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The flyer from delivered by California Mass Resistance to John Glenn parents containing several bald-faced lies.
August 28, 2023
By Brian Hews
The public school culture war has hit the Norwalk-La Mirada School District. Los Cerritos Community News has obtained a political hit piece flyer with several deceiving statements aimed at certain board members of the NLMUSD while directing so-called parents to attend tonight’s meeting and protest.
California Mass Resistance delivered the flyer; CMR has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
SPLC website with a picture of Schaper calling him a white nationalist.
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The flyer was delivered to John Glenn homes in the NLMUSD, but it is still being determined how many. CMR is targeting John Glenn High’s Wellbeing Center and calling for its removal.
The Wellbeing Center, of which there are 50 in the L.A. County High Schools, offers trained public health educators who provide students with information and consultation services to support students with substance use prevention, mental health support, and sexual health information and services.
CMR wrote in the flyer that the NLMUSD Board approved the Center “without parent approval,” which is a complete lie. Up to its opening last year, the NLMUSD conducted several meetings involving John Glenn parents and designed the Center with their input; CMR did not attend any of those meetings.
Only after the Center’s opening in 2022 did CMR and its Director Arthur Schaper begin coming to NLMUSD meetings spewing lies about the Wellbeing Center.
Schaper brings with him other protesters who only give their names and not where they are from during public comment; Schaper’s listed phone number has a Massachusetts area code.
The CMR flyer continued, “The Wellbeing Centers are instructed by Planned Parenthood staff, children [are] getting referred to Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood supports transgender care for minors.”
In August 2022, the NLMUSD Board decided not to move forward with the Planned Parenthood component of the Center. The Center is funded by the Los Angeles Public Department of Health and staffed by health educators from the County; LCCN has confirmed that the MLMUSD does not offer gender services.
The NLMUSD addressed most of CMR’s concerns of the Center with a fact sheet of frequently asked questions handed out at a meeting in February.
The document indicated that the services provided through the Center are student-initiated, and students are encouraged to include parents during care.
A registered nurse is also available for on-site testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, condoms, over-the-counter emergency contraception, pregnancy tests and sexual health information for students.
The Wellbeing Center does not perform abortions, nor are the staff allowed to make suggestions to students about abortion; contrary to CMR, the Center does not “hand out” abortion pills.
On the bottom of the flyer, parents are directed to email Becky Langenwalter for information; Langenwalter ran for NLMUSD School Board in the last election and lost badly. During her campaign, her culture war statements enraged teachers and parents alike.
The L. A. County Wellbeing Centers have an impressive track record, given the vast need for student services. Over 21% of students said they currently drink alcohol; among those sexually active, 1 in 5 drank alcohol or used drugs before sex. Nearly 28% of students reported having sex, 20% in all grades said they are currently sexually active, 44% said they don’t use condoms, and 78% are not using birth control.
Over 45% reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks, and nearly 27% seriously considered attempting suicide.
Wellbeing Centers also support parents by offering classes for parents about adolescent health, how to talk with young people about alcohol and drugs, and how to communicate effectively with teens about sexual decision making.
