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- From: Michael Eberhardt <michaelaeberhardt@gmail.com>
- To: Katherine Berger <kberger@imsa.edu>
- Cc: Adrienne Coleman <acoleman@imsa.edu>, Andrea Eberhardt <a_ebster@yahoo.com>, jtorres@imsa.edu, Michael Eberhardt <michaelaeberhardt@gmail.com>
- Date: October 25, 2018 at 6:58 AM
- Subject: Re: [Seniorparents-l] Diversity Training for Seniors- Safe Zone 10/29
- Dear Ms. Berger,
- Thank you for your reply. I understand your concerns, but you cannot force this LGBTQIA+ advocacy program onto students. It is very important to accept and love all children, including LGBTQIA+ children and every student at IMSA. But accepting and loving them does not mean forcing a far-left-of-center program onto them that violates convictions and religious views, covering topics that are similar to the ones you recommended in the "ABC's" book:
- --------------------------------
- Androgyne: A non-binary gender in which a person is both a man and a woman, neither a man nor woman, and/or somewhere in between man and woman.
- Autosexual: Being able to elicit a sexual/romantic attraction from yourself by yourself...enjoying being sexually intimate with yourself.
- Aporagender: Both a specific gender identity and an umbrella term for being a non-binary gender separate from man, woman, and anything in between...
- Abrosexual: Someone who experiences a fluid and/or changing orientation.
- -------------------------------
- I can't believe you push these views onto vulnerable students at a time when they don't have the wisdom of age/experience to guide them, and they have not finished developing. The LGBTQIA+ advocacy program breaks down all standards of decency, which I consider as foolishness. For those parents who want their child to attend, then that is fine and I support that. But it is illegal to force these far-left views on all children. It is important to love all children, but that does not mean pushing radical sexual standards. Parents have values and religious beliefs. You may not agree with their values and religious beliefs, but that does not give you the right to force your beliefs onto them.
- I have cc'd Jose Torres on this email, along with some other IMSA parents, since this long email chain contains issues relevant to us all. What you are doing is illegal. Read the "Masterpiece Cakeshop vs Colorado Civil Rights Commission" proceedings, and other cases that deal with protecting freedom of conscience and religious values. You can also read cases of harassment law -- if a child is uncomfortable, that is a sufficient reason to stop pushing them in this matter. If I receive this type of pushback from an administrator, I can't imagine how a child can stand up for their views. You talk about fairness, tolerance, and cooperation, but you respond with intolerance.
- Parents: if you are not comfortable sending your child to this LGBTQIA+ advocacy program, they should not be forced attend. IMSA should make the program voluntary. My child loves being at IMSA, and I would like the school to demonstrate fairness toward people with different values than what they have, accommodating all people including traditional parents that disagree with them. Please read this long email chain if you want to understand the full context. Please do not reply all because I don't want to make this a big issue for my child. Children should be protected from political agendas, especially at school, and especially when they contradict religious views or convictions.
- Respectfully,
- Michael and Andrea Eberhardt
- On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 4:03 PM Katherine Berger < kberger@imsa.edu> wrote:
- Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt,
- While the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy believes that diverse perspectives enrich understanding, we also value diversity, equity and inclusion. The IMSA Board approved Equity and Excellence Policy recognizes and acknowledges the historical underrepresentation and marginalization of culturally, linguistically and economically diverse students, including those who identity as gender and sexually diverse.
- As we prepare students to solve problems in the global world, it is important that they are able to work with all groups of people, even if there is a difference in belief system and when there are conflicting values. Considering this, but also being mindful of your concerns, an alternative to the Safe-Zone training will be offered. This option is to read the book, "The ABC's of LGBT" by Ash Mardell. Your student will begin to read the book on Monday October 29, 2018 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Your student will then complete a written reflection of the book, to be submitted prior to Thanksgiving break. Dr. Adrienne Coleman will provide the reflection guidelines to your student by Monday. The two options available to your student are to attend the program or read the book and provide a written reflection. Please let me or Dr. Coleman what your decision is and if you have any additional questions or concerns.
- Lastly, it’s important to note that events hosted at IMSA are planned based on the interests and feedback of students. In fact, most events are planned by IMSA students. If Josh has an event he would like to host or see planned at IMSA, he can meet with Dr. Coleman or me. We would be happy to help him or any of his peers coordinate events aligned with their interests if those events aren’t occurring at IMSA.
