ting Tang said:

My high school mascot was a Warrior, and they have tried to make it work in various ways, so I understand.  The only way to make it okay is to get rid of it, in my opinion.  It should be enough to research how Native Americans feel about this all and decide to make a change, even if the nostalgia of those times makes it difficult.  What is so strange is though this school has always been the "Braves," the image is fairly new---at least new since we left the school.  😞

 

Have you seen the image anywhere other than on this FB group? Because I'm thinking someone just searched for an image that fit, because they didn't know how to resize the official logo. 

The nostalgia thing is so weird to me. I can't imagine caring in the slightest if my high school or college changed their mascot, lol. 

3 hours ago, Ting Tang said:

It's somewhat of a distraction---yep, boredom causes me to check and see what the school is up to every so often.  Plus, I had a difficult week with my oldest and school, and I found myself telling my husband we needed to talk about returning him to a brick-and-mortar school. 

Yeah, you're feeling angry because it seems like they're taking a choice away from you that you could really use. It's easy to get upset by that, particularly at the end of a rough week. 

But you still have to pay your taxes, lol. 

[Ting Tang]

47 minutes ago, katilac said:

Why not just ask them to change it first? This does not sound like an official image of the mascot, it sounds like someone searched for an image that went with "Braves" and was properly Facebook-sized.  

Not new. 

Have you seen the image anywhere other than on this FB group? Because I'm thinking someone just searched for an image that fit, because they didn't know how to resize the official logo. 

The nostalgia thing is so weird to me. I can't imagine caring in the slightest if my high school or college changed their mascot, lol. 

Yeah, you're feeling angry because it seems like they're taking a choice away from you that you could really use. It's easy to get upset by that, particularly at the end of a rough week. 

But you still have to pay your taxes, lol. 

I wondered that, too, but they have photos in the group of students taking photos in front of a backdrop with the mascot replicated all over it. 😑 now, I wouldn’t be shucked if they got it off the Internet. They used logos from other things before. 

[rebcoola]

10 hours ago, Hilltopmom said:

There are still lots of unacceptable mascots. Here- It took years to get our district to change ours. Years. Not because the district wanted to keep it but because the community itself was upset that a change was being proposed. People who had graduated from the school were hurt that it would be changed. It took years, lots of hurt feelings, lots of angry meetings with hundreds of community members. It only changed finally last year. The next district over where I work, still has an icky mascot name. The image was changed years ago but the name has no t yet.

Yeah something we have 2 schools with questionable mascots the Braves and The Bombers.  People lose their minds at the idea of switching them.

I wouldn't even bring up the devilish disco.  

Tha mascot thing will have much more clout coming from groups that have some skin in the game if you can find a group already making a change you can volunteer to support.

[KungFuPanda]

The could change the image to that redheaded cartoon girl and keep the name. The could drop the S on the end.  😬

I’d go with Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys. Unless you have the time to volunteer you’re not going to make real change in the school without a lot of effort. When I think of what that effort could mean it’s probably easier and more conducive to your real goals, to get a job and move to a better district even if it means your kids spend one year enrolled in this one. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by KungFuPanda