Maryvale Preparatory’s Diversity Director Kalea Selmon and Upper School Head and Assistant Head of School Victor Shin told school personnel to “be okay with losing students and families” over the diversity agenda and that students who don’t conform to the agenda cause “trauma and harm,” according to a video obtained exclusively by Breitbart News.
The two members of Maryvale Preparatory’s leadership team made a number of unsettling statements that suggest they are attempting to purge community members who do not go along with their diversity agenda. The statements were made in a talk titled “From Pawns to Controlling the Board: Seeing BIPOC Students as Power Players in Student Programming.”
A screenshot of the talk’s description reads, “Learn about student programs at Maryvale” and “get strategies to deal with push back from the opposition.”
In one clip from the talk, Shin remarks, “Kalea is very fortunate, if she asks, she’s probably going to get it.”
Kalea Selmon added that she “isn’t afraid of going over budget,” asking, “What you going to say? ‘No, we’re not going to spend this money on these black kids?’”
“Please, fight me. Fight me,” Selmon added. Shin abruptly changed the conversation, saying simply, “moving on.”
Shin goes on to say, “Yes, we have seen pushback,” going on to say that parents ask questions like “Why Are you doing this?” or “What about my kid?”
“Obviously there’s a lack of understanding of white dominant culture,” Shin continues.
Shin says that they’ve received the most pushback over a program called “Courageous Conversations” before claiming that receiving pushback “means we’re doing the work, that means we’re challenging the norms.”
“I love conflict,” Shin said, going on to tell conference attendees, “So people, when they have issues, guess what? I’m going to pick up my phone and we’re going to have a conversation, and I’m not shy about it.”
“I’m doing this for BIPOC [black and indigenous people of color] students in particular. They have not had a voice. They’ve been underserved. They’ve been traumatized,” Shin continues.
One slide from the presentation reads, “Be okay with losing students and families over these issues,” in reference to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Later in the presentation, Shin tells conference attendees that he has repeatedly told families that they should consider leaving the school if they do not support the critical race theory (CRT) agenda.
Shin remarks, “sometimes you got to say, maybe this isn’t the right school for you.” He adds, “I’ve said that probably a lot this year.”
Shin continues “Your mission doesn’t align with our mission. So this is the work that we’re doing because this is the mission we have institutionally, and maybe we’re not the right school for you. That’s okay to say.”
The upper school head and assistant head even went on to insult students and parents who do not conform to his critical Race theory agenda, saying, “The trauma and the harm that the family or that student can cause can kind of defeat or push back any of the work.”
“The same thing goes for faculty and staff too,” Shin adds.
Breitbart News contacted representatives of Maryvale Preparatory, asking if they would be willing to condemn the notion that students and families who disagree with the diversity agenda cause “trauma and harm” Breitbart News also asked if they are willing to affirm that students and parents who disagree with the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda are welcome at Maryvale.
Maryvale Preparatory did not respond to the inquiry.
At the very end of the presentation, Selmon describes that they have leverage over the board. She tells the audience, “our board is afraid … of being responsible for causing harm.”
She also explains that the board is “very much interested in the longevity of the institution,” going on to remark, “We know that the demographics of the country are very much changing, and white people will not be in the majority always, right?”
She explains that the board is asking, “So how do we shore up the institution by making it truly an inclusive space that people will want to be a part of?”
Meanwhile, a document created by Shin and Selmon for the talk is called “Centering BIPOC Students in Programming” and asks school administrators a number of questions that can be used to ensure an event fits the diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda.
Event planners are asked a number of questions, including “In the past when we have had similar events, how has whiteness and the comfort of white people been centered?” and “How will this program help to address concerns that students from marginalized identities have expressed?”
Other questions include “Would support from the ally community aid in making the event a success?” and “What marginalized group(s) of students are benefitting from this program?”
Breitbart News previously exposed Maryvale’s Diversity Director Kalea Selmon for advocating for racial segregation, saying that nonwhite students must be protected from the “white gaze.”
Selmon also said, “it is absolutely okay to give black and brown students things you’re not giving white children because the white children are fine.” Videos of Selmon’s statements can be found here. An upcoming event called “Students of Color Friendsgiving” is set to occur in November.
Following the investigation from Breitbart News, Maryvale Preparatory’s administration, specifically Patty Brown, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Tracey Ford, the president, lied to parents, claiming that Maryvale does not teach critical race theory. Maryvale is currently searching for a new president to replace Tracey Ford.
Breitbart News investigated portions of the school’s curriculum and professional development training. Breitbart News thoroughly documented aspects of critical race theory that were present in each, displaying the presence of racial equity dogma on an institutional rather than individual level.
The very occasion of this presentation indicates that this diversity agenda is not limited to Maryvale Preparatory. The talk was given at the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) People of Color Conference in an attempt to embed critical race theory in private schools across the country.
Maryvale Preparatory School is a member of the NAIS. The accrediting organization has a history of pushing both critical race theory and “queer inclusive” transgender ideology on young students, as Breitbart News has revealed.
A covert network of concerned parents, called Undercover Mothers, has formed to fight back against the indoctrination of students at the hands of the NAIS. The organization describes indoctrination in the private school system as a form of “elite capture,” pointing out that many of the students attending these prestigious schools will go on to staff political administrations or work in the elite levels of business, finance, media, and entertainment.
Following exposés by the Undercover Mothers, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) pledged to investigate the NAIS if the Republicans retake the majority in Congress. Representative Banks specifically scrutinized the organization’s role in political advocacy given its 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit.
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com.