Sanborn Regional Middle School
August 11th, 2021
Message from Sanborn Regional School District


Sanborn Regional Middle School
17 Danville Road
Kingston, NH 03848
(603)382-6226
Dear Community, 

We have received some important questions about Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the New Hampshire law that addresses Divisive Concepts in public schools  (RSA 354-A:29-34 and RSA 193:40). 

Critical Race Theory Defined

Britannica defines CRT as an “intellectual movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color. Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans”.  

NH’s New Divisive Concepts Law

Recently the NH Legislature adopted new laws that address Divisive Concepts being taught in public schools (RSA 354-A:29-34 and RSA 193:40). These laws are new and the administration, the school board, and staff will all be working collaboratively to comply with the legislation. Here are some key points to be aware of as we start the new school year:

  1. Schools are still permitted to discuss, as a part of the larger course of academic instruction, the historical existence of facts, topics, and subjects identified in the new law (including prohibited divisive concepts). Schools are also permitted to teach about the existence of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination. 
  2. Schools are prohibited from using programs, including classroom instruction, stating that people:
  • are inherently superior or inferior, 
  • are inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, (consciously or  unconsciously), 
  • should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment,
  • cannot or should not treat others equally and/or without regard to a protected characteristic. (RSA 193:40 FAQ Document)

Our Next Steps

During the 2021/22 school year we will be taking the following steps to ensure a safe and welcoming culture for our staff, students, and families:

  1. Provide training for staff on the new laws enacted July 1, 2021.
  2. Provide training for staff on Title IX (discrimination laws), Title VII, harassment, and bullying. 
  3. Work collaboratively with staff, students, and the community to monitor the culture of our schools to ensure that everyone feels safe and welcome. This will include developmentally appropriate training for students on discrimination, harassment, and bullying. 

The Sanborn Regional School District is focusing our time and effort on improving overall student achievement through its Graduate Success Profile, a document which describes the attributes and skills that students will possess and demonstrate upon completion of a PK-12 education in the Sanborn Regional School District. We strongly encourage you to read and familiarize yourself with this document.

The Sanborn District strongly condemns all acts of racism, harassment, bullying, and intolerance in our schools and the greater Sanborn community. We will address any incidents as they occur, and appropriately counsel students as part of their overall education. Typically, matters of harassment, bullying, or intolerance are handled through our discipline policy (specifically, our J policies) and the Title IX process. These are available in our policy manual located here.

District policy IMB states that when controversial issues are being discussed in classroom instruction, every effort is made to present various viewpoints fairly, impartially, and discreetly. Our policies regarding curriculum development (IGA) and curriculum adoption (IGD ) and all other related policies are here. Policy IGE specifically covers objectionable instructional materials in the classroom, and establishes the process for objecting to specific instructional materials. All questions or concerns regarding objectionable materials will be addressed in accordance with policy IGE. 

Policy IJL governs the selection of library and media materials. Policy IJL provides the following as part of our criteria for selecting instructional material: “Be designed to help students gain an awareness of our pluralistic society; and contribute to the breadth of representative viewpoints on controversial issues.” All questions or concerns about library/media center materials will be addressed in accordance with policy IJL and the applicable IJL-RL-1 regulation. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to commonly asked questions regarding CRT:

  1. Are we teaching CRT at the Sanborn Regional School District? We have not adopted a curriculum aligned with the beliefs of CRT or any other single theory. As a public organization, we encourage students to exercise their freedom to decide what they believe in. We help our students develop skills necessary to become critical thinkers and to learn independently.
  2. Are we teaching “white shaming” (the idea that people are racist just because they are white) at the Sanborn Regional School District)? Absolutely not. Teaching a student that they should be ashamed of their heritage or culture goes directly against our core values and is not legal. 
  3. What are we doing about Racism in the Sanborn Regional School District? The Administration has reviewed a variety of books and materials to begin a conversation about racism with our staff and students. The teaching and any professional development will focus primarily on Title IX (discrimination laws), Title VII, and bullying. Harassment, racism, discrimination, and/or bullying is not tolerated at SRSD, nor will it be tolerated. 
  4. What are the schools teaching children about history and racism? As a public organization, we teach students multiple points of view and encourage the students to decide what they believe in. Our curriculum uses a wide range of resources offering varying perspectives, and we cover all of the typical topics in our social studies and English courses and electives. As new information becomes available, we consider the information and make adjustments via our curriculum adoption policy located here.

In Summary

To support the social emotional needs of our students, over the last two years our schools have implemented aspects of the “Choose Love” curriculum promoted by Governor Sununu. This work is incorporated into Advisory and Morning Meeting. You can review that curriculum here: https://chooselovemovement.org/schools/.

At the high school, we will continue to look for ways to utilize the Social Justice Committee, which was established over a year ago in compliance with a new state law.  RSA 193:39 which went into effect in September 2019 and mandates that every public school district develop and implement “a coordinated plan to prevent, assess the presence of, intervene in, and respond to incidents of discrimination on the basis of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, marital status, familial status, disability, religion, national origin, or any other classes protected under RSA 354-A.” A key part of our coordinated plan, the Social Justice Committee is charged with examining our practices, deepening our understanding of these topics, enhancing staff to student and student to student communication, and improving school-wide culture.

We hope that this document helps to provide information about these topics. Our focus is on academics while creating a culture of safety and tolerance. If you have any questions about any of the topics contained in this document, please contact the principal of the school your child attends. 

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Ambrose, Superintendent 
Patricia M. Haynes, PhD, Director of Teaching and Learning 
Jodi Gutterman, Director of Student Services 
Matthew Angell, Business Administrator 
Diana Rooney, Director of Human Resources 
Christine Desrochers, Director of Intervention, Assessment & Accountability
Brian M. Stack, SRHS Principal 
Jennifer Michitson, SRHS Assistant Principal 
Steve Krzyzanowski, SRHS Assistant Principal 
Robert Dawson, SRHS Assistant Principal 
Heidi Leavitt, Director of Counseling 
Matthew Malila, SRMS Principal 
Ryan McCluskey, Memorial Principal 
Jill Lizier, Memorial Assistant Principal 
Troy Kennett, Bakie Principal 
Lorin Caffelle, Bakie Assistant Principal
Matthew Malila ~ Sanborn Regional Middle School Principal