All posts by Morgan Olsen

Submit your own original t-shirt design and we’ll post it in our Facebook T-shirt design contest. The t-shirt designs with the most “likes” will be printed and distributed for active citizens like yourself to wear at political events, and show support and unity for local control of education. The winners will receive a free T-shirt printed with their winning design.

What you should know:

Your submissions must be submitted by Tuesday July 29, 11:59 pm to qualify.
Voting will begin on Wednesday morning and will end at Noon on Thursday.
Submit a design for both the front and the back of the shirt. Please label these, front or back, in the filename of your submission.
The winning designs will be printed on a GREEN shirt, please coordinate your colors to match.
The color of the green t-shirt.
Submit your design without the green background of the shirt showing. The green background portion of your design should be transparent so it is ready to send to the printer. (Jpeg files do not support a transparent background.)
Example of a Bad Submission
Example of a Good Submission
We will add a green background to your design so voters can see what it will look like on the shirt.
You will submit this.
We will add the green background so this is what the voters will see on Facebook.
Your design must promote the values of Utahns Against Common Core. Any designs that do not reflect our values or mission, are irrelevant to the purpose of this contest, or are not submitted according to the directions listed on this website will be disqualified.
By submitting your design you are donating the design and all rights and privileges pertaining to it, intellectual or otherwise, to Utahns Against Common Core and you agree to the terms and conditions listed on this website. This includes the right to edit your design.
It is your responsibility to make sure you use your own original design, and not steal the intellectual work of others.
Please submit your design as an attachment to morgan@olsen.org. Include your Full Name, Mailing Address, Email address and Phone number in the body of the email. Make sure the file names of your submission state whether it is the front or back of the shirt.

The T-shirt Design Contest is up NOW! Look through this Facebook photo album and like your favorite designs. The Design with the most likes by Noon, Thursday, July 31st will be printed and distributed.

News

Bill Evaluators Needed!

January 23, 2014 Morgan Olsen 12 Comments

The Legislative session starts next week and over 100 education bills have already been submitted with another 100 likely lying in wait.

We need your help!

If a few people from each legislative district step forward and read some of the bills authored by their Representative and Senator, then each volunteer would have only a handful of bills to evaluate.

We’ve come up with a simple process to make evaluations as easy as possible. To begin, simply contact us for your assignment, download and open the UACC Bill Evaluation Form and Instructions: How to Evaluate a Bill in 5 Steps . Then follow the Instructions contained therein. We encourage you to begin now!

Let us reassure you that evaluations don’t need to be perfect, we know you are not a lawyer and don’t expect you to know everything. Multiple people will be evaluating each bill, so if you miss something someone else will likely pick up on it. If you have any questions we will be supporting each-other in UACC’s Facebook Group!

To Begin:

1)Use our Contact Us page to volunteer. Tell us how many bills you will do and we’ll email you back an assignment .

1)Download the Instructions: How to Evaluate a Bill in 5 Steps

2)Download the UACC Bill Evaluation Form

3)Please complete and submit your evaluations by Monday, February 3rd.

Concerns

Baby Zoey Say’s “No” To Common Core: A Personal & Eye Opening Experience

July 10, 2013 Morgan Olsen 4 Comments

Doctor Gary Thompson, author of “Dr. Thompson’s letter to Superintendent Menlove“, has given us permission to post his latest Facebook note, “Baby Zoey Say’s “No” To Common Core: A Personal & Eye Opening Experience“, which details his encounter with his daughter’s speech therapist about the privacy of the data collected on his daughter. You’ll love his proactive solution to the problem.

Baby Zoey Say’s “No” To Common Core: A Personal & Eye Opening Experience

(Please note that the opinions stated herein are the sole personal and private opinions of Dr. Gary Thompson and do not necessarily reflected the views and opinions of Early Life Child Psychology & Education Center, Inc., their Board Members, or other licensed clinical employees of the Clinic).

Lest I be hypocritical, my two year old is receiving speech therapy services from Jordan District Developmental Center. She was in the program long before I became involved in the Common Core battle or was aware that someone now even at the age of two, can become a victim of Utah’s questionable and fuzzy data privacy laws.

