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3 weeks ago | 
timesofsandiego.com | Marsha Sutton
It’s clear that Assembly Bill 101 is an abysmal failure, and the mandate to require students to take a course in ethnic studies to graduate high school by 2030 needs to be abandoned. There are four main problems with AB101’s poor legislation: the two versions of the model curriculum in circulation, the lack of state standards, the guardrails that have no teeth, and the lack of funding as required by law.
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3 weeks ago | 
sandiegouniontribune.com | Marsha Sutton
Somewhere along the way to adulthood, we lost the ability to infuse our lives with magic.How do we make the world alive again with miracles and awe? When we once gazed upon the toothless grin of our progeny in our arms, we had magic. It was the sight of a newborn’s face, the touch of a baby’s chubby fingers curled around one of ours, the joy upon hearing a child’s laughter. When we fell in love for the first time, there was magic.
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1 month ago | 
sandiegouniontribune.com | Marsha Sutton
At the Feb. 4 San Dieguito Union High School District’s special board meeting, districtstaff asked school board members to agree to postpone the implementation of the district’s proposed ethnic studies coursework which was set to go into effect this fall, due to the lack of funding from the state.
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1 month ago | 
sdjewishworld.com | Marsha Sutton
By Marsha SuttonTimes of San DiegoMarsha SuttonCARLSBAD, California — The importance of the Feb. 19 court decision against the Santa Ana Unified School District, for approving flawed and biased ethnic studies course material without public notice, cannot be overstated.
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1 month ago | 
timesofsandiego.com | Marsha Sutton
The importance of the Feb. 19 court decision against the Santa Ana Unified School District, for approving flawed and biased ethnic studies course material without public notice, cannot be overstated. Its outcome, which has even reached newspapers in Israel, has implications for other California school districts, including those in San Diego, that are approving or using discriminatory material and doing so without proper public notice.
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2 months ago | 
sandiegouniontribune.com | Marsha Sutton
At the Feb. 4 San Dieguito Union High School District special board meeting, the main focus, deservedly so, was to decide whether to make ethnic studies optional for this fall rather than mandatory. But it was the second item on the agenda that caught my attention. It was an item asking the board to approve the promotion of San Dieguito employee Nathan Molina from assistant principal at Carmel Valley Middle School to assistant principal at Torrey Pines High School, effective Feb. 10.
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Oct 14, 2024 | 
timesofsandiego.com | Marsha Sutton
San Dieguito Union High School District trustee Michael Allman, who is running this year for his second term on the board, has been the relentless target of opponents since taking office four years ago, stemming from his independent views that run contrary to many teachers union positions. My personal political views have been described as to the left of Sen. Bernie Sanders, not far from the truth.
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
sandiegouniontribune.com | Marsha Sutton
No one would expect to come away scared after attending a library convention. Yet the prevailing theme at this year’s American Library Association conference, held in San Diego June 27 to July 2, was book challenges and bans, and the takeaway was indeed frightening. Librarians and library staff are facing not only challenges to books but also menacing harassment and threats to their personal safety.
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Sep 16, 2024 | 
timesofsandiego.com | Marsha Sutton
Although Sept. 17 is one of the most important days in our country’s history, it is sometimes referred to as America’s forgotten holiday. Known as Constitution Day, Sept. 17 is the day in 1787 when 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention came together in Philadelphia to sign and ratify a radically unique document: the United States Constitution. It was 237 years ago when our country’s founders — visionaries unlike any today — imagined a new way forward for our young country.
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Aug 20, 2024 | 
sandiegouniontribune.com | Marsha Sutton
The San Dieguito Union High School District surprised me by finally fulfilling my Public Records Act request for a copy of the settlement agreement between the district and the recently concluded special education case discussed in my three previous columns. Per my request, I also received copies of invoices to the Orbach Huff & Henderson law firm whose attorney Sarah Sutherland has represented the district throughout this family’s nearly three-year ordeal.
