Judeo-Christian Values? Not in Our Classrooms!

A strategy proposed to the Burlington, Vt., school board attacks the “negatives” of the Judeo-Christian heritage and suggests its elimination, according to critics of the stunning plan.

Pastor Larry Czelusta believes that the Task Force Report on the Recommended Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Burlington School District” is a document that is openly hostile to Christianity and biblical values.

Czelusta said one of the report’s passages openly declare its objections to Christianity and says that the Judeo-Christian culture perpetuates inequality.

“Traditional educational practices are maintained with no critique of existing inequities in any aspect of the school or the education system. Curricula, pedagogies, counseling practices, and all other aspect of education continue to reflect primarily White, male, upper middle class, Christian, and other privileged perspectives and approaches,” the report said.

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“I know that schools have to deal with social issues in children on levels never seen before. The breakdown of families is huge. Education is not always a priority for parents,” Czelusta said.

However, he said that the school board’s unanimous reception of the report is a step toward a rejection of the heritage that fostered the growth and development of the city of Burlington.

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Some examples of the report’s wording:

As a general backdrop to each subcommittee’s conversations, Task Force members agreed that the overarching challenge the District must meet is how to close the achievement gap that indicates students who belong to a minority group lag behind white, able bodied, heterosexual, middle class students in academic success, participation in extra-curricular activites, graduation rates, entry into college, and enrollment in honors and AP classes. In the Task Force’s view, the activities, practices and policies that will minimize and eventually eliminate this achievement gap represent an anti-racist stance against the conventional white, middle class, Judeo-Christian culture that invisibly permeates the current social environment that exists in the Burlington Schools.

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Czelusta believes that the task force’s report will be gladly embraced in Burlington.

“Burlington will applaud this task force report. According to the school’s website, the entire council approved the report–unanimously!” Czelusta said.

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In an interview with WND, Collins echoed the statement that appears on her blog.

“The report is the work of a task force of community members. The task force was appointed by the school board and charged with the request to identify and research and provide best practices around being an inclusive and welcoming environment in the schools,” [Burlington Superintendent Jeanne] Collins said.

“The task force wrote the report, so I can’t really comment on the language they need to use,” Collins said.

Collins said the report was received by the school board, not completely adopted “lock, stock and barrel.” She also said a committee was formed to work on implementing the report’s findings.

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