The hypocrisy stopped today.

Zoey’s speech therapist is simply amazing. It’s free. Its in my home.

They have now (last week) equipped our speech therapist with a laptop where the session notes she writes go directly to the Department of Health or wherever the heck they are transmitted to.

I told the therapist to “put that thing away….and you know exactly why.”

We then had an hour long talk about privacy issues, and she commended me for saying “no”. She confided that from the moment she hit the “send” button, she has zero idea where this data is going or who gets to see it. She brought the issue up previously with District “suits”, but was expressly ordered not to discuss the issue and her concerns with parents other than what was written on the District’s consent form, which simply stated that “all personal data is protected per Federal & State FERPA privacy laws.”

She saw me on Glen Beck debating these very issues four months ago.

She said she was not surprised with my reaction, but only 1% of all parents question issues related to privacy. She also said that it was District policy for her to send this information about the session on her laptop, or services can’t be continued. When asked if she was aware of the changes the Obama administration made unilaterally to privacy rules via “FERPA”, and that they provide essentially zero protection, she bowed her head, turned red in the face, and simply said one word:

“Yes”.

She was visibly upset and embarrassed to have to say that to me. Her new young speech therapist employee that she brought along to train, did not have any clue about what was going on, was not told about these data privacy issues, and also was visibly upset.

I did what any other red blooded American entrepreneur does when faced with this situation…..I made her a better offer. It was an offer that not only benefits my daughter, but the community as a whole……

Ina few months, Early Life Child Psychology (and baby Zoey) will have a new private part time speech therapist courtesy of me stealing employees from Jordan School District.

We LOVE well trained, passionate public school employees. It pains me to get “hate mail” from across the country stating that I have negative agenda with public school teachers. We will not, however, give up my kids data in exchange for their services….

Neither should any of you.

So, I’m going to steal her, and one other lady I have in mind, and send them into the homes of parents who need these speech services. Privately. No data train. No IEP’s. No fighting with Districts to provide speech therapy to kids with overworked therapists with huge case loads.

Our model of client/child care is simply the exact opposite of what the Federal Government is desperately trying to get this community to buy into. It was not difficult to devise a conceptual model of client care for this community. We just simply did the exact opposite of procedure’s implemented in both the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) and Common Core (Obama Core).

Parents of Utah, we have been deceived.

All done without directly lying to us parents, but simply by lies of omission. This talented Jordan District speech therapist was actually relieved that I knew what was about to happen with my daughter. I can tell, because in a professional manner, I can tell that “Ms. Doe” loves Baby Zoey. She is easy to love.

It is all becoming clear to me now….the missing element that our state education leaders, School Board members, and lawmakers lack when it comes to making policies regarding our children :

Love.

Semi-socialized, one size fits all education is not an expression of love, but of politics.

The random and extensive data gathering that Jordan District wanted to accomplish with Baby Zoey was not an expression of love, but is simply a indication of bowing to the pressures of a distant federal government, and private business entities and special interest groups that want money. Data is Gold.

The young, talented speech therapist employed by Jordan School District that came into my home loves my sweet baby toddler…..

……the District that employees Zoey’s therapist, simply are not capable of modifying practices that best meet the needs of both Zoey and her parents because they do not “love ” her.

You all must decide what is best for your kids involved in public schools. I plead with you to make informed decisions that revolve around the unprecedented and massive changes that have now arrived in public schools in Utah.

It sickens me to say this, but leaders in this State whom we have entrusted the care of our children to, are deceiving us.

Utah State School Board members, State Lawmakers, and State Superintendent Menlove, I once again, 4 months after our original meeting, say this directly to all of you:

Not with my daughter.

Not without a fight.

I will close again with my favorite motto. One that should be on the desks of every policy maker in this State and on the President of the United States desk in the Oval Office:

“Parents are, and must be, the resident experts of their own children.”

Dr. Gary Thompson

drgary@earlylifepsych.com

Republished and edited with permission.

