Oregon

The showdown over ‘parents rights’ gains steam in Oregon

Published

2 years ago

April 4, 2023

The showdown over ‘parents rights’ gains steam in Oregon

The contentious nationwide showdown over how a lot say dad and mom ought to have of their youngsters’s education is looming over Oregon’s upcoming college board elections and the work of the Legislature.

Some dad and mom, candidates and political teams need extra transparency about what books can be found at school libraries and what makes its approach into the curriculum, notably in terms of emotionally charged subjects like sexuality, racism and gender. Others say that’s a thinly veiled try at silencing various viewpoints that would put LGBTQ+ and different traditionally marginalized college students in hurt’s approach.

“It’s vital that these youngsters can go to high school and study what occurred within the historical past of America with out it being redacted or watered down,” stated Glenn Wachter, who’s operating for an open board seat within the North Clackamas Faculty District. “I would like them to know the nation we’re from, the nice, the unhealthy and the ugly, trending in the direction of good.”

The Might 13 college board election in North Clackamas options 4 aggressive races which have drawn ideologically opposed candidates, after three incumbents determined to not run for reelection.

The district, which covers Milwaukie, Pleased Valley and parts of unincorporated Clackamas County, is likely one of the solely ones within the state nonetheless holding college board conferences solely on-line after makes an attempt to return to in-person assembly led to combative public remark intervals. Wachter, a pharmacy government who lives in Pleased Valley, is a part of a slate of 4 progressive candidates who fear that the dad and mom’ rights motion will open the door to censorship and divisions primarily based on gender identification. The opposite candidate for the Place 3 seat, gross sales government and Milwaukie resident Aimee Reiner, is aligned with the opposing slate of candidates who she says wish to return “stability, transparency and mum or dad voice” to shaping the curriculum.

“We’ve got gotten slammed for being the extremists, radicals, homophobic, transphobic — we’ve been known as every little thing underneath the solar,” stated Reiner, who famous that she is a lesbian. “We’re simply right here to proceed to coach, to talk from love and kindness, in favor of serving to all youngsters, not simply these from sure affinity teams.”

Oregon hasn’t seen the controversy come to a head prefer it has in different states, together with Florida, the place a principal just lately misplaced her job after sixth grade college students at her non-public college had been proven an image of Michelangelo’s David with out prior notification to oldsters.

However some districts in Oregon have seen a gentle uptick of parent-fueled outrage over college insurance policies since college buildings reopened following extended COVID-19 shutdowns.

Mother and father upset over what they are saying are sexually specific and age-inappropriate books have aired their frustrations in school board conferences in North Clackamas and West Linn-Wilsonville, whereas college students in Canby just lately led a walkout towards proposed e book bans there.

In Portland, some dad and mom have criticized the usage of a center and highschool well being curriculum that options supplies from the Drug Coverage Alliance, which has lobbied for the legalization of hashish and to decriminalize the possession of small quantities of exhausting medicine, based on reporting in The Lund Report. And in Eugene, dad and mom had been livid over a highschool well being class task that required college students to explain their sexual fantasies.

“Throughout the lockdowns, it pulled the Band-Assist off what was occurring in faculties for all dad and mom, Republicans and Democrats,” stated U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican whose congressional district stretches from Portland and Clackamas County to the Willamette Valley and throughout the Cascades to Bend. She helps the Republicans’ “Mother and father Invoice of Rights,” laws which handed the U.S. Home final month however is anticipated to die within the Democrat-controlled Senate.

That laws would require faculties to publicly put up hyperlinks to library catalogues and curriculum supplies and would mandate that college staff get the OK from a mum or dad ought to their youngster ask to vary their gender-identifying pronouns.

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat whose district covers parts of Portland, Washington County and the northern Oregon Coast, dismissed the Republican model as an try to “weaponize particular books and curriculum” and stated it isn’t the position of educators to “out their college students” who then would possibly face abuse at dwelling in consequence.

She’s launched a competing decision that she stated would defend native management over college insurance policies whereas highlighting the necessity for “traditionally correct schooling” and the safety of particular person college students’ civil rights.

The difficulty has additionally made its strategy to the Oregon Legislature. Republican-backed Senate Invoice 409, which acquired a listening to within the Senate final week, would have required districts to publicly put up the titles of and hyperlinks to any textbooks or tutorial supplies utilized in Ok-12 lecture rooms, along with a syllabus or abstract of the course and details about how the category suits into the state’s tutorial requirements.

That invoice handed out of committee, however solely after being considerably amended. It will now solely require that each college district’s web site embody a hyperlink to an Oregon Division of Schooling web page that lists textbooks and different supplies that the state Board of Schooling has beneficial.

MacKensey Pulliam heads the Oregon Mothers Union, which has been recruiting and coaching candidates for varsity board elections. She stated she was pissed off by the modification, which she sees as watering down the invoice’s intent. Proper now, she stated, dad and mom fascinated by discovering out about curriculum and supplies have to enter faculties and request to see a “curriculum binder,” which could be a barrier for working dad and mom.

