Thanks to involved parents, Scottsdale Unified School District libraries may be the recipient of a curated selection of pro-American books.
Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity, a grassroots parent organization, is launching the American Pride Library program with a goal of donating a collection of age-appropriate, patriotic books to each of the 29 Scottsdale Unified schools.
“The American Pride Library kits will include books that feature stories and accounts of American heroes, events, and traditions that promote love and respect for our country and its values. The book collection is offered to supplement the school curriculum and provide students with a deeper understanding of American government, history and culture.” said Jill Dunican, Founder of the American Pride Library program.
A search of the online library catalog for Scottsdale Unified reveals that titles such as “The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation,” “Patriot Kids of the American Revolution,” “A is for the American Dream,” “10 Steps to Freedom,” and “One Nation under God, A Book for Little Patriots” are not available in any SUSD libraries.
“In a time when the American Library Association is being led by an anti-American, self-professed Marxist and the National Education Association is advocating for stocking schools with sexualized books, we can’t sit on the sidelines and hope things change for the better. As parents, we must be the change we want in our schools,” said a member of Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity who is a SUSD parent, former SUSD employee, and curator of the American Pride Library book collection.
The number of books donated per school will depend on the success of Scottdale Unites for Educational Integrities’ fundraising campaign. The group’s goal is to provide a constitution kit, plus 10-15 books, patriotic posters and American decor for each SUSD campus.
“Today, GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) is sending Rainbow Library kits to SUSD librarians, and encouraging staff to create elaborate displays to highlight sexual orientation and gender identity books to children. What if schools were instead provided the resources to create pro-American displays in every library?” To my knowledge, there is no other organization offering this service, so it’s a blessing that the APL program was created to fill this void,” said Adrienne Johnson, Sr. Advisor for Arizona Women of Action.
“In the past few years we’ve seen a disturbing trend of leftist, anti-American, and even sexualized books entering our public school libraries,” said Arizona State Representative Joseph Chaplik. “That is why it is encouraging to see parents take a stand with Scottsdale Unites for Education Integrity and donate patriotic, age-appropriate books to K-12 public school libraries here in the Scottsdale Unified School District. As your representative, I have supported accountability and transparency in our public school system and opposed the dangerous comprehensive sex education in our elementary schools. I am proud to support the American Pride Library program which will counteract leftist activists by bringing pro-American resources to our public schools here in Scottsdale.”
Scottsdale Unified parents have uncovered and reported many concerning books found on SUSD library shelves that expose middle school children to mature themes such as rape, sex, incest, prostitution and drug use, and non-scientific themes such as random gender selection. And, while removing unwanted books, or exposing them so that parents can make an informed choice for their child is valuable work, the parents believe that a void would exist if they don’t make an effort to stock SUSD’s library shelves with the books they do want their kids to read.
“Scottsdale’s students deserve to learn the truth about America’s history, both the good and the bad, from the struggles and injustices to the achievements and triumphs,” said Mike Bengert, the grandfather of two SUSD students and member of Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity.
The American Pride Library program provides parents and community members an easy way to get involved and make a positive impact.
“We highly recommend supporting the American Pride Library in Scottsdale. Kids need honest books about our amazing history so they can take advantage of America’s great blessings for themselves.” said Kim Miller, President and Founder of Arizona Women of Action.
“We hope that our efforts will inspire parents in other districts to launch an American Pride Library program in their district,” said Dunican.
The group is encouraging the public to learn more about their efforts by contacting Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity at connect@scottsdaleunites.com.