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Heads up! We have scanned the upcoming agenda for Sweetwater Union High. We found 10 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 10) |
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$1.2 Million Contract for ‘Wellness Together’ Mental Health Services
Item H.4 approves a massive $1,234,320 contract with ‘Wellness Together, Inc.’ to expand mental health services for students. This funding creates a parallel system of school-based mental health care that can operate without direct parental involvement or consent, opening the door for sensitive discussions on topics like gender identity.
Recommended Action Plan
PACK THE ROOM: This is a critical threat. Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact info) and show up to speak on Item H.4: ‘Vote NO on the $1.2M Wellness Together contract. The district must not create school-based clinics that operate outside of parental oversight. We do not co-parent with the government.’
💰 Impact: $1,234,320
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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District Declares ‘Anti-Hate Week’ to Promote LGBTQ+ Agenda
Resolution 5058 designates an ‘Anti-Hate Week’ that, according to the agenda, explicitly ‘promotes awareness and empowerment of LGBTQ+ students.’ This resolution uses vague language like ‘inclusion’ and ‘belonging’ as a vehicle to introduce and celebrate controversial gender ideology in the classroom, outside of the curriculum and without parental consent.
Recommended Action Plan
SHOW UP TO DEFEND ACADEMICS: Contact Dr. Vernon Moore at (619) 691-5533 or vernon.moore@sweetwaterschools.org regarding Resolution 5058. ‘Schools should focus on academics, not activism. I oppose Resolution 5058, which uses school time and resources to promote a political and ideological agenda.’
💰 Impact: Ideological Activism
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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$10,407 for ‘Ethnic Studies’ Novels with No Book List
Item G.3 approves a $10,407 purchase of novels for high school ‘Ethnic Studies’ courses. The agenda provides no list of the titles being purchased, preventing parents from reviewing the materials for age-appropriateness or ideological content before they are bought with taxpayer money.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TO SEE THE BOOKS: Contact Dr. Ana Maria Alvarez at (619) 691-5546 or ana.alvarez@sweetwaterschools.org regarding Item G.3: ‘Parents have a right to know what their children are reading. Please publish the full list of Ethnic Studies novels for public review before this purchase is approved.’
💰 Impact: Undisclosed Curriculum
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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District to Implement ‘Hope Squad’ Student Surveillance Program
Item G.7 approves ‘Hope Squad,’ a peer-to-peer mental health program where students are nominated to monitor their friends for signs of distress. This program risks turning children into untrained counselors and informants for the school, bypassing parents on sensitive mental health issues and creating a student surveillance network.
Recommended Action Plan
PACK THE ROOM: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact info) and sign up for public comment on Item G.7. ‘Vote NO on Hope Squad. We do not consent to programs that train students to monitor and report on their peers’ mental health, bypassing parental involvement.’
💰 Impact: Student Surveillance
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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Board Authorizes Limiting Parent Speaking Time
Under item D.2, the board asserts its power to limit all public comments on any single topic to just 20 minutes total. This rule could be used to shut down parent testimony on controversial issues once a few people have spoken, effectively silencing opposition.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND YOUR VOICE BE HEARD: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact info): ‘I oppose the 20-minute time limit on public comment per topic in Item D.2. This bylaw can be used to silence parents on critical issues, and I urge you to ensure all parents who wish to speak are heard.’
💰 Impact: Your Right to Speak
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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$80,000 Renewal for ‘Shmoop’ Online Learning Platform
The district plans to spend $80,000 to renew the ‘Shmoop’ online test prep and course platform for grades 7-12. The district has not provided any independent evidence that this software improves academic outcomes, nor has it disclosed how much additional daily screen time this program requires of students.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact info) regarding Item G.1: ‘Before approving the $80,000 Shmoop contract, please provide the public with independent, non-vendor-supplied evidence of its academic effectiveness and a clear statement of the daily screen time it adds for students.’
💰 Impact: $80,000
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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$152,500 to Transition Middle Schoolers to Chromebooks
Item K.5 allocates $152,500 for software to convert existing laptops into Chromebooks, pushing forward the district’s 1:1 device initiative for middle school students. This expansion of screen-based learning replaces direct instruction from teachers with unproven software, and the district has provided no data on its academic benefits.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND EVIDENCE: Contact Janea Quirk at (619) 585-6060 or janea.quirk@sweetwaterschools.org regarding Item K.5: ‘Before funding a 1:1 device expansion, the board must provide evidence that increased screen time leads to better academic outcomes than traditional instruction. What is the plan to measure the results of this investment?’
💰 Impact: $152,500
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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District Authorizing Sale of $123 Million in New Bonds
Item N.5 authorizes the district to issue and sell a staggering $123 million in new bond debt ($23M from Prop O, $50M from Measure DD, and $50M from Measure RR). This massive borrowing commits taxpayers to decades of repayment without a detailed, concurrent public review of the specific projects this money will fund.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY: Contact Dr. Jenny Salkeld at 619-691-5550 or jenny.salkeld@sweetwaterschools.org regarding Item N.5: ‘Before the district issues $123 million in new debt, parents and taxpayers deserve a detailed, transparent list of every project this money is designated for. We demand fiscal accountability.’
💰 Impact: $123,000,000
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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Bylaw Change Could Reduce Number of Public Board Meetings
Under Item M.3, the board is revising Bylaw 9320 to give staff the ‘option to change to one meeting in June.’ This reduces the number of scheduled public meetings, limiting opportunities for parents to provide oversight and hold the board accountable, especially during the critical budget and LCAP adoption season.
Recommended Action Plan
PROTECT PUBLIC OVERSIGHT: Contact Deanne Vicedo at 619/585-4405 or deanne.vicedo@sweetwaterschools.org regarding Item M.3: ‘I oppose the bylaw change that allows for fewer board meetings in June. Parents need more opportunities for oversight, not fewer, especially when the budget is being decided.’
💰 Impact: Reduced Board Oversight
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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Report on Expensive Consultants Hidden from Public View
Item I.1 is a report on consultant agreements over $5,000, but the actual report is not attached to the agenda. This prevents the public from seeing who the district is hiring, for what purpose, and at what cost, hiding potentially controversial contracts for services like DEI or SEL consulting.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact Dr. Jenny Salkeld at (619) 691-5550 or jenny.salkeld@sweetwaterschools.org regarding Item I.1: ‘The public has a right to see the consultant report. Please attach the full report to the public agenda before the board votes to approve it.’
💰 Impact: Undisclosed Spending
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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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