SOURCE: Baby Zoey Say’s “No” To Common Core: A Personal & Eye Opening Experience

Concerns

Is the USOE Practicing Psychological Profiling on your Child?

March 19, 2013 Morgan Olsen 3 Comments

Do you know what Psychological Profiling and Perception Data are?

If…

“Profiling: the use of personal characteristics or behavior patterns to make generalizations about a person, as in gender profiling.” (Dictionary.com)

Then Psychological Profiling is the use of psychological characteristics or behavior patterns to make generalizations about a person.

Perception data is essentially Belief Data. According to the Utah State Office of Education’s (USOE) “Utah’s Model for Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance”

“Perception data: Perception data answer the question, “What do people think they know, believe or can do?” These data measure what students and others observe or perceive, knowledge gained, attitudes and beliefs held and competencies achieved. These data are often collected through pre- and post-surveys, tests or skill demonstration opportunities such as presentations or role play, data, competency achievement, surveys or evaluation forms.” (pgs. 58-59)

Did you know the USOE outlines Student Outcomes, Standards, and Competencies for your child’s Perception (Belief) Data? (125-130)

“The school guidance curriculum is designed to facilitate the systematic delivery of guidance lessons or activities to every student consistent with the school CCGP statements of philosophy, goals and student competencies.” (48)

The following picture is an example of a few of Utah’s CCGP Student Outcomes (125-130):

Did you know your child’s success is determined by whether they Master the CCGP outcomes?

“Student monitoring: Monitoring students’ progress ensures that all students receive what they need to achieve success in school. It entails monitoring… standards- and competency-related data.” (33)
“Standards- and competency-related data: These data measure student mastery of the competencies delineated in the Utah CCGP Student Outcomes.” (57)

Did you know School counseling programs’ are evaluated on whether they made progress towards full implementation of the CCGP Student Outcomes?

Even though each school is urged to create its own CCGP Program with its own competencies and the Utah’s CCGP Models says the “117 indicators listed in the Utah Standards for Student Competencies… are not meant to be all-inclusive.” (45), the scoring rubrics (222) for the Program Audits require increasing alignment with Utah CCGP Student Outcomes over time. Under this evaluation method schools will eventually be fully aligned with Utah’s CCGP Student Outcomes, and psychological profiling will become mandatory throughout all of Utah’s CCGP programs.

“The CCGP Student Outcomes: The CCGP Student Outcomes serve as the foundation for the Utah CCG Program.” (32)

“The program review provides evidence of the program’s alignment with the Utah Model for CCGP. The primary purpose for collecting this information is to guide future actions within the program and to improve future results for students. The review aligns with and includes all Utah Model program components for the Utah Model for CCGP.” (77)

From the Performance review scoring rubrics:

“STANDARD IX: School Guidance Curriculum. The program delivers a developmental and sequential guidance curriculum in harmony with content standards identified in the Utah Model for CCGP.” (238)

“Evidence is provided that the guidance curriculum is in harmony with the CCGP Student Outcomes identified in the Utah Model and is supportive of school improvement goals.” (238)

If a school doesn’t score well enough they will lose grant money tied directly to the CCG Program, and some of the Guidance Counselors will lose their job.

Are you aware the USOE tells school Guidance Counselors to collect Perception (Belief) Data from your child to create “programs and activities designed to provide extra time and help to those students who need it”?

“Through the analysis of disaggregated data, educators discover which groups of students need additional help and design interventions specifically geared toward those students’ needs. For example, to help all students learn to the same high standards, teachers may create differentiated instruction, and schools might institute programs and activities designed to provide extra time and help to those students who need it. These intentional interventions are strategically designed to close the achievement gap.”
In the same way, school counselors know that not all students come to school with equal academic and personal/social resources. Disaggregated data help uncover areas where groups of students are having difficulty.” (60)

“Disaggregated data: Data separated into component parts by specific variables such as ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.” (Glossary)

Here’s an example the USOE gives of how Perception (Belief) data can be used to create a program:

