Neo-Nazi charter made possible by weak policy
In our last episode, state officials were at a loss to explain how Bishop Sycamore High School in Columbus was able to function right under their noses with virtually no oversight.
Following an investigation spurred by the media, the so-called charter school was found to be little more than a football factory for poor and marginally-literate kids chasing a pipe dream.
"Ghost school" cheats students:Bishop Sycamore enabled by ambivalence
Bishop Sycamore was laid bare in 2021 when its football team was getting beaten so badly during a nationally televised game in Canton that the analysts on ESPN were heard expressing concern for the boys' safety.
It was later discovered that the team at times played two games a week, and that the school itself barely existed.
But Bishop Sycamore is Harvard University compared to an online charter school in Upper Sandusky in which hundreds of American children are being instructed in the elements of Nazism.
Until recently, "The Dissident Homeschool" channel on Telegram offered pro-Nazi lesson plans for elementary-age kids.
It has been subscribed to by more than 2,400 families.
This ... this ... is grooming.
Neo-Nazi homeschool uncovered in Ohio:Ohio superintendent condemns neo-Nazi home-schooling curriculum reportedly used by family
'Achtung Amerikana'
A report by Vice News reveals that antisemitism, homophobia and racism are the trifecta of the curriculum created by Logan and Katja Lawrence, who also host a neo-Nazi podcast, "Achtung Amerikana" under the pseudonyms "Mr. and Mrs. Saxon."
The couple was identified by the Anonymous Comrades Collective, a research group that specializes in antifascism.
“We are so deeply invested into making sure that that child becomes a wonderful Nazi,” Katja Lawrence reportedly remarked on one podcast. “And by homeschooling, we’re going to get that done.”
The only thing very young children need to know about Nazism is:
Nazis are bad.
Adolph Hitler was bad.
See 1 and 2.
It's been learned that Katja Lawrence is an immigrant from the Netherlands. This is where upholding democracy gets tough. As a U.S. resident, Lawrence has a protected right to her views, no matter how ignorant, repugnant and false.
For most reasonable people, disseminating Nazi propaganda to children under the guise of education fits the definition of abuse — but not by law.
Nazis in Manhattan:Our democracy is being threatened through social media
The "My Little Nazi" curriculum is hardly Ohio's first go-round with problematic online/charter schooling. There have been more than 300 failed charter schools, thanks to the state's friendly, charter school lobbyist-driven policies in the Ohio Revised Code.
The state requires that home schoolers undergo 900 hours of instruction which is comparable to public systems; that homeschool families notify the local school superintendent; and that homeschool parents/teachers submit a year-end assessment of a student's performance.
Come on. Flunking your own kid means you failed as a teacher. Who's going to do that?
To be fair, it must be assumed that the vast majority of homeschooling families are operating in good faith, but there's also no specific curriculum required, which means if you wish to teach literature using "Mein Kampf" as a textbook, technically, you can do it.
The ECOT debacle
Long before the Dissident Homeschool existed, Ohio was entangled in ECOT, the Electronic School of Tomorrow, an online charter-school discovered to be a scam.
Charter school scams are a cash cow:Theodore Decker: Years after its collapse, ECOT still costs Ohio plenty
Not only did no one go to jail, the Ohio Capital Journal reports that ECOT still owes you $117 million.
What could your district do with that kind of money?
There's a belief in some circles that, despite not having any training or expertise in education, parents and parents alone should dictate what their kids are taught.
But the neo-Nazi curriculum is a perfect example of what can happen when some charters and parents are left to their own devices.
Some 90 years after Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany, he continues to wreak havoc. Ohio sent nearly 900,000 GIs to defeat the Nazis, with 23,000 dying in defense of this country. Yet, some of their own great-grandchildren are being taught that the man responsible for their deaths was a hero.
Someone, anyone, make it make sense.
Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and member of the editorial board. Reach her at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Neo-Nazi school in Ohio was made possible by the state's weak policies
