By State Senator Ryan Fazio
People across our town and state were shocked by the viral videos of a Greenwich Schools administrator released this week. The political bias and indoctrination, age discrimination and anti-Catholic bigotry on display in those videos is blatantly illegal and immoral. I love our town and our schools. I am a proud graduate of our schools and a Catholic. And I know that the prejudice in these videos is something that our community will never accept.
There must be a full, independent investigation into the wrongdoing described in these videos and any violators of parents’ trust must be fired. Directly contrary to what this administrator said: Our government answers to our families; not the other way around.
Families deserve a public education system that is transparent, accountable, and great. Our teachers deserve to work with and for administrators who are fair and just. Prejudice and ideology are offenses against all our great teachers and administrators. The actions of this man also violated their trust.
Our local government must ensure this is not happening elsewhere and doesn’t happen again. Our state government must also lead. This year, I introduced legislation for curriculum transparency and makes all course materials accessible online for anyone to view. This is common sense, deters bad actors, and builds trust.
Our state and local governments should always focus on high standards and rigorous core curriculum that teaches reading, writing, and math. High-standards schools don’t have time for chicanery. We should follow examples of high-achieving district schools, charter schools, and state systems. We also need school choice, which helps keep the whole system accountable. I’ve introduced legislation to pave the way for positive education reform.
Great schools preclude political indoctrination, prejudice, and divisiveness. We are lucky to live in a great community with so many wonderful families and educators. Our schools are one of the reasons that families flock here and other neighboring towns. The schools did great things for me and my friends decades ago, and every kid deserves those same great experiences. Still today, our schools have so much to offer our kids, including great teachers, and I am confident that most of our families love them.
It’s precisely because we have high standards and love our schools there must be action. The trust of our families was broken this week and that’s not acceptable. The radicalism and prejudice we witnessed in these videos is anathema to our community and it cannot be permitted to win here or anywhere in Connecticut. Greenwich and our entire state can do much better.