“To ensure every student achieves high academic standards and masters the Utah CCGP Student Outcomes, it is important to not just look at aggregate, global data from the entire student body, but also to disaggregate the data. To disaggregate data, school counselors separate data by variables to see if there are any groups of students who may not be doing as well as others. For example, although a high school counselor might feel good about seeing that 60 percent of all seniors complete four full years of mathematics, she may not be as happy if she sees that 75 percent of white students complete the four years while only 20 percent of students of color complete four years of math. Disaggregated data often spur change because they bring to light issues of equity and focus the discussion upon the needs of specific groups of students.” (58)

Using factors we know the student databases keep track of, let’s change a few variables around to see how this type of practice could affect a different group of people:

“To ensure every student achieves high academic standards and masters the Utah CCGP Student Outcomes, it is important to not just look at aggregate, global data from the entire student body, but also to disaggregate the data. To disaggregate data, school counselors separate data by variables to see if there are any groups of students who may not be doing as well as others. For example, although a high school counselor might feel good about seeing that 60 percent of all seniors complete CCGP Student Outcome MG:A3.7: respect and protect the environment with a willingness to make necessary changes to accommodate the changing ecosystem, she may not be as happy if she sees that 75 percent of non-seminary students complete the four years while only 20 percent of students in seminary complete student outcome MG:A3.7. Disaggregated data often spur change because they bring to light issues of equity and focus the discussion upon the needs of specific groups of students.” (58)

What kinds of programs do you think a guidance counselor would create to deal with this sort of “problem”?

Do you think it’s okay for the USOE to create desired Student Outcomes for Students’ beliefs without parental input?

“Much gratitude is expressed to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) for permission to base this current Utah Model for Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance on The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, 2nd Edition.” (3)

Do you think it’s okay for the USOE to create desired Student Outcomes for Students’ beliefs at all?

Do you think it’s appropriate for the state to do this in the name of education?

What can you do about it?

Know your parental rights and exercise them. See What are my parental rights? For more information.
Do not sign permission slips allowing schools to collect personal data from your child.
Exercise your right to review the curriculum before signing anything.
Teach your child what is appropriate to share with others and what is private information.
Tell your Educators, and Elected Officials you are against the inappropriate collection and transfer of data by Utah’s State Longitudinal Data System and against the collection and use of perception data in any school system.
Ask Legislators to defund Utah’s SLDS.
See our Action List to learn more about how to contact your Elected Officials.

Reference

What are my parental rights?

January 24, 2013 Morgan Olsen 9 Comments

When faced with incorrect school policies and practices, parents can easily feel overwhelmed and powerless. Throughout my Common Core research, I have gathered a few tidbits of law that can help you re-establish your parental rights in the education of your child. Exercise regularly your God-given right to advocate for your child’s best interest, and remind schools and government agencies that your child’s unique needs are better served with a parental representative over a hired one. No amount of social planning, exorbitant spending or teacher training can provide a better representative than an emotionally attached lifelong parent who’s most basic instinct and sacred duty is to lovingly protect, nurture, and guide their child. Regularly claim your God-given right and duty to advocate for your child’s best interest as their primary representative. For as the old saying goes, “Use it or lose it.”

FEDERAL LAW

Right to review Curriculum (United States Code, Title 20 1232h)

1232h Protection of pupil rights

(a) Inspection of instructional materials by parents or guardians

All instructional materials, including teacher’s manuals, films, tapes, or other supplementary material which will be used in connection with any survey, analysis, or evaluation as part of any applicable program shall be available for inspection by the parents or guardians of the children.

Limits on Survey, Analysis, Evaluations, or Data Collection (United States Code, Title 20 1232h)

(b) Limits on survey, analysis, or evaluations

No student shall be required, as part of any applicable program, to submit to a survey, analysis, or evaluation that reveals information concerning—

(1) political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent;

(2) mental or psychological problems of the student or the student’s family;

(3) sex behavior or attitudes;

(4) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;

(5) critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships;

(6) legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;

(7) religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or student’s parent; or

(8) income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such program), without the prior consent of the student (if the student is an adult or emancipated minor), or in the case of an unemancipated minor, without the prior written consent of the parent.