- Thank you,
- Ms. Katie Berger
- Executive Director of Student Affairs
- On Sun, Oct 21, 2018 at 6:28 PM Michael Eberhardt < michaelaeberhardt@gmail.com> wrote:
- Dear Ms. Berger,
- Thank you for your reply. One of the goals of diversity and inclusion should be to represent all students fairly. That is not happening at IMSA. If you talk to conservative males at IMSA, you will hear complaints that IMSA is far left of center, and there is plenty of evidence to support that. Here are some examples from the latest Acronym:
- https://sites.imsa.edu/acronym/2018/10/15/good-reads-from-a-gender-read-in/
- https://sites.imsa.edu/acronym/2018/10/15/political-conversations-imsa-a-closer-look-at-the-metoo-movement-and-the-kavanaugh-confirmation/
- Staff members were on hand at each event to promote left-sided views ( Gender Fluidity, The ABC's of LGBT+, The Moon is Trans, Born This Way, Undefined, ...). The Kavanaugh discussion was also left-biased, focused on "Institutionalized Sexism", "Toxic Masculinity", and "Hashtag Activism". The moderator could have made this a welcoming place for conservative students by including a discussion on the importance of "innocent until proven guilty" and a critical examination of the evidence, but the moderator chose not to. Could you imagine how chaotic our country would be and how unfair it would be if everyone was presumed guilty until proven innocent? Why did the moderator not discuss conservative views?
- The pendulum at IMSA has swung far to the left. Students on the right are not represented, and forcing students to attend SafeZone will only make that worse. There are other Acronym articles that show the liberal bias at IMSA, but I don't want to single out students. If you disagree, provide examples where IMSA staff members are hosting assemblies promoting conservative views . If you cannot, then why is IMSA promoting progressive views? IMSA does a poor job of encouraging conservative males. I repeat, as stated in the Acronym: " It’s scary to share your opinions. Being conservative here is extremely hard. People will always think of you as the person who doesn’t share their opinions, which equates to me being bad. That’s the IMSA opinion. People with conservative views don’t deserve to have an opinion because they don’t support our liberal one. IMSA needs to keep an open mind to different views and different ideas."
- These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. The school needs a welcoming environment for all students. Children should not be the pawns of liberal ideologies. If you force the SafeZone program onto students, it will only confirm their convictions that IMSA is left-of-center and provide more evidence to prove that. Parents have wisdom and perspectives that younger students have not acquired. It is important to create a loving and supportive environment, but when it comes to questions of sexual identity, schools can harm students by eagerly supporting an identity that is not consistent with their physical gender . If you care about fairness, you will take steps to move the pendulum more to the center and address these inequalities before it creates resentment -- many conservative male students already feel that way. When the pendulum has swung overwhelmingly and disproportionately in one direction, that is not equity and inclusion. It is required by law for the school to protect children rather than to push one-sided views onto them.
- Respectfully,
- Michael and Andrea Eberhardt
- On Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 4:33 PM Katherine Berger < kberger@imsa.edu> wrote:
- Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt,
- Dr. Coleman and I are meeting on Monday and we will further discuss your feedback. I will follow up with you early next week.
- Thank you,
- Ms. Katie Berger
- On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 7:11 PM Michael Eberhardt < michaelaeberhardt@gmail.com> wrote:
- Dear Ms Berger,
- IMSA has many great programs for students, including Friday Fest, Diwali, Chinese New Year, and weekend events. These programs help students feel accepted and loved in a non-threatening environment and give the student a choice whether to participate. However, the LGBTQIA+ advocacy program is forced on the student. When you force the student to attend a program that contradicts their views, and then promote the program using staff members in a position of authority, how do you expect the student to feel comfortable expressing their views?
- Here is a quote from an IMSA student in the Dec 2016 IMSA Acronym:
- “It’s scary to share your opinions. Being conservative here is extremely hard. People will always think of you as the person who doesn’t share their opinions, which equates to me being bad. That’s the IMSA opinion. People with conservative views don’t deserve to have an opinion because they don’t support our liberal one. IMSA needs to keep an open mind to different views and different ideas.
- This was not my child, and it was in the context of a heated presidential election, but I understand how that child feels. I want a loving environment for all students, including those with traditional views. I do not feel it is necessary to setup an appointment to discuss this. Traditional views won't be promoted at a program specifically designed to support an opposing view. It is important to create a loving and supportive environment, but when it comes to questions of sexual identity, schools can harm students by eagerly supporting an identity that is not consistent with their physical gender. The role of the family is critically important, and educators should support parents and the wisdom of the ages. They know their children best and have many years of experience raising them since they were infants.
- If you care about all students, please respect this request and do not force my child to attend. I will give him the option of whether he wants to attend or not, but you should not force this on him. Furthermore, not attending should in no way hurt his grades or participation in any class. If you want to discuss this further, you can contact us.
