A guidance counselor in Texas's third-largest school district posted anti-Muslim hate. Parents spoke up. The district went quiet. Here's what you can do.
School counselors were often problematic for Black children. A Black physician had a high IQ, high test scores, and as a child the 'school counselor' told his family- 'We're placing him in Special Ed because he is slow', although they had the standardized test scores in front of them.'
What this middle school guidance counselor in Texas posted on Facebook is deeply wrong, and I agree with everyone who says she should never be allowed around kids. Her job is to protect and care for all students, but saying she is "sick of America being invaded by Islam" directly breaks the Texas Educator Code of Ethics, which states that educators must treat every student fairly without discriminating based on religion or national origin. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD is the third-largest school district in Texas and serves nearly 118,000 students, including thousands of Muslim families who now have to worry if their school counselor secretly despises them. In no way do I condone her behavior, but does she not have the right to post this garbage under the First Amendment? I am truly asking because this looks a lot like cancel culture for exercising her 1st amendment. Aren’t we glad we now know who this lady really is? I for one would rather know she is an overt racist than a covert racist. That way we can choose to keep our children away from her. I understand the even though citizens have free speech rights, the school district and the community also have the right to respond. She is getting paid a great amount of hate as she should, but real change happens when parents start pulling kids from the school and affecting the bottom line, because that is when the school and the district will finally move to fix the problem.
This is egregious behavior. As a retired librarian who often worked closely with our school counselor, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial it is for counselors to earn trust from students and their families. Counselors see students who are at their most vulnerable. This counselor needs to leave the field of education.
As a school counselor myself, I’m especially disgusted by this behavior. The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) lays out professional ethical standards that all school counselors are expected to adhere to, and this woman’s violation of those standards warrants more oversight than simply deleting the post! Earlier in the year, an elderly Christian white woman was working as a school counseling intern in our district. She was disrespectful to a Hindu student about religion and would not listen to any of our feedback around how her comments to the student were harmful. Instead, she doubled down and threw a fit. Thankfully, the school had the sense to terminate her internship over it. This other school should have done the same. Here is a link to ASCA ethical standards:
I have a sneaky suspicion this is just a resurrection of the WASPy reaction to all the Displaced Persons "Flooding" into the US, post WW11. By the time I got to school the furor had died down somewhat since most of them were mostly indistinguishable from the European immigrants that had been coming already for half a century. Being largely invisible the DPs have melded into the US but memories are short, and even they may recognize the new immigrants as undesirable merely by their languages, religions, and skin color.
Reactionary, late stage capitalist Texas might seem like it ought to be hospitable to people engaged in the same trade of oil extraction but they check 3 boxes the U.S. has been primed to regard as natural/competitive enemies.
A word to the wise and the overwhelmed, adapt or die.
This country is not being invaded by Islam. Gena Keller is just a racist white woman who is afraid because she has never met or talked to someone who is Muslim. They are no different than any other American, just a different religion. When I was in grad school to be a counselor, the first thing we learned was “unconditional positive regard”. You cannot help anyone if you don’t accept people for who they are. She should be fired immediately.
Out today with my new sign: "Support of Israel is America's Shame. End It!" Lots of horn honking, a high five from a pedestrian with someone shouting from a car, "I LOVE YOU!" Out every day on the street for 20 months now as support of Israel in the US collapses. I have no doubt I am on the right side of history and with humanity.
Houston has become one of the high tech hubs of Texas. The guidance counselor may be ignoring this & refuses to understand the reason behind the changing demographics. Beyond that, she is probably unaware that the politicians she voted for are responsible for attracting these high tech corporations with sweetheart tax free incentives, and corrupt pay to play schemes.
I’d be interested in knowing if someone actually called her racist because she said something like this out loud, or if she understands that what she’s saying is racist so she says this out loud to try to justify herself. Like, “No offense, but…”. Always followed by something offensive.
Not to muddy the water but she says she's "sick of being called racist," which implies she has made these anti-Islam statements before and has been called racist at least twice. You can't get sick of something unless it occurs more than once. So she must feel comfortable making these statements.
People can perceive being “picked on” if they hear others saying that their held opinions, even if not expressed aloud, are unacceptable. But point taken. I just don’t think we can tell from what is written here.
Well I'm sick of people like that. Let's have less prejudiced persons everywhere, especially in our schools and more immigrants doing their best working for a new and better life.
someone needs to show that counselor the new "government-approved list of Christian religions"... it includes Islam... 'nuff said.. if Kegsbreath says Islam is OK, then she should shut her yap 🍸
School counselors were often problematic for Black children. A Black physician had a high IQ, high test scores, and as a child the 'school counselor' told his family- 'We're placing him in Special Ed because he is slow', although they had the standardized test scores in front of them.'
