School District Offers Community Service Hours To Students Who Participate In Black History Month Events
Reagan Reese on February 14, 2023
A California school district is offering community service hours to students who participate in Black History Month events, according to the school district.
Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) is rewarding students with community service hours if they attend or participate in Black History Month events promoted by the school district’s Black Lives Matter Task Force throughout February, according to the school district. Events include a black history parade and the school district’s Black History Month celebration.
“School districts communicate messages to students through both word and deed – and by offering community service hours for certain events and not others, they are clearly attempting to influence not only student behavior, but also perceptions,” Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, an organization looking to increase parental rights in schools, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Children should be encouraged to engage with their communities in whichever manner they see fit – and that participation should not be unduly influenced by an administrator placing their thumb on the scale.”
Students could earn community service hours for attending the “Orange County Black History Parade & Unity Festival” and can make up their “Saturday Academy” session, an academic enrichment class, if they choose to attend the parade, the school promotion stated. Community service is awarded to students who attend the school district’s “Black History Month Celebration,” a performance which includes a performance painter, a West African Dance and a performance of “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” the black national anthem.
Students received credit for community service if they attended the “Los Angeles Black College Expo” where 150 colleges and universities, including 40 historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) are featured, the school district stated. In March, students can attend the school district’s “black student union leadership summit” to receive community service credit.
The AUHSD’s Black Lives Matter Task Force asked students to register for the events ahead of time, according to a registration form. While registering, students had t0 mark if they were members of the district’s Black Lives Matter Task Force and were then given the option to receive information on joining the club.
“Students, we are offering community service hours for many of our events,” the student registration form stated. “The members of the AUHSD Black Lives Matter Task Force look forward to your participation throughout the month.”
AUHSD’s Black Lives Matter Task Force and AUHSD did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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