• Bloom Campaign Response to Textbook Review Policy Revision Newly proposed change a "slap in the face" and "centralization of power"

CHESAPEAKE, VA -- On Monday, May 23rd, the Chesapeake School Board presented for the first reading a revision to existing policy regarding controversial materials.1 One of the major proposed changes would seize power from school principles to establish review committees, instead centralizing it under the City’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Furthermore, any decisions made on materials are applied to the entire district, regardless of nuanced differences between each school from demographics to grade levels.

Blazen Bloom for Chesapeake School Board
blaizenbuckshotbloom.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2022

Contact:
Na'sha Robertson, Media Coordinator, [email protected]

Additionally, the policy revision removes the requirement that parents and teachers be included in the committee that is tasked with determining the appropriateness and relevance of such materials to the school. This backwards decision comes at a time when more parental input in school systems is on the rise across the nation, including becoming one of Governor Youngkin’s major campaign points.

School Board Candidate Blaizen Buckshot Bloom condemned this new policy stating, “In a time when parents and other stakeholders are clamoring for more democracy in our school system, this centralization of power is a slap in the face.” Bloom then added, “What we instead should be working towards is democratizing our schools, ensuring that there are more outlets for parents and teachers to be involved in the school process at all levels.”

Bloom has been a vocal proponent of involving stakeholders in decisions made by the district throughout the pandemic, and has made it a key part of their school board campaign platform to decentralize control and empower parents, teachers, and students to have a more involved role in determining school and city policy. More about their policy can be found on their website.2

1. https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/cpsva/Board.nsf/files/CEPSYL745A76/$file/6-31.1%20Regulations.pdf
2. https://blaizenbuckshotbloom.com/school-democratization/