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Heads up! Our parent watchdogs have scanned the upcoming agenda for Liberty Union-Thurston Local. We found 5 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| 🚨 HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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New Attendance Policies Create Family Surveillance System
| 📅 First Reading July 13, 2026 |
The Board is introducing new policies (JED and JEDA) on ‘Chronic Absenteeism’ and ‘Truancy.’ These policies establish a ‘tiered system of supports’ (MTSS) and create ‘absence intervention teams’ to monitor and intervene with families. This is a structural overreach that gives the district the power to track students and potentially launch intrusive interventions against parents based on attendance data, treating families as problems to be managed rather than as partners.
Recommended Action Plan
PACK THE ROOM: This is a first reading, which is the best time to stop it. Call Board President Caryl Caito at (740) 862-4171 and sign up for public comment. Message: ‘Vote NO on policies JED and JEDA. Parents will not tolerate a system that treats them like suspects in their own homes.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Creation of a permanent family surveillance and intervention bureaucracy.
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| 🚨 HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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District Claims Ownership of All Student Data, Eliminates Privacy
| 📅 First Reading July 13, 2026 |
Under a proposed new technology policy (EDE-R), the district asserts the right to ‘investigate, review, copy, monitor and/or store data at any time, without prior notice.’ It explicitly states that all student-generated data ‘will remain the property of LU-TSD and Users shall have no expectations of privacy.’ This means every email, document, and search a student performs on a school device is owned and monitored by the district, stripping parents of their right to oversee their child’s digital life at school.
Recommended Action Plan
PACK THE ROOM: This is a massive violation of family privacy. Call Board President Caryl Caito at (740) 862-4171 and sign up for public comment. Demand the board strike the ‘no expectation of privacy’ clause and the claim that student data is the ‘property of LU-TSD.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Total loss of student digital privacy and parental oversight.
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| 🚨 HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Confirmed in Staff Handbooks
| 📅 Vote Scheduled July 13, 2026 |
Under item 7.C, the Middle School Staff Handbook explicitly lists ‘SEL- Sandy Hook materials’ as a focus for the school year, and the Elementary Staff Handbook states that ‘social, and emotional development’ is a primary goal. This confirms the district is embedding Social Emotional Learning into school operations, which often replaces academic instruction with psychological programming and subjective behavioral modification.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email Superintendent Michael Johnson at mike.johnson@libertyunion.org: ‘Regarding the handbooks in Item 7.C, please provide the specific ‘Sandy Hook’ SEL curriculum for parental review and explain how the district is measuring ‘social and emotional development’ in elementary students.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Replacing academic instruction time with psychological programming.
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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Vague ‘Leadership’ and AI Vendor Contracts Hidden in Bundled Vote
| 📅 Vote Scheduled July 13, 2026 |
The board is set to approve a bundled financial package (Item 4.B) containing a $14,000 contract with ‘Instructional Growth’ for ‘Leadership Support & Professional Learning’ and a nearly $6,000 contract for ‘Magic School,’ a district-wide AI platform. ‘Leadership support’ is often a Trojan horse for DEI/SEL training for staff, and the AI platform raises serious questions about what student data is being collected and who owns it.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email Superintendent Michael Johnson at mike.johnson@libertyunion.org: ‘I demand the contracts with Instructional Growth and Magic School Inc. in Item 4.B be pulled from the bundled vote for a separate discussion and roll-call vote. Parents deserve to know what these vendors do and what data they collect.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: $19,999.25
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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District Hikes Laptop Replacement Cost for Parents by 67%
| 📅 First Reading July 13, 2026 |
In the updated technology policy (EDE-E), the district is increasing the ‘Whole Device Replacement’ cost for parents from $209.00 to $350.00. This is a 67% price hike that places a significant and sudden financial burden on families whose children may accidentally damage their school-issued device.
Recommended Action Plan
OPT-OUT ALERT: Email Treasurer April Bolyard at april.bolyard@libertyunion.org and Superintendent Michael Johnson at mike.johnson@libertyunion.org: ‘Regarding policy EDE-E, please provide the justification for the 67% increase in device replacement costs. What steps has the district taken to find a more affordable option for families?’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: An extra $141 per family for a broken device.
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