As Union Members, we know that a harm to one is a harm to all. Please see events happening in our educational community below. Show up to show our solidarity and support in your PAT blue or Red for Ed! When our union siblings win, they help set the tone for our wins. Let’s show up and show out! #SolidarityForever

• SUPPORT SILVER FALLS EDUCATORS: 
  • Monday, April 10th, 7pm at Silverton High School, 1456 Pine St, Silverton, OR 97381
• SUPPORT WOODBURN EDUCATORS:
  • Tuesday, April 11th, 5:15pm at Woodburn School District Office, 1390 Meridian Dr, Woodburn, OR 97071
  • Wednesday, April 19th, 5:00pm at Woodburn School District Office, 1390 Meridian Dr, Woodburn, OR 97071
• CANBY STUDENTS AND SCHOOL SOLIDARITY AGAINST BOOK BANS:
  • Submit Public Comment for April 10th, May 8th, June 12th School Board Meetings

Read on for more details.

SUPPORT SILVER FALLS EDUCATORS

Silver Falls had a mediation session all day Thursday April 6th. The session ended with the district sharing that they are “philosophically opposed” to having numbers in the contract which would serve as class size and caseload targets for Title 1 Schools.

• WHO & WHAT: We need members to turn out in support of SFEA, wearing RED. Signs will be available.
• WHEN: Monday 4/10 @ 7:00pm School Board meeting 
• WHERE: Silverton High School Library (1456 Pine St, Silverton, OR 97381)
• HOW: Grab a PAT friend and go!

SUPPORT WOODBURN EDUCATORS

Last week, 91% of Woodburn Education Association members voted to strike. The main bargaining topics WEA is prioritizing are workload, time, and compensation. Since the start of this 2022-23 school year, more than 63 teachers or almost 20% of teachers, have resigned from Woodburn Public Schools.

• WHO & WHAT: We need members to turn out in support of WEA, wearing RED. Signs will be available.
• WHEN: Tuesday 4/11 @ 5:15pm, and Wednesday, 4/19 @ 5:00pm, solidarity picket actions
• WHERE: Woodburn School District Office (1390 Meridian Dr, Woodburn, OR 97071)
• HOW: Grab a PAT friend and go!

Read OPB's write up on the bargaining impasses and strike actions for Silver Falls and Woodburn.

CANBY STUDENTS AND SCHOOL SOLIDARITY AGAINST BOOK BANS:

"The whole point of education is to learn and grow through knowledge, and I’m worried we’re not going to get that chance if we sit back and let [this] happen," - Jason Hupp, Canby High School senior.

In March, the Canby School District pulled over 35 books from middle and high school libraries. Many of these books are award-winning novels written by and for BIPOC and LGBTQ readers, including: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Beloved by Toni Morrison, I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez, None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio, Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez, Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin and dozens more. This decision came after two Canby parents submitted book removal requests, citing objections to sexual content, violence, profanity, drug use, promiscuity, and nudity. While Canby School District has a policy that allows families to submit removal requests, nothing in their policy requires the district to remove the books immediately. In fact, the policy calls for a committee of educators, families, community members and administrators to review materials before a decision is made.

As you can imagine, many students and community members have raised concerns and opposed the district’s decision. Despite this outcry, the district will keep the books out of classrooms until a committee meets, no sooner than this summer.

This fight for access to education in Canby is our fight, too. Removing books written by and for BIPOC and LGBTQ readers is an attack on children’s right to a fuller and more accurate history and knowledge that help them live richer lives. When we act in solidarity with students, educators and families in Canby, we are fighting for education access and justice everywhere. Make no mistake, if this can happen in Canby, it can happen in Portland too. 

Below is the call to action from our friends and allies with the Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Leadership Committee:

There are several ways that concerned parents, educators, and community members can help. 

• First, they can attend the next Canby School Board meetings on April 10, May 8, and June 12. 
• People can also submit letters to the school board about censorship, urging them to follow their own policy of reviewing books before removing them. 

Our hope is that educators work within their PLCs, grade-level teams, departments, and schools to write letters or show up in support of Canby students and teachers as they resist censorship. 

Also, we encourage educators and parents to send rationales for why specific titles you have read and/or taught should remain in the library. (See list at the end.) Write one or more rationales. Tell stories about how students’, children’s, your lives were enhanced by the books in question. 

Board of Directors
Canby School District
1130 S. Ivy Street
Canby, Oregon 97013

Those who want to submit public comments can use this form. Meetings start at 6:30 pm in the Canby High School Applied Technology Center.

Here’s a statement from the National Coalition Against Censorship.  

List of books requested to be removed from Canby school libraries:

• A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J. Maas
• A Court of Silver Flames - Sarah J. Maas
• A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas
• A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J. Maas
• Allegedly - Tiffany Jackson
• Beloved - Toni Morrison
• Beyond Magenta - Susan Kuklin
• Breathless - author unknown by CSD
• Crank - Ellen Hopkins
• Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
• Fade - Lisa McMann
• Heartstopper Vol. I - Alice Oseman
• Heartstopper Vol. 2 - Alice Oseman
• Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
• I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika Sanchez
• Impulse - Ellen Hopkins
• Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
• Looking for Alaska - John Green
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Jesse Andrews
• Monday's Not Coming - Tiffany Jackson
• My Friend Dahmer - Derf Backderf
• None of the Above - I.W. Gregorio
• Out of Darkness - Ashley Hope Perez
• Perfect - Ellen Hopkins
• Sold - Patricia McCormick
• The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
• The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison
• The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls
• The Handmaid's Tale: A Graphic Novel - Margaret Atwood & Renee Nault
• The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
• The Nowhere Girls - Amy Reed
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
• The Truth About Alice - Jennifer Mathieu
• Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen