Trustees Sign Online Anti-IB Petition

It appears that Coeur d'Alene School Board Chairman Tom Hamilton and Trustee Terri Seymour signed an online petition against the International Baccalaureate program on Aug. 8 of this year, only days before voting to phase the program out of Coeur d'Alene schools. The anti-IB petition has been circulating for years. The petition and its wording, with addendum, can be found here. Hamilton and Seymour were part of a unanimous 4-0 vote Aug. 13 to phase out the IB program at Lake City High. The two could vote tonight to end the elementary school equivalent of the IB program, Primary Years Programme, at Hayden Meadows. The addendum of the online petition states, ”

We, the undersigned, request Federal legislation to prohibit the expenditure of U.S. taxdollars (income and/or property taxes)on UNESCO and any of its affiliates, in particular, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) and IB's programs as they pertain to U.S. public schools. We believe that IB programs are unduly expensive, foster anti-American sentiment and seek to indoctrinate American youth in order to devalue their American citizenship and undermine our sovereignty as a nation in favor of global citizenry. Public schools should be apolitical. 

• On signature page 2, #68 & 69 is signed by Aileen and Duncan Koler on May 24, 2010
• On Page 20: #992 Brent Regan, and #994 Tom Hamilton signed on Aug. 8, 2012
• On Page 21: #1007 Terri Seymour signed on Aug. 8, 2012
• Local Anti-tax activist Sharon Culbreth signed at #1019.  Her post included the following comment: “This is America, we do not need socialism and $ sent to other countries. We need to educate our children, improvement yes, not socialism.

Thoughts?