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Heads up! We have scanned the upcoming agenda for Heartland Area Education Agency. We found 7 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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$653,820 Contract for Special Ed ‘Professional Learning’
The board is approving a $653,820 contract with Des Moines Public Schools for ‘professional learning’ for special education staff, including school psychologists and social workers. This is a massive expense for training that could be used to implement SEL, MTSS, or other ideological frameworks under the guise of special education support.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact the District Office (see the Official Agenda link) and ask: ‘Regarding Consent Item III.C, please provide the full curriculum and all training materials that will be used in the $653,820 professional learning contract. Parents have a right to know what ideologies are being taught to staff who work with our most vulnerable students.’
💰 Impact: $653,820.00
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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Vague Title — Manual Review Required
The board is renewing an agreement with ‘New Opportunities, Inc. (Head Start).’ Head Start is a federal program that often comes with ideological strings attached, but the agreement document was not included in the agenda packet.
Recommended Action Plan
INVESTIGATE: Open the file for Consent Item III.E attached in the Official Agenda (linked above) to confirm whether this Head Start agreement contains mandates for DEI, SEL, or other ideological programs.
💰 Impact: Federal Strings Attached
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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District Buys Data Dashboard Software
The district paid $3,645 to Salesforce for Tableau, a powerful data visualization and dashboarding tool. This type of software is often used to create ‘data dashboards’ that track non-academic student data like behavior, attendance, and SEL metrics without clear parental consent or oversight.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND DATA POLICY: Contact the District Office (see the Official Agenda link): ‘Regarding the payment to Salesforce/Tableau found in the List of Paid Bills, what specific student data points will be tracked? We demand a clear data governance policy that guarantees parental consent before any non-academic data is collected on our children.’
💰 Impact: Your Child’s Privacy
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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Payment to Ideological Content Provider Newsela
The district paid $2,400 to Newsela Inc., a company that provides curated, often politically biased, news articles for classroom use. This service can replace traditional curriculum with current events filtered through an ideological lens, without direct parental oversight.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND REVIEW: Contact the District Office (see the Official Agenda link): ‘Regarding the payment to Newsela, what is the parental review process for articles assigned to students? We must ensure classroom materials are balanced and age-appropriate, not activist-driven.’
💰 Impact: $2,400.00
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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Funding for ‘Positive Behavioral’ System (PBIS)
A payment of $450 was made to the Midwest PBIS Network. PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) is a school-wide behavior modification system that often incorporates Social Emotional Learning (SEL) concepts, focusing on shaping student attitudes and beliefs rather than academic instruction.
Recommended Action Plan
OPT-OUT ALERT: Contact the District Office (see the Official Agenda link): ‘What specific PBIS programs are being used in our schools? Please provide the parental notification and opt-out procedures for any behavioral interventions or data collection associated with this system.’
💰 Impact: $450.00
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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District Spending on IXL Learning Software
The district paid $1,875 to IXL Learning Inc., a student-facing educational software. The board should provide evidence that this program improves academic outcomes and justify the increase in student screen time that replaces direct instruction.
Recommended Action Plan
ASK QUESTIONS: Contact the District Office (see the Official Agenda link): ‘Regarding the payment to IXL Learning, what is the total annual cost of this software, how many hours per week do students spend on it, and where is the independent, non-vendor-funded evidence that it improves academic achievement?’
💰 Impact: $1,875.00
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| ALERT (LEVEL 3) |
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Public Comment Time Capped at 30 Minutes
The board limits the total public forum to 30 minutes per meeting. This rule can be used to silence parents and limit public oversight if a large number of citizens wish to speak on a controversial topic.
Recommended Action Plan
MONITOR: While this is a low-level concern, if a controversial issue arises, this rule could be used to shut down debate. Be prepared to challenge the 30-minute total limit if many parents sign up to speak on Item I.C.
💰 Impact: Parents’ Voices Silenced
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“We do not co-parent with the government.”
Moms for Liberty is the nation’s largest grassroots organization fighting for parental rights. Through national members and local chapters, our work ensures parents, not the government or radical activists, make the decisions concerning the upbringing and education of their children.
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