Contact: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org
  
NEWNAN, Ga., July 27, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) promotes not just "English" instruction, but a radical "social justice" and critical theory agenda. NCTE trains teachers to indoctrinate students with radical ideology, under the guise of classroom English assignments, and in violation of parental rights.

Liberty Counsel represents concerned parents in the Coweta County School District where Language Arts teacher Kima Brown and other Northgate High School English teachers were workshop "presenters" at the NCTE 2017 National Conference. The conference agenda instructional sessions included:

• "Enacting Social Justice-Focused English Curricula"
   
• "Who Are We as Activist Allies? Storying Our Work as Social Justice Educators"
   
• "Using LGBTQ Texts in Middle School...;"
   
• "Why Are All the Trans Youth So 'Normal?' Intersectionality and Absence in Current Trans[gender] Fiction for Youth"
   
• "Race Radical Literacies"
   
• "Sexuality, Power, and Rape Culture: Understanding Feminism in Adolescence"
   
• "Consciously Designing ... Resistance Pedagogy for 21st Century Youth"
   
• "Using Graphic Novels to Spark Political Activism"
   
• "Rejecting Neutrality: Literacy & Political Engagement in the ELA Classroom"

One of the conference's three "Featured Sessions" was entitled "Queering English Studies: Navigating Politics, Policies, and Practices..." The session description stated, "Queer K–12 teachers and students must continue... constructing learning spaces, creating projects, and pursuing research agendas that move English studies ... to transformation so that participants can be proactive in their schools and communities."

At Northgate High School, Ms. Brown required her students, without parental consent, to complete an individual "dossier" containing confidential and personally identifiable information including a photograph, a strand of hair, a handwriting sample and fingerprints. These "dossiers" were posted in the classroom where the data could have been taken by students, staff, faculty and school guests, thus violating students' privacy. The assignment was not part of the school's curriculum and was not required of other classes. Concerned parents view this unauthorized data collection as conditioning of their students to accept privacy violations by the state.

Brown also required her students to "Create a Propaganda Meme" regarding the "Syrian Crisis and War."  Among other things, the "propaganda" assignment required students to answer, "Are you for OR against the war?" "What should be done to protect children?" "Should the US accept more Syrian refugees?" "What should all Americans do about the crisis?"

The "dossier" and "propaganda" assignments are consistent with the radical agenda promoted by the NCTE. Liberty Counsel has demanded this school district forbid teachers from requiring students to create "dossiers" on themselves or "propaganda" about any subject. Liberty Counsel also demands that teachers must be counseled regarding parental rights and student privacy and disciplined if they bring radical NCTE ideologies into the classroom.

"Teachers cannot require students to provide hair samples, fingerprints, or other personal information, or force them to create propaganda without parental knowledge and consent," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Teachers must be accountable to parents and parents must be vigilant and aware of inappropriate classroom assignments designed to indoctrinate, not educate," said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.