To the editor:

The “Community Belonging Survey” being used in our school district may have been put out with the best of intentions by some, but it is, whether intentionally or not, an affront to many of the citizens of our community. The strong implication, by even bringing this forward, is that we have something to address when it comes to being welcoming and caring enough to want every student to know we have their best interests at heart. To view the survey go to: https://forms.gle/sitXntqYLGBoZBvj7

Consider New Ulm schools in the past. Did past boards, teachers, and other citizens not want to serve every child in our community with the best education possible? Have we in 2021 morphed into a less-than-welcoming district not interested in training our children to be respectful and caring?

There was a lot of support by concerned parents and other New Ulm citizens when the school board was discussing masking/vaccinating our children and injecting something into our children’s bodies. Quite a few came to the board meeting(s) to express themselves or just show support for medical freedom by their presence.

I hope that we can have as much support when it comes to addressing the board about the “Community Belonging Survey”. The survey’s impact could have a lasting effect on the education of New Ulm’s children. The result will be an injection into our children’s minds under the guise of behavioral intervention and being inclusive.

It’s important that those who are concerned attend school board meetings in upcoming months, or at least communicate to the board via email. Even if the term CRT is avoided, which the board insists is not a part of our education system, we are now able to address specific questions in the current survey about being “welcoming, inclusive, and equitable” and the very obvious slant towards focusing on sexual orientation/gender issues.

Although we most likely won’t change the minds of activists, we can make them and the community aware that there are a lot of citizens who are not on board with this.

Discord is being fomented in our community with the result of dividing us into groups – ones that aren’t receiving fair treatment and others who don’t care. Citizens of New Ulm, don’t let that happen! Teach your children that treating anyone in an offensive, hurtful manner is unacceptable. That is something we all can endeavor to do better, without compromising our values. There are different ways of having someone’s best interest at heart.

Then let’s get back to focusing on giving all of our children a solid educational foundation so they will have equal opportunity to excel. That will create the best outcome for the future.

Mary Thom

New Ulm