West
California school terminates contract with controversial 'Woke Kindergarten' program
A San Francisco Bay-area school has cut ties with “Woke Kindergarten” after nationwide backlash against the program’s curriculum and its founder’s statements.
Glassbrook Elementary spent $250,000 in federal funds meant to help boost test scores for some of the country’s lowest-performing schools on the program, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, but after two years with Woke Kindergarten, students’ scores are reportedly worse.
The head of Woke Kindergarten, Akiea “Ki” Gross, has shared social media posts indicating she thinks America and Israel have “no right to exist” and wants to see the world “free of” those countries. “Y’all are the villains. We’ve been trying to end y’all,” she wrote of them.
Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) spokesman Michael Bazeley told Fox News Digital the school terminated its contract with Woke Kindergarten on Monday and specified the consultant was never an employee.
A general view of Glassbrook Elementary School in Hayward, California. (Google Street VIew)
STUDENTS AT CALIFORNIA SCHOOL STRUGGLING AFTER $250K IN FEDERAL FUNDS SPENT ON ‘WOKE KINDERGARTEN’ PROGRAM
Bazeley said HUSD had become aware of certain “statements by Woke Kindergarten staff,” and, “Although we respect freedom of speech and the right for individuals to hold a variety of political views, the social media and other public statements of the vendor do not align with the values of the district and those of many of our community members.”
“The personal political and social views are separate from the work Woke Kindergarten did with us,” Bazeley said.
Woke Kindergarten describes itself on its website as “supporting children, families, educators and organizations in their commitment to abolitionist early education and pro-black and queer and trans liberation.” The organization also has “Woke” words of the day like “ceasefire” “abolish” and “Woke Wonderings” about challenging the “legitimacy of the Supreme Court” and abolishing the police, money and the military.
Even though the school is parting ways with this particular vendor, it is still pursuing “anti-racist” education.
The head of Woke Kindergarten is Akiea “Ki” Gross, who has written about “trying to end” the U.S. and Israel. (Instagram/screenshot | Woke Kindergarten)
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“We will continue to support Glassbrook Elementary School as its teachers, staff and administrators proceed with the work of supporting the students and families in the school community,” Bazeley said. “Anti-bias/Anti-racist teaching, restorative practices, multi-language learning, literacy and mathematics will remain a focus for Glassbrook, building on the work that school has undertaken over the past several years.”
The spokesman said that even as the district terminates the contract, it still asserts that the Woke Kindergarten curriculum was mischaracterized.
“The controversy over this program—including the widespread media attention, the mischaracterization of the Woke Kindergarten work, social media posts by the vendor, and the public response—is all distracting the district from doing the important work of supporting our students,” he said. “We concluded that now was an appropriate time to terminate the contract.”
The school has reportedly received “threatening and racist” messages in the wake of the news coverage.
On Thursday, a Glassbrook Elementary teacher, who publicly criticized his school district’s investment in “Woke Kindergarten,” reported he had been placed on administrative leave over “allegations of unprofessional conduct.”
Bazeley told Fox News Digital at the time, “We don’t comment on private personnel matters,” but denied the teacher was put on leave for “retaliatory purposes” or that he was being punished for speaking to the press.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
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MICHELIN Guide adds 12 new restaurants in California
Discover the 12 new California restaurants added by Michelin Guide, including spots in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more!
First came monster donuts piled high with bacon and Fruity Pebbles. Then there were cronuts—the croissant-donut hybrid that had everyone buzzing. Later came the era of everything filled with pistachio paste, followed by pastries crafted to look like fruit. For Californians with a sweet tooth, the latest viral dessert trend is often just a drive away.
Now, a new report has confirmed what residents in the Bay Area have known for decades: when it comes to sweets, San Francisco can’t be beat.
From artisanal sourdough bakeries to late-night ice cream spots, San Francisco has secured its place as the fourth sweetest city in the United States, according to new research from Betway.
Analyzing dessert shop availability alongside online appetite for sugary treats, the study ranked major cities across the U.S. and Canada to uncover the nation’s sweetest city.
San Francisco ranks as the fourth most favored spot for folks with a sweet tooth in the nation, placing behind Miami, Atlanta, and Las Vegas, but ahead of cities like Boston and New Orleans—have beignets lost their luster?
