When Moral Courage Takes the Ice: Mark Kondratiuk and the Fight Against Hate
“Moral courage is not the absence of fear — it is the decision that something else matters more.” If a non-Jewish athlete can risk his reputation to defend a people under attack, then [...]
“Signalgate:” A Window into a Crisis of Character
Goldberg admitted he hesitated. “Do I stay in the group and watch it unfold, and say nothing, so no one can accuse me of anything?” he asked himself. He even wondered whether he had been added [...]
Why Israel Is NOT an Apartheid State – Exposing Academic Malpractice in Higher Education
Academic freedom is a cornerstone of higher education, but it is not a license to fabricate, distort, or promote falsehoods under the guise of scholarship. According to the U.S. Federal Research [...]
The Shipwreck of Institutional Betrayal: Why Individuals Self-Harm & Harm-Others
The desire to harm. Why do individuals--like you and me--gain some visceral urge to inflict pain upon themselves or on others? We aren’t born with it. To harm yourself and to harm others lie in [...]
What Went Wrong with Trump, Vance, and Zelensky? Beyond Cross-Cultural Bounds
The heated exchange between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sparked intense debate worldwide. While some focus on moral grounds and [...]
When will it be true?
“We can't keep brushing over this shit. it's not ok. If something bad happens at school, We should be able to talk about it, We should be heard and supported. We say mental health is a [...]
Why Transparency Leads to Accountability
Story Highlights: A lack of transparency decreases productivity and trust, makes creating smart decisions difficult, and increases liability for organizations. Through ensuring transparency [...]
Let’s Speak Up: Protect Your Child from Schools Officials Covert Practices
Recent investigations into various school districts reveal alarming patterns of misconduct, cover-ups, and violations of students' rights. The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) is a [...]
When Can We Expect Positive Changes?
Something that is crystal clear to me is that conflict arises from problems that are ignored, dismissed, and mismanaged. The solution, no matter the challenge is to face problems head-on and [...]
Our Student Voices: We’re imprisoned
Intrigued by my campaign message to "Empower Students," another District student stopped by to talk with me. She preferred I did not use her real name for fear of retaliation so, for purposes of [...]
The Kotel’s Note Sparks a Spiritual Connection of the Creation Story, Wellness, and Wholeness
This article draws inspiration from a personal revelation during a recent visit to Jerusalem, discovering the profound link between the Hebrew word for “creation” and concepts such as wellness, [...]
Differences Between Hate Speech and Hate Crimes
How to know if it is Hate Crime: Is the offender targeting the victim or property because they belonged to a protected group? Does the victim belong to one of the following protected groups? [...]
Meaningful Accountability Beyond a Lame “I’m Sorry”
Empowering others to combat bullying, harassment, and sexual assault is a cause I have been passionate about for many years now. Bullying was never something that I personally struggled with. As [...]
Stop Cover Up of Sexual Abuse! Stop Proposed Title IX!
On November 2011, as I watched the trial of Jerry Sandusky in disbelief, I was outraged. Physical and sexual abuse against vulnerable boys had occurred and school officials and coaches had [...]
“Willful Defiance” is Banned from Education Codes! Yet, Schools Use it to Justify Expulsions
Guide to 'Willful Defiance': Has your student been accused of 'willful defiance'? Know that 'willful defiance' has been banned from Education Codes! Yet, school administrators use it to justify [...]
Know Your Rights: Opt-Out of CAASPP State Exams
Know Your Rights! Opt-Out from Exams this Week! Many students are stressed and ridden with anxiety with upcoming AP exams. Did you know you have the right to opt-out of SBACELA, [...]
Recall to Resignation
What can you do to make your recall successful? I would like to share with you the strong arguments we used to push for her resignation. A resignation is greatly preferred as you do not have to [...]
CPRA: CA Public Records Requests Act Sample Letters
Sample Letter Public Records Request Source: https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/public-records-2/sample-cpra-request-letter/ Date Name and Title (of the official with custody of the [...]
SELF-EX Wins an Award for Transformative Educational Solutions
“In response to the COVID-19 challenges facing students the USC Center EDGE, Andrew Nikou Foundation, and IDEO formed The Education (Re)Open challenge, aimed to develop the Education Solutions [...]
Systemic Issues in Educational Institutions
On November 16th, 2018 the Department of Education issued a press release that the proposed Title IX rule “provides clarity for schools, support for survivors, and due process rights to all.” [...]
How Predatory Teachers Stay on the Job
The Sweetwater Union High School District in Chula Vista investigated a male teacher last year for sexual misconduct following reports made by at least three students. After the investigation [...]
