VIEWPOINT

Advocacy is something that should not be defined as controversial, and definitely not persuade an entire county to place guidelines to stop a poster from being hung up in their schools.

In schools, teachers should be creating a safe space for all students. Their classroom should be a place that advocates for change, kindness, and respect.

But apparently to some school districts, advocacy can be disputatious.

Like how just recently in January, Philadelphian County named Central Bucks became a hot topic in the district because of their new advocacy policy.

A librarian in the county had a poster hanging up with a quote from the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel reading, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

The librarian was directed to take down the poster as it violated the district’s new guidelines on neutrality. The policy specifically stated that employees working in the district were not to “advocate” for any “partisan, political, or social policy matters,” to students.

The notion also periodically mentions that this policy was to ban pride flags, blue lives matter flags, anti-abortion flags, and anything else like such because, in theory, all of these symbols represent a form of “advocacy.”

This policy is entirely ignorant.

However it is true, teachers should not- under any circumstances- be sitting in a classroom sharing their own political and controversial opinions with their students.

Teachers should be advocating for students to make morally right decisions, not decisions that are, in the teachers’ opinion, politically right.

The other issue here is that the policy wasn’t even followed properly. The guidelines instruct teachers not to engage in any political matters, but a poster with a quote advocating to not be the type of person who stays silent and neutral to oppressive issues isn’t political. for algae, fungi, cockroaches, and caterpillars.” pointed.

It just does not make sense at all. A policy like this makes it extremely hard for teachers to help aid students in understanding morally right concepts in this world.

An even bigger issue is that some students need support. A pride flag in a classroom can help any students who may be struggling. It will help them feel more comfortable knowing they have a safe space.

Getting rid of a pride flag or a poster is not going to help this world. It’s an ignorant move on so many levels.

It’s not going to keep a school “safe” from controversial scandals either. Central Bucks has been under fire for this new policy and specifically for ordering the librarian to take the poster down. And guess what? The district’s policy became a controversial topic amongst the residents. Ironic, isn’t it?

So, the cuddly little tree hugger you all know and love is actually just a home for all kinds of bugs and bacteria.

They are also an evolutionary mystery. I mean, they poop once a week, and more than half of them die while doing this task, according to Science Alert. Natural selection has completely failed me on sloths.

The Sloth Conservation Foundation talks about this, stating how, “when the environmental temperature drops, so does the body temperature of the sloth, causing the microbes and bacteria in their stomach to die.”

Researchers found that 68 percent of firefighters develop cancer, compared to about 22 percent for the general population, according to firehero.org. This is why departments around the world are adopting new safety standards to help lower this statistic.

PHOTO CREDIT: Christopher Dryfoos

News Editors: Alexa Falls, Kris Gray

Opinion/Editorial Editors: Noel Bailey, Mackenzie Scott

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