As published in the Omaha World Herald – Community Voices – November 21, 2021
About 1996, when I was in my second year in heading the Iowa Department of Education, the mail brought a bundle of over 800 signed pieces of paper to my desk. Each letter demanded that the Iowa Department of Education stop the spread of “the New York Homosexual Curriculum” in Iowa schools. Of course, there was no such curriculum spreading through Iowa schools. A conservative religious organization had sent letters to these 800 Iowans (and probably many more) planting the lie and with it new mistrust of their local schools. I crafted and signed a letter to each of the people that had signed the tear off sheets, which included their address, and explained that there was no such curriculum and, if they found evidence of it, I would go with them to their school to challenge it. I received one or two thank you notes in response, but, of course, no requests to visit any district. But at that point the damage had been done. The suspicion had been planted and another deceitful and fictitious attack on a public institution had landed. The recipients were local folks who may not have had much recent contact with their local school and were vulnerable to their own discomfort with changing sexual norms. They were deliberately misled and now a lasting mistrust had been created.
I thought then that this was an insidious, but limited, strategy for destroying trust. But remember, in 1996, there was little social media to spread the lie quickly and surreptitiously. But today, the wildfires of misinformation are playing out in politics at all levels. In similar fashion to my own experience decades earlier, now there are accusations of school districts teaching “critical race theory” even though there no evidence that it is being taught. Schools are faced with the “Have you stopped beating your wife?” dilemma.
There are false claims about election security that result in a loss of confidence in state or local elections along with rules that make it more difficult to vote. There are bogus claims about medical cures for Covid 19 and denials about the efficacy of vaccines that jeopardize tens of thousands of lives just to sow mistrust in public officials and government. Any government effort to provide needed services to families or to promote a level of income that can sustain families is falsely labeled “Socialist”. And on and on…
In each of these instances, the accuser is not held accountable for initiating or spreading the mistruths. Politics and social media have no allegiance to a commandment against spreading false witness. In fact, both politics and social media have both learned to thrive by capitalizing on promoting negative falsehoods. The only benefit sought by the liars is self-promotion while the common good is left in the dust.
As an educator for nearly forty years, I am afraid that we increasingly spent time teaching only the “Three R’s” when should have spent some of that time on the “Four C’s” – compassion, collaboration, critical thinking and Common Sense.
Ted Stilwill
Director of the Iowa Department of Education, 1995-2004
CEO for the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties, 2011-2015