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Heads up! We have scanned the upcoming agenda for HARRIS COUNTY DEPT OF ED. We found 5 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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District Approves 5-Year Contract with Student Surveillance Vendor
Hidden in a long list of software vendors under Item 6.H.1 is ‘Navigate360, LLC,’ a company known for student surveillance, threat assessments, and social-emotional monitoring. Approving this vendor opens the door for the district to purchase software that monitors student behavior and collects sensitive data, creating a digital file on your child without your knowledge.
Recommended Action Plan
PACK THE ROOM: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org: ‘Regarding Item 6.H.1, I demand the contract with Navigate360 be removed from the vendor list and voted on separately. Parents do not consent to the district buying surveillance software to monitor our children.’
💰 Impact: Digital Surveillance of Students
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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Board to Accept $1.4M in Federal Grants with Potential Strings
Under Consent Items 6.F.8 and 6.F.9, the board is set to accept over $1.4 million from the federal ‘Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers’ grant program. These large federal grants often come with mandates for specific curriculum, data collection, and reporting requirements that are not disclosed to parents.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org: ‘Pull Consent Items 6.F.8 and 6.F.9 for a separate vote. The Board must publicly disclose all curriculum, data sharing, and policy mandates attached to this $1.4M in federal funding before accepting it.’
💰 Impact: $1.4M (Federal Strings Attached)
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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Board Pre-Approves Roster of Outside Counselors and Consultants
Item 6.H.2 is a 5-year contract award for a long list of ‘Advisors, Coaches, Consultants, Counselors, Speakers, and Trainers.’ This creates a pre-approved pipeline for outside parties, including counseling services, to work directly with students, potentially without specific parental notification or consent for each engagement.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org: ‘Pull Item 6.H.2 from the Consent Agenda. What is the policy for notifying parents and obtaining consent before a student receives services from any of these pre-approved counselors or consultants?’
💰 Impact: Bypassing Parental Consent
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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District to Train Staff in Psychological Techniques for Classroom Use
The board is approving a grant for a workshop to train educators in ‘Empowering Children’s Executive Function Through Self-Determination.’ This training focuses on psychological and therapeutic concepts like ‘sensory processing’ and turning students into ‘self-advocates,’ blurring the line between academic instruction and therapy.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND ANSWERS: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org: ‘Regarding grant proposal 6.E.1, why is the district training educators in psychological interventions? Parents must have the right to consent before therapeutic techniques are used on their children in the classroom.’
💰 Impact: Classroom as Clinic
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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District Expands Student Data Collection Infrastructure
The Research and Evaluation Institute is expanding its use of ‘Data Dashboards’ and conducting ‘Program Evaluations’ like ‘Your Voice Matters,’ which are often school climate surveys. This creates a system for collecting and analyzing subjective student data, potentially without full parental transparency.
Recommended Action Plan
ASK FIRST: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org: ‘Regarding the Research and Evaluation Institute’s update (Item 5.C), what specific student data is collected for the ‘Data Dashboards’? Will parents have access to the ‘Your Voice Matters’ survey questions and be able to opt their children out before it is administered?’
💰 Impact: Your Child’s Privacy
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“We do not co-parent with the government.”
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