In a move doubling down on radical leftist education indoctrination, the Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) summarily placed Tiger Craven-Neeley, a teacher at Glassbrook Elementary School in San Francisco, on administrative leave last Thursday.
The adverse employment came immediately after he voiced public criticism of the district’s decision to allocate $250,000 in federal grant money to a “Woke Kindergarten” training program aimed at imposing upon elementary school teachers and students with far-left, racially charged ideologies.
“Woke Kindergarten” has been described as a platform designed to “support children, families, educators, and organizations in their commitment to abolitionist early education and pro-black and queer and trans liberation.” However, this ambitious agenda has come with a significant cost, not only in terms of dollars but also in academic outcomes.
Since the program’s implementation, Glassbrook has seen a dramatic decline in student performance, with English and math scores plummeting to alarming lows. Less than 4% of students are now proficient in math, and just under 12% are at grade level in English, marking a decline of about four percentage points in each category.
It's as deranged as it can possibly be. We know it because a handful of those on the inside risk their livelihoods to alert the wider world because they can do no other and because they hope that the wider world can impose sanity on institutions that are inflicting societal harm https://t.co/hfGt4odII1
— Wesley Yang (@wesyang) February 10, 2024
Craven-Neeley’s ordeal began shortly after he voiced his concerns to the San Francisco Chronicle about the program and its detrimental effects on student learning. His criticism, rooted in a desire to prioritize academic excellence over political agendas, was met with swift and severe backlash. According to Craven-Neeley, district officials abruptly informed him of his suspension during a video conference, citing “allegations of unprofessional conduct” without providing further details. This move, occurring less than a day after a divisive staff meeting on the program, appears to be a blatant act of retaliation for his outspokenness in defense of children.
District spokesman Michael Bazeley has attempted to deflect criticism by only discussing the “threatening and racist” messages received by the school following the exposure of the program, sensationalizing the alleged toll it has taken on staff members.
Craven-Neeley’s case has ignited a broader discussion on the role of education in society and the extent to which political ideologies should intersect with teaching. While the district maintains that the suspension was not an act of retaliation, the timing and circumstances suggest otherwise. This incident raises concerns about freedom of speech within educational institutions and the direction in which current-year ultra-leftist curricula are heading.