“Some dad and mom have considerations about that politically charged curriculum,” she stated. “Some dad and mom wish to know what’s being taught to allow them to assist their youngsters. It’s about dad and mom having the understanding of what and the way their youngsters are being taught and if adjustments should be made.”

However Kyndall Mason, a guide for the Oregon Schooling Affiliation, criticized the unique invoice in written testimony.

“Creating public entry to detailed curriculum doesn’t bridge the hole between educators and oldsters,” Mason wrote. “It will solely serve to make educators extra susceptible to unsafe, focused assaults.”

In North Clackamas, each Reiner and Wachter stated the following six weeks on the marketing campaign path will likely be about connecting to oldsters. Already, some marketing campaign kickoff occasions held by his slate of candidates have been overshadowed by viewers members who “shouted and railroaded” the invited audio system, Wachter stated, underscoring the district’s divides.

However he stated the voters he meets throughout canvassing are most involved about bread-and-butter points: third grade studying abilities and protected faculties.

“Mother and father are important to the dialog,” he stated. “And oldsters should be heard – however not disruptive.”

Reiner stated she too has been listening to from voters a couple of deal with studying in early elementary college and on whether or not the necessities to earn a highschool diploma want shoring up.

“Look, we’ve a really various inhabitants that swings from either side,” she stated. “Everybody has a proper to be heard, no matter whether or not or not you agree.”

—Julia Silverman, @jrlsilverman, jsilverman@oregonian.com

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Oregon

People with disabilities are extra vulnerable in major disasters like wildfires, says Oregon advocate

Published

7 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

People with disabilities are extra vulnerable in major disasters like wildfires, says Oregon advocate

FILE – Scorched wheelchairs rest outside Cypress Meadows Post-Acute, a nursing home leveled by the Camp Fire on Dec. 4, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. The staff was able to safely evacuate all 91 patients.

Noah Berger / AP

Jake Cornett, Executive Director and CEO of the advocacy group Disability Rights Oregon, says he will forever be haunted by Ashlyn Maddox’s death during the 2021 Oregon heat wave.

The Portland woman, 36, was disabled and living in a group foster home. She was dropped off by a medical transport company, but the company didn’t make sure she made it safely into her air-conditioned home. She ended up wandering around for hours in the heat, and died only 50 feet from safety.

Cornett says, “These deaths are preventable with the right planning, the right strategy for mitigation, the right preparedness and a response plan that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and respects the needs of people with disabilities.”

Jake Cornett, executive director and CEO of Disability Rights Oregon.
*Courtesy of Ramsey Cox*

Cornett spoke with “All Things Considered” host Geoff Norcross about Oregon’s ability to help people with disabilities during a natural disaster, such as the deadly wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Geoff Norcross: If we were to transport those fires in Southern California here, would we see a similar catastrophe for people with disabilities?

Jake Cornett: Surely, we fear that the same disasters we’ve seen play out in the catastrophes in the lives of people with disabilities in LA would play out right here in Oregon as well. And I don’t think this is just a theoretical question. It’s only a matter of time before we have major wildfires along Highway 20, very close by in Portland and in other major cities throughout our state.

Norcross: What is the obligation of local governments to provide for people with disabilities when disaster strikes? I guess I’m asking if the Americans with Disabilities Act applies here.

Cornett: Absolutely. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that cities, counties, the state and the federal government are taking into account what the needs are of people with disabilities, and providing accommodations for those needs when engaging in disaster planning.

Norcross: Getting information out to people quickly in a disaster is so critical, especially for something that’s as fast-moving as the LA wildfires. For people who are deaf or blind, can you talk about how that’s extra complicated?

Cornett: Absolutely. You know, emergency response notification systems that happen on your phone are a great tool if you have a phone, or if you have the technology to make your phone provide you the information you need. And that’s particularly important for folks who are blind.

I think about a blind person who may not have the same visual access to information as others. If police run around your neighborhood and put a notice on your door that says “get out of town, there’s an evacuation order, you’re under wildfire threat,” that notice on your door might not be enough because you can’t access that information.

And this is where cities, counties and the state really have an obligation to adjust to how they communicate so that it’s effective for all people with disabilities.

Norcross: And again, when you say obligation, you mean a legal obligation, not just because it’s the right thing to do.

Cornett: Absolutely. There’s a legal obligation to do that under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Norcross: Even if an evacuation order gets to affected people quickly, there’s this expectation that most people will get in their car and they will leave. How does that expectation leave people with disabilities in even greater danger?

Cornett: Yeah, that’s another huge issue for people with disabilities, especially when it happens quickly like the LA fires. People think evacuating is getting in the car, driving quickly away to safety.

But many people with disabilities don’t have access to a car, or they can’t physically drive a vehicle. They’re totally reliant on others to transport them to safety. So just providing that notice is not an adequate way to ensure that we are saving the lives of people with disabilities in the way it needs to be done.

Norcross: Is there an event here in Oregon that you can point to that shows us how situated we are to help people with disabilities when disaster strikes, good or bad?

