Moms for Liberty's Emily Jones warns of American School Counselor Association
Though Alabama has passed laws banning DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) from the classroom, Moms for Liberty's Emily Jones said the harmful ideologies are still being taught in every school across the state under a different name.
Jones, who chairs the Madison County chapter of Moms for Liberty, explained on last week's episode of "1819 News: The Podcast" how the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is forcing DEI on students under the guise of mental health.
Though state law prohibits schools from talking to students about their mental health unless parents opt in, Jones said her 10-year-old son was being required to participate in group sessions.
"It really stemmed from this one little class that my son went to last year," Jones said. "And I question like, well, who's teaching this? What is the content? And through that discovered this ASCA organization that is far worse than we ever imagined the NEA (National Education Association) or the AEA (Alabama Education Association) ever being. And it's at every school in our state."
The ASCA is a national organization that trains and supports school counselors. Though some schools claim to have disassociated from the ASCA, the state affiliate, Alabama School Counselor Association, claims on its website that its mission "mirrors" that of the ASCA, which includes developing "knowledge and understanding of historic and systemic oppression, social justice and cultural models (e.g., multicultural counseling, anti-racism, culturally sustaining practices) to further develop skills for systemic change and equitable outcomes for all students."
"The policies of the national organization define the policies of the state, define the policies of the district, define the policies at each individual school. So where the NEA is bad may or may not be directly impacting your kids' school. The ASCA is," Jones said.
She explained how schools forcing children to hyper-fixate on their emotional state has led to harmful and aberrant outcomes.