The report noted San Francisco’s strong dessert scene, including 111 bakeries and cookie shops, 54 ice cream parlors, and 135 dessert shops. Overall, the authors wrote, the mix of high-quality bakeries and steady demand keeps the city firmly in the top tier of dessert cities.
Viral dessert spots in San Francisco to visit now
San Francisco’s ranking among the best cities for desserts should come as no surprise. Legend has it that the city is the first place in the U.S. to serve a fortune cookie. The slightly sweet, crispy cookie with a grain of insight—a memorable fortune read: “Buy clothes now, more expensive later”—is still produced in San Francisco at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. The factory produces up to 10,000 fortune cookies a day and offers tours that should be on every visitor’s San Francisco itinerary.
The pastry shop that some say has the best croissant in San Francisco (see: Arsicault below) has experienced long lines since it opened its doors in the North Beach district three years ago. Owner and head pastry chef Sophia Smith honed her skills in Paris, where she mastered the art of lamination, a process that begins with high-quality French butter and yields a range of sweet and savory pastries that regularly sell out. The demand at the viral spot has gotten so great that a notice on their website asks customers not to line up before 7:45 a.m. The shop opens at 9 a.m., Thursday through Sunday.
Named the best new bakery in the U.S. by Bon Appétit when it opened its doors in 2016, Arsicault is a slice of Parisian heaven with three locations in San Francisco. Known for their traditional French pastries, including sweet and savory croissants, each location has a slightly different menu. Customers will find an assortment of sundries, including French baguettes, scones, cookies, quiches, and freshly made sandwiches.
The exquisiteness of their guava tarts warranted a mention in the New York Times when they were a pop-up; now, Sol Bakery is the latest viral sensation to open a brick-and-mortar spot in San Francisco. Located at the corner of Hayes and Central in the city’s Panhandle district, Sol Bakery is known for its viral tart, as well as its fresh focaccia, cakes, and sourdough croissants.
The name says it all. Known for their inspired multi-layered crepe cakes, Sweet Glory delivers on taste and aesthetics. Located in the Inner Sunset area of the city, Sweet Glory offers handcrafted desserts made with handpicked ingredients. In addition to their crepe cakes, try their moreish Basque burnt cheesecakes, which also come in a delectable range of flavors.
If you know, you know, and Holy Nata knows how to make the best Portuguese tart in San Francisco. Gooey, crispy, and luscious all in one, the “pastel de nata” is an egg custard tart with provenance. The recipe of the viral tart comes straight from Lisbon and is infused with the love of family and tradition. In addition to the traditional (which can be bought by the box), Holy Nata offers a rotating assortment of flavors each week. Holy Nata is in the city’s financial district.
Denver, CO
Denver police still looking for help solving double murder at American Elm restaurant 3 years ago
Police in Denver sent out a reminder on Friday that they are still looking for the public’s help trying to solve a double murder that sent shockwaves through the city’s food-service industry.
Emerall Vaughn-Dahler and Ignacio Gutierrez Morales were killed three years ago to the day — on April 24, 2023.
The crime was committed at the American Elm restaurant in the city’s West Highlands neighborhood.
Both people were employees there and were fatally shot at the restaurant in the late part of the morning.
Morales was a 58-year-old prep cook at the restaurant whose nickname was “Nacho.” He had three grown children. His family said after his death that he had a kind and gentle spirit and that they couldn’t think of anyone who would have wanted to harm him.
Vaughn-Dahler, 34, worked as a general manager at the restaurant. She was married with a 12-year-old son. Her husband Andrew Dahler told CBS Colorado when he learned she had been killed, he was devastated and “didn’t want it to be real.”
“Three years have passed, and their killer has still not been identified. The families of Emerall and Ignacio continue to live with unimaginable loss and are still searching, still hoping, and still asking for answers,” Denver police wrote in a Metro Denver Crime Stoppers bulletin.
The reward for information provided to authorities that leads to an arrest is as high as $32,600. Anyone who might have seen something suspicious on the 4100 block of West 38th Avenue between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. pm April 24, 2023, is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
SEATTLE — A 70-year-old traffic flagger was hospitalized after being struck by a dump truck on Capitol Hill on Friday morning, according to Seattle police.
The collision happened near the intersection of Broadway and East Pine Street just before 11 a.m. The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center.
She was working for a private company at the time of the crash, according to police.
The Seattle Police Department Traffic Collision Investigative Squad is investigating.
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The dump truck driver remained at the scene and was speaking with officers, police said.
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