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Heads up! We have scanned the upcoming agenda for Lynwood Unified. We found 14 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 10) |
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District to Purchase SEL Student Surveillance Software
The district is spending $17,850 on “Sown to Grow,” a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) platform that conducts “weekly emotional check-ins” with students at Lincoln Elementary and Cesar Chavez Middle School. The software includes “automated monitoring” that flags students for “concerning language” or “chronic negative check-ins” to trigger “MTSS interventions,” creating a digital psychological profile of your child.
Recommended Action Plan
PACK THE ROOM: This is a major threat to student privacy and parental rights. Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact details) and demand Consent Item 14.A.10 be pulled for a separate vote: ‘Vote NO on the Sown to Grow contract. The district has no business data-mining my child’s emotions.’
💰 Impact: $17,850
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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District Renews School-Based Mental Health Counseling
The district is renewing a four-year agreement with Compatior Counseling Center to provide school-based “mental/behavioral health counseling” and “substance abuse counseling” to students. The agreement does not detail the parental consent and notification policies for these sensitive services being offered on campus.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link) to pull Consent Item 14.A.18 for a separate vote. ‘Parents must be the primary decision-makers for their child’s mental health. What are the specific parental consent policies for all services provided by Compatior Counseling Center?’
💰 Impact: Parental Consent
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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District Funds Unvetted ‘Teachers Pay Teachers’ Materials
The district is renewing a $3,000 subscription that allows teachers to purchase unvetted classroom materials from the online marketplace ‘Teachers Pay Teachers,’ explicitly stating the funds will be used for “social emotional learning” content. This gives teachers a blank check to bring unapproved, potentially ideological materials directly into the classroom, bypassing parental and district review.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND OVERSIGHT: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link) to pull Consent Item 14.A.20 for a separate vote. ‘Public funds should not be used to purchase unvetted materials from an open marketplace. Vote NO and establish a clear review process for all supplemental curriculum.’
💰 Impact: $3,000
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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$106,000 for ‘Culturally Responsive’ Assemblies
The district is spending $106,000 on a contract with “School Yard Rap” to provide Black History assemblies with “culturally responsive content.” Parents have a right to know what is being taught in these assemblies and to ensure they are historically accurate and not politically motivated.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link): ‘Regarding Consent Item 14.A.5, I demand this $106,000 contract be pulled for a separate discussion and vote. The Board must provide the full curriculum from ‘School Yard Rap’ for parental review before approving this expenditure.’
💰 Impact: $106,000
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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District Leadership Attends ‘Transcendent Leader’ DEI Training
The Assistant Superintendent of Business Services is attending the “Transcendent Leader Institute,” an intensive training program specifically “designed for leaders of color.” The program’s focus on identity-based leadership, “authentic purpose,” and navigating “unique challenges” is a hallmark of DEI-focused professional development for administrators.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY: Contact the Board regarding Consent Item 14.D.6 (see the Official Agenda link): ‘How does this identity-focused training for administrators benefit students academically? Taxpayer-funded professional development should focus on academic excellence, not divisive identity politics.’
💰 Impact: Administrative Time
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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Board Policy Limits Public Comment to 20 Minutes Per Item
Board Policy #9323, referenced in the agenda, limits the total time for all public comments on any single agenda item to just 20 minutes. This means if seven parents sign up to speak for their allotted three minutes, the seventh parent will be cut off, effectively silencing community feedback on controversial issues.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TO BE HEARD: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link): ‘I urge you to suspend the 20-minute total time limit under Policy 9323 for any item with significant public interest. Parents will not be silenced by arbitrary time limits.’
💰 Impact: Your Right to Speak
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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District Approves New Student Data-Sharing Agreement
The district is entering a data-sharing agreement to send student information to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office via a platform called “DataVista.” This is a condition of receiving grant money, forcing the district to trade your child’s privacy for state funds.
