We live in an interesting time when so much information is shared and received on social media. In the past year, it feels as if public education has been in the crosshairs with concerns about attempts to indoctrinate students and sway student opinions and/or political ideology. We know parents and patrons have concerns about what is taught in our schools and this letter is designed to give the community information and provide transparency to patrons of the Twin Falls School District.
To begin with, the TFSD does not support the teaching of critical race theory, will not be vaccinating students without parental consent, and does not support any attempt to indoctrinate your kids into a specific political ideology. We say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, participate in activities celebrating our military personnel, and look for ways to give back to our community. We send food home from our food pantries to families in need and give school supplies to students who have none. We have teachers, counselors, administrators, paraprofessionals, secretaries, custodians, and other personnel who get up every morning and go to work to make a positive difference in the lives of children. We have a volunteer school board elected by the people of Twin Falls who give of their time and talents without any compensation. These are Idahoans who live and work here and love our community.
Here in the Twin Falls School District, our mission is to provide a quality education necessary for students to be successful in life. To accomplish this mission we seek to develop life ready students. Students who are life ready leave our schools with a solid educational foundation giving them the skills necessary to pursue whatever path they choose. Whether students go on to college, join the military, go into one of the trades, or choose any number of career paths, we want all students to leave our schools ready for life. Skills such as reading, writing, and mathematical computation are critically important. In addition, students need to learn soft skills such as how to work as a team, show up on time, think critically, and complete tasks. Our students are receiving college credits, earning advanced certifications, and are accessing a variety of activities designed to enhance their educational experience.
We recognize the Twin Falls School District schools belong to our community and it is important for us to maintain public trust. We strive to meet the needs of parents recognizing we live in a time of diverse thoughts and opinions. With over 1,000 employees and almost 10,000 students, there are going to be incidents and mistakes from time to time that will need to be addressed. We are committed to addressing issues when they occur and stand ready anytime something happens in a school that violates district policy, state and/or federal law, or impacts the health and safety of our students. We stand ready to have conversations with patrons when concerns arise and take corrective action when people make mistakes. Indoctrination and radical activism are not acceptable in our school system and anytime there is a concern about classroom materials parents simply need to contact the school and these concerns will be addressed. We will open our curriculum to anyone wanting to inspect what is being taught and our school staff will discuss any concerns that may arise.
We recognize we are not perfect and our system can always get better. We strive for continuous improvement and growth. I just ask that we all remember our schools are made up of people who love Idaho and Twin Falls and want to continue making our community the wonderful place it is. It is time to celebrate schools and the amazing things happening every day in the lives of our children and engage directly with our schools when there are those times that concerns arise. We have found concerns are best resolved at the lowest level, with those closest to the situation. Thank you to everyone in Twin Falls for your support of our public schools. We truly desire to meet the needs of this wonderful community.
Dr. Brady D. Dickinson, Ph.D
Superintendent of Schools
Twin Falls School District #411