What this middle school guidance counselor in Texas posted on Facebook is deeply wrong, and I agree with everyone who says she should never be allowed around kids. Her job is to protect and care for all students, but saying she is "sick of America being invaded by Islam" directly breaks the Texas Educator Code of Ethics, which states that educators must treat every student fairly without discriminating based on religion or national origin. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD is the third-largest school district in Texas and serves nearly 118,000 students, including thousands of Muslim families who now have to worry if their school counselor secretly despises them. In no way do I condone her behavior, but does she not have the right to post this garbage under the First Amendment? I am truly asking because this looks a lot like cancel culture for exercising her 1st amendment. Aren’t we glad we now know who this lady really is? I for one would rather know she is an overt racist than a covert racist. That way we can choose to keep our children away from her. I understand the even though citizens have free speech rights, the school district and the community also have the right to respond. She is getting paid a great amount of hate as she should, but real change happens when parents start pulling kids from the school and affecting the bottom line, because that is when the school and the district will finally move to fix the problem.
Thanks for the action steps. She needs to go.
This is egregious behavior. As a retired librarian who often worked closely with our school counselor, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial it is for counselors to earn trust from students and their families. Counselors see students who are at their most vulnerable. This counselor needs to leave the field of education.
As a school counselor myself, I’m especially disgusted by this behavior. The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) lays out professional ethical standards that all school counselors are expected to adhere to, and this woman’s violation of those standards warrants more oversight than simply deleting the post! Earlier in the year, an elderly Christian white woman was working as a school counseling intern in our district. She was disrespectful to a Hindu student about religion and would not listen to any of our feedback around how her comments to the student were harmful. Instead, she doubled down and threw a fit. Thankfully, the school had the sense to terminate her internship over it. This other school should have done the same. Here is a link to ASCA ethical standards:
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf
I have a sneaky suspicion this is just a resurrection of the WASPy reaction to all the Displaced Persons "Flooding" into the US, post WW11. By the time I got to school the furor had died down somewhat since most of them were mostly indistinguishable from the European immigrants that had been coming already for half a century. Being largely invisible the DPs have melded into the US but memories are short, and even they may recognize the new immigrants as undesirable merely by their languages, religions, and skin color.
Reactionary, late stage capitalist Texas might seem like it ought to be hospitable to people engaged in the same trade of oil extraction but they check 3 boxes the U.S. has been primed to regard as natural/competitive enemies.
A word to the wise and the overwhelmed, adapt or die.
Still, it IS Texas. Can you expect much else?
This country is not being invaded by Islam. Gena Keller is just a racist white woman who is afraid because she has never met or talked to someone who is Muslim. They are no different than any other American, just a different religion. When I was in grad school to be a counselor, the first thing we learned was “unconditional positive regard”. You cannot help anyone if you don’t accept people for who they are. She should be fired immediately.
😠😡
Out today with my new sign: "Support of Israel is America's Shame. End It!" Lots of horn honking, a high five from a pedestrian with someone shouting from a car, "I LOVE YOU!" Out every day on the street for 20 months now as support of Israel in the US collapses. I have no doubt I am on the right side of history and with humanity.
Houston has become one of the high tech hubs of Texas. The guidance counselor may be ignoring this & refuses to understand the reason behind the changing demographics. Beyond that, she is probably unaware that the politicians she voted for are responsible for attracting these high tech corporations with sweetheart tax free incentives, and corrupt pay to play schemes.
I’d be interested in knowing if someone actually called her racist because she said something like this out loud, or if she understands that what she’s saying is racist so she says this out loud to try to justify herself. Like, “No offense, but…”. Always followed by something offensive.
Not to muddy the water but she says she's "sick of being called racist," which implies she has made these anti-Islam statements before and has been called racist at least twice. You can't get sick of something unless it occurs more than once. So she must feel comfortable making these statements.
People can perceive being “picked on” if they hear others saying that their held opinions, even if not expressed aloud, are unacceptable. But point taken. I just don’t think we can tell from what is written here.
Excellent point
Well I'm sick of people like that. Let's have less prejudiced persons everywhere, especially in our schools and more immigrants doing their best working for a new and better life.
someone needs to show that counselor the new "government-approved list of Christian religions"... it includes Islam... 'nuff said.. if Kegsbreath says Islam is OK, then she should shut her yap 🍸
'Do
Does Sim Kern know about this? She's in Houston.