Recommended Action Plan
OPT-OUT ALERT: Contact the Board regarding Consent Item 14.A.7 (see the Official Agenda link): ‘What specific student data will be shared with the state under this agreement? Please provide the specific parental opt-out form for this data sharing before the vote.’
💰 Impact: Your Child’s Privacy
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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District Renews Math Software ‘ExploreLearning Reflex’
The district is renewing licenses for the ‘ExploreLearning Reflex’ math software for elementary students. While the district claims it improved fluency by 41% at one school, it has not provided independent, third-party evidence that the program works or disclosed how much daily screen time it adds for young children.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND EVIDENCE: Contact the Board regarding Consent Item 14.A.19 (see the Official Agenda link): ‘Before renewing this contract, please publish the independent, non-vendor-funded studies proving ExploreLearning Reflex’s effectiveness, and state how many minutes of daily screen time this program will add for a typical first grader.’
💰 Impact: Undisclosed Screen Time
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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Hospital Partnership to Provide Student Health Services
The district is partnering with St. Francis Medical Center to provide asthma support, including “access to resources and medications” for students at 17 schools. The agreement does not specify what parental consent is required for students to receive these services or medications on campus.
Recommended Action Plan
ASK FIRST: Contact the Board regarding Consent Item 14.A.4 (see the Official Agenda link): ‘What is the parental consent and notification policy for students to receive resources, education, or medication through the St. Francis Medical Center partnership? Will parents be present for all services?’
💰 Impact: Undisclosed Consent Policy
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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Student Mentorship Program Includes Mental Health Training
The district is renewing a $75,000 mentorship program that includes “Teen Mental Health First Aid training” for student participants. Parents need to know what this training entails and whether it functions as a mental health screening or encourages students to report on their peers without parental consent.
Recommended Action Plan
ASK FIRST: Contact the Board regarding Consent Item 14.A.16 (see the Official Agenda link): ‘What curriculum is used for the ‘Teen Mental Health First Aid’ training? What are the parental notification and consent policies for this training?’
💰 Impact: $75,000
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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Classroom Space Repurposed for SEL Counseling
The district is auctioning surplus desks to convert a room at Lindbergh Elementary into a “crafting room” for the school counselor to “support students’ social-emotional learning (SEL) needs.” This dedicates physical school space to SEL programming, further embedding it into the school day.
Recommended Action Plan
ASK FIRST: Contact the Board regarding Consent Item 14.D.5 (see the Official Agenda link): ‘What specific SEL programs will be run in this new counseling room? Will parents be notified and have the right to opt their children out of these activities?’
💰 Impact: Classroom Space
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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District Pays for ‘Anti-Bully’ Assembly with PBIS Focus
The district is paying $1,415 for an “anti-bullying” assembly that reinforces the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework. While anti-bullying sounds good, PBIS systems often focus on behavior modification and data collection rather than traditional discipline and character education.
Recommended Action Plan
Monitor: This is a small contract, but it reinforces the district’s commitment to the PBIS framework. Keep an eye on how PBIS is being implemented at your school.
💰 Impact: $1,415
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✅ Wins to Defend
Good moves worth showing up to support so they stick.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 7) |
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New Advanced Academic Program for Middle Schoolers
The district is launching the Veritas Preparatory Program, a new after-school academic enrichment program for high-achieving 7th and 8th graders. The program focuses on strengthening critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and public speaking skills through academic debate.
How to Lock It In
Show up to thank the Board for approving Item 14.A.6 and investing in advanced academic opportunities. Publicly supporting this program makes it harder to cut later and encourages the district to create more like it.
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| Win (LEVEL 6) |
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District Renews STEAM Enrichment for Gifted Students
The Board is renewing its agreement with Discovery Cube to provide an after-school STEAM enrichment program for GATE students in grades 3-6 at all 12 elementary schools. This program provides valuable, hands-on learning for high-achieving students.
How to Lock It In
Email the Board (contact info on district website) to thank them for renewing Item 14.A.12 and continuing to invest in the GATE program. Positive feedback reinforces the importance of these academic programs.
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