The very first sentence of their news article begins
From recommended literature that celebrates pedophilia...I have to say that this automatically put me on alert; anyone who sees this as the biggest problem worth mentioning about Common Core is definitely not on the same page that I am. So without even reading further, I immediately went to their "About" page. Oh, and look!, their first sentence there is
The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.and further on, continues with
The Law Center’s purpose is to be the sword and shield for people of faith, providing legal representation without charge. We achieve this goal principally through litigation, seeking out significant cases consistent with our mission.
The Law Center also defends and promotes faith and family through media and educational efforts. Above all, the lawyers of the Thomas More Center seek to meet the highest moral and ethical standards of our Christian faith and our legal profession.
Our ministry was inspired...
Um, ministry?
OK, so after ten years of homeschooling and being witness to the workings of HSLDA, this intro to Thomas More Law Center leaves me feeling completely justified in my willingness to dismiss them as fringe, at least here in Connecticut.
They represent Christians. And fight Common Core from a strictly Christian perspective. And while I can see value in that for Christians, are they really the people to represent parents at-large? To help you decide, here is a sampling of their Key Issues:
- Defending the Religious Freedom of Christians
The ACLU and like-minded organizations are using sympathetic courts to destroy the religious and moral foundations of our great nation...
- Restoring Family Values
Traditional marriage and family are under attack by Hollywood, the secular media, and radical homosexual groups who demand the legalization of same-sex marriages.
- Defending the Sanctity of Human Life
...the leader in the effort to overturn Roe v. Wade...
- Defending National Security
The Law Center opposes the Defense Department’s actions to homosexualize our military...
So my personal feeling is that we should not be looking to Thomas More Law Center to be the folks to represent us in our fight against Common Core; like HSLDA there are factors beyond the one at hand that will dictate how they respond and litigate, factors that don't necessarily represent parents en toto, and in the end, could actually serve to divide us. So in fact, we should actually avoid sending people to that website, unless of course, we know in advance that they are Christian and share all of the values that Thomas More does.
I would also like to speak to their Student Privacy Protection Opt-Out Request Form; it seems to have some serious admirers here in Connecticut, people who keep pointing others to it. I originally read through it some time ago with an eye to picking out what is useful in organizing opt out advice for people in our state. Originally it mentioned only PARCC testing, but now I see that they've made one specifically for Connecticut that speaks to SBAC. I don't know why they haven't labeled it "SBAC Form" though, instead of Connecticut, since none of it is specific to us.
The problem with using this letter is twofold. The first is that fact that it is not specific to us. It says that the submitter opts of out of
Any and all standardized testing or activities required by law... Any and all tests, assessments, or surveys not limited solely to proficiency in core academic subjects...Except that here in Connecticut some tests are standardized but not required by law, and arguably do measure proficiency in core academic subjects. For example, several districts around the state are using NWEA MAP testing. And this letter does not provide for refusing those.
Second is that people are using it when they don't know what everything on it even means. It covers lots of stuff and sounds really informative and has the name of a law group on it, so I can see how people might think it's a good idea. But as I have advised, time and time again, people should not use form letters to opt out without agreeing with all of the talking points in that form letter. And certainly, in this case, don't use a letter that you don't even understand; when a school asks for confirmation of your concerns you can't run to others to help you figure out what those are!
Which is why it is so important for parents to write their own letters, pulling information they agree with from all available sources. Yes, including, but I hope I convinced you not limited to, the Thomas More letter.
Finally, my last problem with the Thomas More Law Center is that they have the wrong address for the Connecticut website. The address they offer is a website that is run by, as far as anyone can tell, and individual who is working alone and refuses to communicate with anyone else. The correct address for the website for the actual movement in Connecticut, that is run by the same group of people who also provide support via Facebook and community forums, is ctagainstcommoncore.org
I believe that it mentions on the Thomas More web page that if you have concerns or additional resources that you should contact one of their representatives. I'm sure that they would be more than willing to listen to your concerns and take them under advisement.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, Christian organizations do not take concerns with their Christian perspective under advisement. As for the rest, I have no interest in communicating with them, or I certainly would have. They do not contribute to the conversation regarding Common Core in Connecticut, so to me, they are irrelevant and not worth my time to dialog with.
DeleteThis post slams the door on an entire faith of people. So few organizations work to fight Common Core, I embrace those that do even if some of their beliefs are not my own.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you would call a Christian group irrelevant. So what if they are fighting this from a Judeo-Christian perspective? Common Core is a wholly un-American initiative and at odds with the founding of our nation. It seems as if you only want someone on your side who fights from the politically-correct perspective. Your issues with faith/ministry/Christianity are hard to hide.
ReplyDeleteThey are not irrelevant because they are Christian, they are irrelevant because "they do not contribute to the conversation regarding Common Core in Connecticut".
DeleteAnd I'm clearly not attempting to hide my issues with ministries; I'm glad you caught that.
In my ten years as a homeschooler, I met MANY people who are Christian. I found most of them lovely people and at one point even tried to participate in one of their support groups. However, through my experiences I have gained the understanding that they have a fundamental inability to separate anything they do from their belief that they are their god's servants; EVERYTHING they do comes from a perspective of trying to serve him, spread his word, and bring him more followers.
Finally, I disagree that I "only want someone on [my] side who fights from the politically-correct perspective". If lawyers from NORML proved themselves relevant to CC in CT I would be willing to accept that help, because they are not a ministry and therefore can likely leave the NORML fight behind when they are dealing with a different one. However, with Thomas More, they clearly state that "The Law Center... defends and PROMOTES FAITH" specifically using the word "ministry". Therefore even without my considerable experiences with Christians, one can safely deduce that their religion is an INTEGRAL part of Thomas More's perspective; one that will not be put aside to help those with a more secular viewpoint.
I've always believed that its easier to accomplish a daunting task when we as individuals set aside our differences and work together rather than toil in the slippery mud alone.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the people at Thomas More don't ask what your religion is, they just ask how they can help.
I 100% agree that " its easier to accomplish a daunting task when we as individuals set aside our differences and work together". But Thomas More will not set aside their differences; their religion is too integral to who they are, and they are therefore incapable of it.
Delete