Cornett: Here in Oregon, we’ve seen hundreds die or have serious injuries because of heat in the past few years. Climate change is real. We live in a warming environment, and it’s having a really disproportionate impact on seniors, on people with disabilities and people with underlying medical conditions.

And I’ll forever be haunted by a story of a 30-something year old woman who was dropped off by a medical transport company, but didn’t wait in their air-conditioned van to make sure that she got inside her home where there was air conditioning. Instead, they took off. She wandered around for hours before dying of heat, just 50 feet from her adult foster home.

These deaths are preventable with the right planning, the right strategy for mitigation, the right preparedness, and a response plan that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and respects the needs of people with disabilities.

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Oregon

Oregon State MBB Fall To San Francisco 81-70 As Dons Drain 13 3’s

Published

14 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

Oregon State MBB Fall To San Francisco 81-70 As Dons Drain 13 3’s

On the heels of a milestone victory over Gonzaga on Thursday night, the Oregon State Beavers could not capture the same magic Saturday in San Francisco.

The road issues again reared their ugly head as OSU fell to USF 81-70, dropping the Beavs to 14-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play.

OSU have just one true road win this season, which came against Pacific on January 11. They are 1-4 in that category.

The biggest blows to the Beavers’ efforts came from beyond the arc. San Francisco made 13 of 22 three-point attempts, while OSU made just one on nine attempts. Malik Thomas was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points and four three-point makes.

Michael Rataj led the Beavs in scoring with 18 points, also grabbing six rebounds and two assists. As a team, the Beavs shot 44.4% on the night making 24 of 54 field goal attempts.

Oregon State will have several days off before hosting Pepperdine on Thursday, January 23.

Rataj with 13 points on the night pic.twitter.com/joCchI2YVp
— Oregon State Hoops (@BeaverMBB) January 19, 2025

Oregon

3 things to watch as Iowa women’s basketball looks to stop skid at Oregon

Published

22 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

3 things to watch as Iowa women’s basketball looks to stop skid at Oregon

IOWA CITY — Following an uncharacteristic run of home struggles, the Big Ten schedule now takes Iowa women’s basketball as far away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena as possible in the league.

The Hawkeyes (12-6, 2-5 Big Ten Conference) are set to begin their first West Coast conference swing, beginning with Sunday’s 4 p.m. game at Oregon (13-5, 4-3) on BTN+. Iowa will then head to Washington next Wednesday for an 8 p.m. showdown. The Hawkeyes are desperately trying to end a four-game losing streak that suddenly has them flirting with the NCAA Tournament bubble.

With that, here are three things to watch ahead of Sunday’s showdown.

Can the Hawkeyes productively channel their desperation?

Everyone inside the program understands the current situation and how it needs to change. But the Hawkeyes can’t let that pressure generate more tight play on the court, an ongoing theme throughout this four-game losing streak.

“We really are just one or two possessions away,” assistant coach Sean Sullivan said Friday. “With a team like this who’s continuing to fight, we just need one win. We just need one to get going because these kids really do believe.

“Everyone knows their role. Everyone is supporting each other, and that’s the best thing you can do at this time during a four-game losing streak. We’re not going down that black hole. We see the light. We’ve just got to get there.”

Until revealed otherwise, expect another tense affair with plenty of late-game opportunities for Iowa to find a better conclusion. The Hawkeyes need to bring this one home.

How does Iowa handle Oregon’s full-court pressure while potentially leaning more on its own press?

Iowa had some trouble in December with pressing teams, most notably Tennessee and Michigan State, that resulted in heavy turnovers and late struggles. On the flipside, the Hawkeyes have implemented their own press, just sporadically, mainly in moments of desperation.

Iowa leaned on more pressure in Thursday’s loss to Nebraska with some success. Could Sunday be a moment to match the Ducks’ energy there?

“Oregon is going to be pretty intense with ball pressure. That’s not what we do, but we’re slowly doing a little bit more of a press,” Sullivan said “First we did a press break of some type of 2-2-1. Now we’re like, ‘OK, let’s change it up a bit. What do our players feel comfortable with?’ (Thursday) night, we had a lot of success. We’re starting to see what they’re good at.

“Now, we’ve just got to have fun with it. Let’s start doing some random things because when you do something consistently, it’s easy to scout. But when you start changing things up, Nebraska didn’t handle our pressure well. And that builds us confidence. So I think for the future, you’ll definitely start to see some more stuff.”

What does Iowa have in store for Ava Heiden in her Oregon homecoming?

Even as far back as media day, Ava Heiden’s excitement for the Oregon trip was apparent. Her hometown of Sherwood, Oregon, sits about 100 miles north of the Ducks’ campus, so expect a strong cheer for Heiden when Iowa takes the floor Sunday.

“Ava is so athletic,” Sullivan said. “She can jump out of the building. She can get rebounds. And that’s what we’ve got to start figuring out. How can we utilize her a little bit more too?

Heiden’s minutes have been up and down this year, more down lately as Hannah Stuelke has shifted back to the “5” position for more consistency. Heiden didn’t play against Nebraska but could certainly see more usage Sunday.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

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