Riverside School Board declines to remove Responsive Classroom training
May 4—The Riverside School Board recently voted down a resolution to remove Responsive Classroom professional development training and materials, with board members splitting over whether the program helps or hinders classroom success and independent thinking.
The resolution was introduced on April 27 by member Scott Fishel and supported by member Tom Hach, though it was defeated in a 3-2 vote by members Lori Krenisky, Belinda Grassi and Jennifer Harden. The vote followed discussion back at a July 28 work session that ended without a vote, as the same majority of board members at the time indicated that they would not vote to remove the program.
Hach said during the April meeting that he regrets his decision to previously vote to implement Responsive Classroom as he opposes its ties to social-emotional learning, though he noted that the district is not currently using those aspects of the program.
Fishel expressed concerns with the program's background, asserting that the ideas have roots in Marxism and the Frankfurt School.
He also took issue with what he said was the program's guidance that teachers spend "as much time" on social-emotional learning as on academics.
"It says that those two things are equally important, it does not say that you should spend the same amount of time," responded Curriculum Director Melissa Mlakar.
"No way can we possibly spend the same amount of time on this as we do on academics, because academics are our primary responsibility," she added.
Hach asked Mlakar whether the district could consider alternative professional development programs that would not include SEL.
"Communication skills, that falls under the SEL umbrella. Conflict management, that falls under the SEL umbrella," replied Mlakar. "So, we can't separate those two things that clearly as you would like it to be."
She noted that board members could ask the district to teach or avoid implementing specific items such as equity training.
Hach expressed concern about the program's effect on independent thought, asserting that SEL uses concepts such as kindness "as a segue to prevent criticism from things that maybe, perhaps, you disagree with."
"There are elements that I'm sure are covered that are fundamental to effective teaching, there's no doubt," he added. "I believe that SEL is usurping some of those and it's a segue to other things that ultimately do not produce a free and functioning individual."
Krenisky agreed on the importance of critical thinking, but disagreed that the program, as implemented by the district, would threaten it.
"When I saw what's going on with some of these tools, and when I went through the professional development, I went through the two books, there's nothing in there that's saying you can't disagree with somebody," she said. "It's actually teaching them that they are OK to disagree."
"It's being ruined by a label," Krenisky added.
The board members discussed Responsive Classroom in further detail at the July work session, while parents and other community members also provided their thoughts during the public comment portion. Teachers shared examples of how they have implemented what they learned in their classrooms.
Riverview Elementary third-grade teacher Laura Fox, speaking on behalf of the Riverside Local Education Association, said at the time that Responsive Classroom "consists of a morning message, greeting, sharing and a game, along with modeling expected behaviors," adding that it "trained our staff to have an effective, safe and respectful structure in the classroom and the building."
More information on the program can be found at responsiveclassroom.org.
