Appreciate the editorial from Wednesday. I speak for thousands of true public teachers across Colorado and the nation – with delight, relief and gratitude that the Colorado state board of education denied Ascent’s appeal for a Durango charter. It is also gratifying that Ignacio’s board can see through Ascent’s curricular defects.
Ascent blew off Ignacio until Durango soundly rejected a privatized school masquerading as a public entity. Suddenly, Ignacio mattered! But its committed board and community are just as smart at ferreting out a curriculum designed to shut out and shut down peoples of color versus a well-rounded, factual perspective of how America history looks present day.
Without examining our historical policies and actions honestly, we cannot move forward to become all that a true democracy can be. We don’t achieve this by focusing so grandly on ideas that are 2,000 years old, some of which are woefully outdated – slavery and the subjugation of women and other marginalized groups, for starters.
Fellow citizens, don’t be fooled by Ascent’s lofty language: It is a chain charter taking over American public education with a very specific and quite narrow foci of interests: Christian religiosity coupled with a paternalistic attitude of “fathers know best” that precludes freedom of expression in the classroom with restricted garb and physical appearance; a long list of infractions that boot students and, thus, assures Ascent keeps only the students administrators deem worthy.
Ascent charters are closed circles, and I hope that Ignacio makes the wisest decision for students.
Stephanie Moran
Durango