May It Be God’s Will and Why Not Your Will?
The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in every corner of the world on this very day. Some Jews had begun preparing even weeks in advance for this sanctified time. During the month of [...]
School Officials and District Culture: Protecting Offenders and Traumatizing Victims!
"The failure of U.S. schools to protect students from sexual abuse by school personnel is a story of school administrators and district cover-ups, lack of training, incomplete teacher background [...]
Know Your Rights: Harshly and Unfairly Graded
Education Code 49066 govern grades. Do you believe that the grade your received had a clerical or mechanical mistake, fraud, bad faith, or incompetency? You have a recourse!
Assistant Principal Allegedly Failed to Protect Students from Sexual Assault
Assistant Principal Who Allegedly Failed to Protect Students from Sexual Assault May Be Hired to Lead CVMS, Really
Accomplices Betray Victims, Offenders, & Their Own Organizations
A Paradigm Shift - Practical Solution If we want everyone to be better off--victims, institutions, and offenders alike--we must take immediate action from the onset when misconduct is reported [...]
Transforming Conflict to Build a Trustworthy Organization
“Without trust, we cannot face the difficult challenges in our world today.” -Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General When you think of a trustworthy organization, what is the first thing that [...]
The Student Perspective: Isolated, Ashamed and Bullied
This past weekend, while campaigning at our local Einstein's Bagels, I was approached by a Torrey Pines' senior. The student was a registered voter and wanted to know more about my campaign [...]
Hate Crimes Federal Law: Title 18 U.S.C. § 241-249 (2021)
18 U.S.C. § 245: This statute makes it a crime to use, or threaten to use force to willfully interfere with any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin and because the person [...]
The Bond, Betrayal, and Bountiful of Thanksgiving
The story of Thanksgiving reminds us of the historical context and relationships between the pilgrims and Native Americans, threaded by loyalty and betrayal, trust and distrust. Thanksgiving is a [...]
Protected Hate Speech? Only If it does not interfere …
A hate incident is an action or behavior motivated by hate, which, for various reasons, is not considered a crime. Examples of hate incidents include: Name-calling Insults Displaying hate [...]
Where to Report Hate Speech and Hate Crimes
It is important to file complaints with appropriate authorities and agencies: Campus Antisemitism Legal Line: (CALL) https://www.legal-protection.org Anti-Defamation League: [...]
School Officials ‘Pass the Trash’ Practice
School officials and district employs 'Pass the Trash' practice that emboldens offenders and endangers students! WITHOUT WARNING SYSTEM, SCHOOLS OFTEN ‘PASS THE TRASH’ — AND EXPOSE KIDS TO [...]
Know Your Rights: Retaliation is an OCR Violation
Discriminatory practices are often only raised and remedied when students, parents, teachers, coaches, and others can report such practices to school administrators without the fear of [...]
Special Interest Groups at SDUHSD
Endless power struggles and political infighting on the San Dieguito Union High School District Board of Trustees have deteriorated the well-being of our students and robbed the community of [...]
Offenders Are Victims of Institutional Cover-Up
Cover Ups Deprive Offenders from Path to Recovery Betrayal comes at a steep cost not only to the victim of abuse, but to the offender as well. For the victim, the harm is obvious; he or she is [...]
Roles and Responsibilities of Board Trustees
Board responsibilities include setting direction, establishing an effective and efficient structure. providing support, ensuring accountability and providing community leadership as advocates for [...]
Special Relationship Between Teachers’ Union and School Boards
Currently, three of the five Board Members on the San Dieguito Union High School District are Union funded and controlled by the Union. Here are some excerpts from Marsha Sutton of the Del Mar [...]
School Officials Cover Up Practices
Detrimental practices of sexual assault cover ups to drain parents and victims: deflect, delay, discredit, defame, demean, disparage...
A Message from the Author of MY MOTHER’S MIRROR
Becoming a published author ignites some strange sensation, one so special then when I hold the weight of 500 or so pages that I've written, I feel as full as the front cover is to the back. It's [...]
The 4 Core Competencies to Boost Mental Health
Mental health improves when each one of us takes personal responsibility to engage in healthy and constructive behaviors
Let’s Speak Up Mission and Motivation
“No one should be afraid to speak up when children are bullied and violated,” said Lea Wolf, co-founder of Let’s Speak Up. “We need to empower children and become their voice when needed, so [...]
Risks and Rewards in Speaking Up
"I lost my church. I lost my closest friends as a result of advocating for survivors who had been victimized by similar institutional failures in my own community. I lost every shred of privacy. [...]