Here is a brochure to help teach your children to say NO to these types of questions.

United States Code, Title 20 1232c

Not later than 240 days after October 20, 1994, the Secretary shall adopt appropriate regulations or procedures, or identify existing regulations or procedures, which protect the rights of privacy of students and their families in connection with any surveys or data-gathering activities conducted, assisted, or authorized by the Secretary or an administrative head of an education agency. Regulations established under this subsection shall include provisions controlling the use, dissemination, and protection of such data. No survey or data-gathering activities shall be conducted by the Secretary, or an administrative head of an education agency under an applicable program, unless such activities are authorized by law.

UTAH LAW

Activities prohibited without prior written consent (Utah Code Title 53A Section 302)

(1) Policies adopted by a school district under Section 53A-13-301 shall include prohibitions on the administration to a student of any psychological or psychiatric examination, test, or treatment, or any survey, analysis, or evaluation without the prior written consent of the student’s parent or legal guardian, in which the purpose or evident intended effect is to cause the student to reveal information, whether the information is personally identifiable or not, concerning the student’s or any family member’s:
(a) political affiliations or, except as provided under Section 53A-13-101.1 or rules of the State Board of Education, political philosophies;
(b) mental or psychological problems;
(c) sexual behavior, orientation, or attitudes;
(d) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;
(e) critical appraisals of individuals with whom the student or family member has close family relationships;
(f) religious affiliations or beliefs;
(g) legally recognized privileged and analogous relationships, such as those with lawyers, medical personnel, or ministers; and
(h) income, except as required by law.
(2) Prior written consent under Subsection (1) is required in all grades, kindergarten through grade 12.

Here is a brochure to help teach your children to say NO to these types of questions.

Right of the Parent to raise their child without undue government interference (Utah Code Title 62A Chapter 4a Section 201)

(1) (a) Under both the United States Constitution and the constitution of this state, a parent possesses a fundamental liberty interest in the care, custody, and management of the parent’s children. A fundamentally fair process must be provided to parents if the state moves to challenge or interfere with parental rights. A governmental entity must support any actions or allegations made in opposition to the rights and desires of a parent regarding the parent’s children by sufficient evidence to satisfy a parent’s constitutional entitlement to heightened protection against government interference with the parent’s fundamental rights and liberty interests.
(b) The fundamental liberty interest of a parent concerning the care, custody, and management of the parent’s children is recognized, protected, and does not cease to exist simply because a parent may fail to be a model parent or because the parent’s child is placed in the temporary custody of the state. At all times, a parent retains a vital interest in preventing the irretrievable destruction of family life. Prior to an adjudication of unfitness, government action in relation to parents and their children may not exceed the least restrictive means or alternatives available to accomplish a compelling state interest. Until the state proves parental unfitness, the child and the child’s parents share a vital interest in preventing erroneous termination of their natural relationship and the state cannot presume that a child and the child’s parents are adversaries.
(c) It is in the best interest and welfare of a child to be raised under the care and supervision of the child’s natural parents. A child’s need for a normal family life in a permanent home, and for positive, nurturing family relationships is usually best met by the child’s natural parents. Additionally, the integrity of the family unit and the right of parents to conceive and raise their children are constitutionally protected. The right of a fit, competent parent to raise the parent’s child without undue government interference is a fundamental liberty interest that has long been protected by the laws and Constitution and is a fundamental public policy of this state.
(d) The state recognizes that:
(i) a parent has the right, obligation, responsibility, and authority to raise, manage, train, educate, provide for, and reasonably discipline the parent’s children; and
(ii) the state’s role is secondary and supportive to the primary role of a parent.
(e) It is the public policy of this state that parents retain the fundamental right and duty to exercise primary control over the care, supervision, upbringing, and education of their children.

(This law goes into great detail and has a few loopholes; click here to see more)

~Morgan Olsen

Protecting Our Children