Anonymous wrote:There’s a good mix-maybe leaning conservative-in SR families but the HOS seems to be trying to push SR way to the left. She must know many parents are against it bc she’s trying to hide it. Her lame email tonight didn’t help. I hope enough parents speak out to save SR from becoming just another one of many ultraliberal DC private schools. I’m not criticizing liberal schools, but we should be able to have a few top schools that are conservative or at least politically neutral as well.

There’s much to love about SR. If we can get this one issue fixed I’d recommend it highly.

Are you familiar with the Mission, Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools? Your posts read as though you may not be familiar with those values. If you are not, I would urge you to read the Sacred Heart Networks manual that's publicly available on the network website.

Goal 3: a social awareness which impels to action
Goal 4: the building of community as a Christian value

The networks statement explicitly says, "building a world reflective of the attitudes of Christ's Heart."

Directly from Jesus Christ himself Mark 12:30&31: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

I don't see the DEI work as being in conflict with the Sacred Heart goals nor the Gospels. More importantly, I personally think Jesus himself would be supportive of inclusivity as it brings more people into the christian community.

I've actually been directly involved in developing diversity training, diversity issues for a long time and am passionate about the issue. One can agree there are real diversity and inclusion issues, real racism. However, there can still be differences of opinions of how you approach it from a learning perspective, particularly at different development ages and for some, in the context of other issues / change going on in a person's environment and life. This approach is still very new.

I have some concerns how this is being approached with the younger kids right now and the volume of content, focus and some of the comments my young daughter has made. In addition, I found out my young MS daughter is hearing from kids with siblings the upper school piece and hard to parse what is happening. Some of these kids have had a challenging year with covid (SR has been in person less than many private schools) - so adding this on right now to very young kids at the volume SR is in their curriculum, its hard to say this is ideal timing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a senior who is about to graduate after an excellent experience in SR upper school. While I was initially skeptical of the increased focus on DEI issues and thought they should just stick to academics, my daughter has really loved these activities and has never felt targeted for being white. Over the past year as we've spent a lot of time researching top colleges and eventually getting some great acceptances I've also seen that this culture of diversity work is much stronger in top schools and I think my daughter would have had a much harder time fitting in with college if she hadn't already been exposed to this at SR.

Bottom line, it's an excellent school that prepared my daughter to get into several great colleges. Every top school seems to have some angry haters on this board.

Being unhappy with SR exposing our DD's to the tenets of critical race theory is not the same as being an angry hater. We love SR just as you do. I'm glad your DD had a good experience there, but she's leaving just as the CRT curriculum gears up. I agree DEI at SR hasn't been terrible before now, but those of us with younger children have to worry more about where SR is headed.

I'm sure there are SR parents who would love to see SR go far left and become more like Holton or GDS in how race and gender issues are treated, but I think there are many more who disagree with this and just want SR to get back to actually teaching our DD's instead of indoctrinating them. There needs to be an honest discussion between SR and parents about this in which everyone can speak freely and no one has to worry about being canceled or having some teachers hate their DD because of their non-progressive views (it happens).

My DD is a freshman at SR this year and we have had no problems with the DEI efforts at the school. For the PP, have you attend any of the Better Together parent discussions the past year or two where there have been opportunities to discuss race and DEI issues?

I'd be fine with a more wide open forum, but I think its also important to note that somebody disagreeing with your take on SR's DEI efforts does not mean you were cancelled. It's fine to speak freely, and I don't believe SR has not allowed people to share their views, but also be prepared for other parents supportign the school's efforts and wanting their voices to be heard as well.

Anonymous wrote:I have a senior who is about to graduate after an excellent experience in SR upper school. While I was initially skeptical of the increased focus on DEI issues and thought they should just stick to academics, my daughter has really loved these activities and has never felt targeted for being white. Over the past year as we've spent a lot of time researching top colleges and eventually getting some great acceptances I've also seen that this culture of diversity work is much stronger in top schools and I think my daughter would have had a much harder time fitting in with college if she hadn't already been exposed to this at SR.

Bottom line, it's an excellent school that prepared my daughter to get into several great colleges. Every top school seems to have some angry haters on this board.

Being unhappy with SR exposing our DD's to the tenets of critical race theory is not the same as being an angry hater. We love SR just as you do. I'm glad your DD had a good experience there, but she's leaving just as the CRT curriculum gears up. I agree DEI at SR hasn't been terrible before now, but those of us with younger children have to worry more about where SR is headed.

