The Palomar Council PTA JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Committee published “Myth Busters” in December 2022. It lists 10 “myths” about various controversial topics in education, including critical race theory (CRT), sex education, parents’ involvement, and more.
JEDI Committee chair Casey Doan said the document “aims to clarify what JEDI is NOT by addressing some of the myths and misinformation we most commonly hear.”
CFER executive director Wenyuan Wu told The Epoch Times that “Myth Busters” is “filled with lies and mistruths intended to smear and silence those dissenting to political correctness and ideological conformity, including CFER.”
“The ‘Myth Busters’ is troublesomely divisive by presenting politicized opinions as ‘facts’ and by attacking parents and groups critical of their work as ‘intolerant,’” Wu said.
The first item in the “Myth Busters” list states that CRT is not being taught in “our schools.” The JEDI Committee is associated with the Poway Unified School District (PUSD), San Diego.
The document states that those who suggest CRT is being taught in schools “are waging a political war against the effort to teach students about systemic racism.”
The draft rebuttal document obtained by The Epoch Times argues that this is a “disingenuous non-denial denial.” The rebuttal states that CRT might not be taught as a legal theory or hypothesis, but “major tenets of CRT are being applied in Ethnic Studies, History, Social Studies, English, and even Math!”
Wu said the research found that in California school districts, “tenets of CRT have been fused into various subject areas and have commanded significant funds, many of which come from local taxpayers.”
“Myth Busters” denied that “JEDI is pushing a radical gender & sexuality agenda.” The rebuttal states that “JEDI is a strong vehicle for that.”
Fact #5 of the rebuttal refers to firsthand evidence from whistleblowers at the April 25, 2022 JEDI Committee meeting involving PUSD leadership and TransFamily Support Services. The rebuttal states that in that meeting, there was “a discussion on planning for an upcoming LGBTQ+ event for elementary, middle and high school families and introducing gender literature to young students because ‘ages 3–5 is often when children begin to recognize their gender’ and there is ‘a rapid rise in trans/nonbinary identification in the last years.’”
Doan told The Epoch Times that the meeting notes were “private conversations” and one cannot be certain of their authenticity.
“At no point did anyone [from the JEDI committee or TransFamily Support Services] say that we are trying to reach out to children about their gender,” Doan said.
In the seventh item of “Myth Busters,” parents who want to participate more in their children’s education are called “pro-parent,” a term the document defines as “the new term for the anti-equity coalition that exists in communities across America.”
“While the term sounds positive, these groups are working to ban books, restrict any discussion of race, gender & sexuality in our schools & ‘return to the basics,’” the document states.
The rebuttal argues that in recent years “deteriorating academics alarm parents who are sending their kids to a high performing school district to be properly educated.”
“Concerned parents who demand restoring merit, academic transparency and accountability are not the enemy,” the rebuttal argues.
“Parents are the primary stakeholder in their child’s upbringing,” Wu said. “They should be involved in education policymaking and be given the respect they deserve.”
Wu also worries that JEDI Committee members meet with school district officials regularly “to discuss how to indoctrinate other people’s children,” she said when talking about the leaked meeting notes.
“Myth Busters” also addresses the idea that we should be colorblind when it comes to race. It states: “At worst, colorblindness is a tool used to intentionally gaslight Black, Indigenous, & people of color (BIPOC) & give White people a justification for turning away from the experiences & voices of BIPOC.”
Wu stated, “In the eyes of the government, we are all Americans and we are all equal on an individual basis.”
She emphasized that the constitutional principle of equality is “fundamentally and radically colorblind.”
