Districts for Democracy Weekly Newsletter

͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Hi {NAME}, Welcome to Districts for Democracy’s first weekly newsletter! Here we’ll share stories about what’s going on in the fight to protect our schools from book bans, both in New Jersey and nationally; highlight actions you can take to support issues, races, and candidates; and connect you with resources and training to fight censorship. We’ll also provide updates on what we're doing and how you can help. I’d like to start by briefly recapping what Districts is, and what we’re planning to do. Schools and Students Under Siege Over the past three years, an influx of dark money and coordinated messaging from national organizations like The Heritage Foundation and Moms For Liberty have made Board of Education races expensive and increasingly acrimonious. It's scaring off good candidates, demoralizing teachers, and placing our schools under siege. Sensible, consensus-building candidates and existing boards that respect their independent fiduciary duties, need help. That’s why Tom Malinowski founded Districts for Democracy. We will: - Directly fund candidates. - Advise on field, communications, and strategy. - Spend independently in highly charged races where community members need to know what’s at stake. - Work with grassroots organizations to build issue awareness and ensure our schools serve not one or some, but all kids who attend. Wait–This Is Happening in…New Jersey? My New Jersey? Sadly, yes. Living in a “blue state” doesn’t protect us from extremists trying to ban books, censor teachers, and create hostile environments in our schools for teachers and students alike. Indeed, extremist school boards here are causing local headaches and making national headlines. As we recently highlighted, in Bernards Township (Somerset) MAGA candidates won a majority on the school board in 2021. This year, they’ve rejected not one, but two high school sociology textbooks that are widely used across the country because they disagree with their accurate portrayal of current events. [Check out Greg Sargent’s article about it here.]( Oh, by the way? This is in a town that voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Tom Malinowski in 2022. It’s clear not enough people are aware of the growing attacks on New Jersey’s excellent public schools, and we’ve seen that too many ballots are returned without votes for school board candidates being cast. (Do you know who ran for school board in your town last year?) We’re looking forward to amplifying great candidates and making sure voters know what’s at stake all over the state. And we’re grateful you’re coming along to help. News You Should Know June is Pride month, so we’d be remiss not to emphasize that the majority of school book challenges target LGBTQIA+ stories and protagonists. School boards that have elected Moms-for-Liberty-endorsed candidates are now welcoming these types of challenges–including at schools in [Mendham]( [Roxbury]( [Hamilton Township]( and [Washington Township](. Some extremist boards are also introducing policies that require teachers to out students to parents, like in [Hanover]( and [Colts Neck]( in response, NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin has filed a civil rights complaint against the Hanover Township School District, requesting an emergency court order to [stop the policy’s implementation](. Even rainbow stickers are being peeled away, like at [Long Valley Middle School]( in Morris County, where rainbow-colored Safe Zone stickers were removed from classrooms because of parent complaints. And all over the country, culture wars in the classroom are driving teachers to quit. [But parents, students, and legislators are fighting back–and winning](. Here in New Jersey, our friend Senator Andrew Zwicker (D-Hunterdon), together with Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), has [introduced legislation]( that would protect against banning books in New Jersey’s public libraries and schools. Proposed Bill 3907, or the New Jersey Right To Read Act, requires public libraries and public school libraries to adopt the Library School of Rights and prohibits banning or restricting access to certain books. [Check out their discussion]( of the bill during their appearance on CNN This Morning. How Can You Help? Are there candidates who reflect your values running for school in your town? If not, can you help recruit some? Would you consider running for school board yourself? The [New Jersey School Board Association has great candidate resources]( you can check out to learn more about it. I’d like to learn more: Unite Against Book Bans offers great advice on messaging and actions you can take to fight against book bans in your community. Check them out [here](. I have five minutes: Support Senator Zwicker and Senator Ruiz and their anti-book ban legislation by calling or emailing your Assembly and Senate representatives (contact information [here]( and say: I live in [your town], and I'm a constituent of [elected’s name]. I’m reaching out in support of S3893/A5499 (just introduced in the Senate by Senator Andrew Zwicker), which prohibits public libraries and public schools from banning or restricting access to certain books. Please support this bill when it comes up for a vote. Thank you all again for your attention, and your time. Together we’re going to keep New Jersey public schools number one in the nation. Sincerely, Darcy Executive Director Districts for Democracy --------------------------------------------------------------- Districts for Democracy will work one school board, legislative, and congressional district at a time to recruit and support candidates committed to freedom of inquiry, thought, and speech for everyone. We want to keep the culture wars out of our schools, return school board elections to their nonpartisan roots, and keep our schools and universities focused on their central mission: helping our kids become educated and engaged citizens of these United States. ONCE]( MONTHLY]( Paid for by Districts for Democracy Districts for Democracy P.O. Box 01 Ringoes, NJ 08851-0001 United States If you need to you can unsubscribe here: [unsubscribe]( You can also [click here to donate](.