I'm sure there are SR parents who would love to see SR go far left and become more like Holton or GDS in how race and gender issues are treated, but I think there are many more who disagree with this and just want SR to get back to actually teaching our DD's instead of indoctrinating them. There needs to be an honest discussion between SR and parents about this in which everyone can speak freely and no one has to worry about being canceled or having some teachers hate their DD because of their non-progressive views (it happens).

I have a senior who is about to graduate after an excellent experience in SR upper school. While I was initially skeptical of the increased focus on DEI issues and thought they should just stick to academics, my daughter has really loved these activities and has never felt targeted for being white. Over the past year as we've spent a lot of time researching top colleges and eventually getting some great acceptances I've also seen that this culture of diversity work is much stronger in top schools and I think my daughter would have had a much harder time fitting in with college if she hadn't already been exposed to this at SR.

Bottom line, it's an excellent school that prepared my daughter to get into several great colleges. Every top school seems to have some angry haters on this board.

Anonymous wrote:SR LS parent here. Saw CRK message tonight and then saw LI clip from 4/16. If true, why is SR supporting an activity that asks kids born in this century to be accountable for...being white!? If this is how SR US operates, very concerned about daughter’s future. Was also concerned with survey sent around a while back asking about gender identity. Send daughter to GIRLS’ Catholic school so she can get a great education. With other kids who are biologically female.

Nothing in the message or the email asked anyone to be accountable for being white. Understanding attitudes toward LGBTQ issues including gender identity are basic DEI work. If there was anything offensive to you above the extremely sensitive and fair email from the school or basic survey questions about diversity, this is not the school for you. I'm not sure I could point to another school in the area where they don't discuss diversity but it sounds like you should find one.

SR LS parent here. Saw CRK message tonight and then saw LI clip from 4/16. If true, why is SR supporting an activity that asks kids born in this century to be accountable for...being white!? If this is how SR US operates, very concerned about daughter’s future. Was also concerned with survey sent around a while back asking about gender identity. Send daughter to GIRLS’ Catholic school so she can get a great education. With other kids who are biologically female.

KAC

Anonymous wrote:The commitment to critical race theory is strong, as it is with most of the independent schools in this area. The Fox News piece highlighted just one event at SR, but there have been many others and will continue to be. Obviously Laura Ingraham has a contact within the community that shared the information with her.

I guess time will tell how this all plays out.

Her info came from KOC I bet.

I will speak out — and support what they are doing. Many of us do.

Your daughter needs to hear and learn about these issues. They are out there. She may actually get something out of it and may even enjoy it — what a concept.

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good mix-maybe leaning conservative-in SR families but the HOS seems to be trying to push SR way to the left. She must know many parents are against it bc she’s trying to hide it. Her lame email tonight didn’t help. I hope enough parents speak out to save SR from becoming just another one of many ultraliberal DC private schools. I’m not criticizing liberal schools, but we should be able to have a few top schools that are conservative or at least politically neutral as well.

There’s much to love about SR. If we can get this one issue fixed I’d recommend it highly.

Parents should speak out, and now is the time to do it. Unless they do, clearly and honestly, the school is going to go further down this road and it will be too late.

I'm not convinced that the HOS is personally invested in this. I think she feels she has to do it, but she's getting rotten advice.

There’s a good mix-maybe leaning conservative-in SR families but the HOS seems to be trying to push SR way to the left. She must know many parents are against it bc she’s trying to hide it. Her lame email tonight didn’t help. I hope enough parents speak out to save SR from becoming just another one of many ultraliberal DC private schools. I’m not criticizing liberal schools, but we should be able to have a few top schools that are conservative or at least politically neutral as well.

There’s much to love about SR. If we can get this one issue fixed I’d recommend it highly.

Anonymous wrote:Is it ultra-liberal?

I don't know how you would define "ultra-liberal", but it holds dear the sacred cows of the woke left.

Is it ultra-liberal?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP what grade are you considering? We have a daughter in the lower school and are very happy there. It’s a warm community with a good group of teachers, parents and kids.

Our daughter is 1, and we are moving to the area in about 6 months. They are appealing because they have a preschool that would include children that young. To be honest we're a little anxious to just get settled into a school. The early childhood and Pre k is a big appeal.

OMG. Chill the f out. It’s a marathon not a race.