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A superintendent in Washington state defended a first grade teacher’s decision to read her class a book about transgender children.
Greg Baker, the superintendent of Bellingham School District, said the teacher’s choice to read
I Am Jazz to her class was in line with the district s values. His statement on Thursday cited “hate speech and harassment” that began with attention given to the reading of the library book and the private business owned by one of our school board members.
“Reading diverse books and learning about all kinds of lives is consistent with our values in our strategic plan, The Bellingham Promise,” Baker said. “We believe all children should be loved, and we believe diversity enhances a strong and healthy community.”
6 May 2021
Parents of first-graders in the Bellingham School District in the state of Washington were reportedly dismissed by school officials after protesting a teacher’s decision to read a book about transgender reality TV teen star Jazz Jennings to the young children.
A report at Young America’s Foundation (YAF) noted the group received an anonymous tip that first-grade teacher Jennifer Miller read
I Am Jazz, a book that explains how a toddler boy transitioned to live as a girl.
According to the report, Miller admitted she read the book to her first-graders in response to an email from one outraged parent.
High school students in Bellingham to return to classroom in March KIRO 7 News Staff
Bellingham Public Schools announced Wednesday that it will begin bringing back high school students to the classroom beginning in March.
Students will gradually return for in-person learning between March 8-19.
“We have developed safety protocols based on the advice of aforementioned institutions and by working closely with our local health department.
“Here is an overview of our safety protocols, which include key mitigation strategies: mask-wearing, physical distancing, hand washing and staying home when sick.
“Our district has a comprehensive contact tracing process if/when needed, which is also a key component in risk mitigation and is led by our COVID safety team in partnership with the Whatcom County Health Department.”
January 22, 2021 7:33 am
KGMI
BELLINGHAM, Wash. A local high school has decided to change its mascot’s name to promote what it calls a more inclusive environment.
Bellingham High School has created a task force to replace the Red Raiders mascot name and possibly image.
The Bellingham Public Schools web site says the basis for establishing the task force is the nationwide social justice movement.
The announcement also said the group, consisting of students, staff, and community members, will “develop and deliver educational activities on systemic racism to BHS students and community.”
The final mascot name and image will be announced in May.
Whatcom sees 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, as sixth Bellingham classroom closes
The Bellingham Herald 12/19/2020 David Rasbach, The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)
Dec. 19 Whatcom County has 27 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and eight probable cases, according to the Washington State Department of Health Friday, Dec. 18. No additional deaths were reported for Whatcom County
Whatcom County now has seen 3,069 confirmed cases, and 52 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17. That means that 1.7% of the Whatcom residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Eight probable cases have been reported in Whatcom County during the pandemic resulting from positive antigen tests, but those cases were not confirmed by a molecular test.