- Michael and Andrea Eberhardt
- On Fri, Oct 12, 2018 at 9:24 AM, Katherine Berger <kberger@imsa.edu> wrote:
- Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt,
- Dr. Coleman shared the email you sent to her with me and I wanted to reach out to you regarding the program scheduled for Monday, October 29th. As parents and members of the IMSA community, I appreciate you reaching out and allowing us to share some additional information.
- The purpose of the program is to help foster an inclusive environment in which all students feel safe and respected here at IMSA. It's also a time to allow students to engage in discussions and ask questions in an educational and non-judgemental environment led by trained staff member. As an IMSA community, we should be able to engage in conversation, including respectful disagreement, in this educational environment. Students will have the opportunity to identify as an alley to the LGBTQIA+ community- this is not a mandate or requirement for all students- it is a choice for each individual student.
- Again, I would like to reiterate the importance of creating an environment in which all students feel safe and respected, regardless of their gender expression or sexual orientation. I hope that you can support allowing all IMSA students to feel safe here at IMSA.
- If you'd like to discuss this further, please feel free to schedule a meeting with Dr. Coleman and I.
- Thank you,
- Ms. Katie Berger
- Executive Director of Student Affairs
- Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
- ---------- Forwarded message ---------
- From: Michael Eberhardt <michaelaeberhardt@gmail.com>
- Date: Sat, Oct 6, 2018 at 4:55 PM
- Subject: Re: [Seniorparents-l] Diversity Training for Seniors- Safe Zone 10/29
- To: Adrienne Coleman < acoleman@imsa.edu>
- Hi Adrienne,
- It is important to create a loving and supportive environment for all students, but when it comes to questions of sexual identity, schools can harm students by eagerly supporting an identity that is not consistent with their physical gender. It creates all sorts of confusion. I have 5 children and understand issues of identity formation better than most educators, and I understand the vulnerability and questions they have as they try to be comfortable with who they are. It is a vulnerable time, and if a school intervenes by advocating a lifestyle that is not consistent with their physical gender, it ultimately adds to their confusion in the long run rather than helping them.
- As parents, we disagree with you (and the board) on the merits of the LGBTQ lifestyle. It is one thing to accept and love the child, but it is another issue entirely of advocating for the lifestyle -- with life changing consequences. We would like our son, Joshua Eberhardt, to be excused from this LGBTQ advocacy program.
- Furthermore, if I were to reply to your email so all parents could join this discussion, I'm certain many other parents feel the same way. It was a short time ago when gay marriage won 5-4 support by the Supreme Court, equally dividing this country. Progressives are eager to push their agenda, but this is an issue people are divided on, and not suitable to push onto vulnerable students, contrary to the best interests of them and their parents.
- Sincerely,
- Michael and Andrea Eberhardt
- On Fri, Oct 5, 2018 at 11:28 AM, Katherine Berger <kberger@imsa.edu> wrote:
- Dear Parents of IMSA Seniors:
- As part of the board-approved Diversity Plan and in response to the findings of the Student Diversity Climate Survey, IMSA seniors will engage in a Safe Zone training, a proactive step that schools are taking to create welcoming, inclusive spaces so that all people are empowered to reach their full potential. Being that we live in an ever-diversifying society, and in order to be supportive and aware of different identities and experiences, this is a wonderful opportunity to talk, learn and ask questions about sexuality and gender in a non-judgmental, safe and educational environment.
- The goal of this Safe Zone program is to increase the awareness, knowledge, and skills for individuals and address the challenges that exist when one wants to advocate for their LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual)+ peers, family members, friends, and for themselves. During the Safe Zone program, participants will:
- Ø Discuss common vocabulary on gender, sexuality and LGBTQIA;
- Ø Have space for critical discussion and examination of privilege, bias, and identity;
- Ø Ask and discuss any questions they have;
- Ø Be empowered to be an ally.
- All IMSA Seniors are expected to attend and fully participate in this Safe Zone training, scheduled for Monday October 29, 2018 from 6pm – 8pm, facilitated by trained IMSA faculty/staff.
- Please let Dr. Adrienne Coleman (acoleman@imsa.edu), Director of Equity and Inclusion, know if you have any questions or concerns.
- Sincerely,
- Ms. Katie Berger
- Executive Director of Student Life
- _______________________________________________
- Seniorparents-l mailing list
- Seniorparents-l@imsa.edu
- https://lists.imsa.edu/mailman/listinfo/seniorparents-l
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