Photo via Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons
On Friday evening’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, former Fox News and NBC host Megyn Kelly discussed her decision to pull her three kids out of their New York City private schools. Both of Kelly’s sons went to the Collegiate School, a K-12 boys school located at 301 Freedom Place South (between 61st and 62nd Streets). Kelly’s daughter is believed to have attended the Spence School on the Upper East Side.
Kelly first announced this decision in November 2020, citing as the catalyst the school’s curriculum which had “gone off the deep end” in terms of its left-leaning ideology, though critics have highlighted Kelly’s controversial past as an indication that she may be overreacting or deflecting from more important issues. One highlight from Kelly’s career in controversy was defending blackface costumes on Halloween, which lead to her termination from NBC.
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In a November podcast episode, Kelly said the schools had always been left-leaning, and that this didn’t bother her, but that they had more recently taken it too far. Kelly says that while the school’s ideologies do not align with hers, “most of [her] friends are liberals” and that while she considers herself center-right, she still “leans center-left on some things.”
Kelly mentioned a letter which had reportedly circulated around the Collegiate School for all faculty members to read. The letter was written by Orleans Public Education Network Executive Director Nahliah Webber, and Kelly highlighted a few elements which were particularly upsetting to her:
“There is a killer cop sitting in every school where White people learn.”
“I am tired of white people reveling in their state sanctioned depravity, snuffing out Black life with no consequences.”
“Where is the urgency for school reform for white kids being indoctrinated in Black death and protected from the consequences. Where are the government sponsored reports looking into how white mothers are raising culturally deprived children who think Black death is okay.”
“This time, if you really want to make a difference in Black lives, and not have to protest this sh*t again, go reform White kids – because that’s where the problem is. With White children being raised from infancy to violate Black bodies with no remorse or accountability.”
The full audio can be heard here:
‘After years of resisting it, we’re going to leave.”@MegynKelly describes why she pulled her kids out of their NYC schools – and she, @GlennLoury and @Coldxman Hughes discuss how “woke” leftism has taken over schools. Listen below, download here: https://t.co/F96HgI7HIW pic.twitter.com/Wljrlq7azf
— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) November 16, 2020
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During Kelly’s interview with Bill Maher, she provided a few more examples of her experiences with the Collegiate School, and the Real Time host appeared to agree with her negative reaction. Kelly mentioned how her kindergartener was told to write a letter to the Cleveland Indians in protest of the team mascot, and that her third grade son took part in a “three-week experimental trans-education program,” which she felt was less about support and more about getting them to “come on over.”
We’ve reached out to the Collegiate School for comment and will update this article if and when they get back to us.
Schools are “liberal” because they’re based upon verifiable facts, science, and critical thinking, not dogma. Challenging existing knowledge is part of learning and expected at university.
When you’re so far to the right that centrism is considered “too liberal” for you, then you may be caught in your own echo chamber.
As someone who advocates for a classical liberal education (and certainly benefitted from one) — and considers myself independent, reasonable and persuadable — your perception of “liberal” sounds totally out of touch.
Perhaps, your view of “liberal” (the classic, old school sense) is like mine — but in our day and age (read Jonathan Haidt) that is not even close to what is happening on university campuses today. The University is dogma/ideology central — free thinking, civil debate, et al. left academia decades ago.
Liberalism is dogma…pure unadulterated dogma devoid of logical reasoning and critical analysis.
The fact that schools which are supposed to buuld critical thinking would bombard infants with their deranged nonsense which children receiving this cant question or critically analyze is itself evidence of brainwashing.
Let these “trans advocates” visit NYU or Fordham or Columbia and spew their pablum where it maybe recieved by people who can sift through their facile theories and absurd prognosis.
Telling a 3rd grader to write about Native Americans when they dont have all the facts is leftist brainwashing by propandists , not educators! In many countries this sort of indoctrination would be considered child abuse!
And why didn’t she just put her kids in public school? What’s she afraid of? I grew up on the UWS, I’m white and had no problem with a public school education. I just don’t get private schools.
Megyn Kelly is repulsive and I have to question Bill Maher’s judgment for having her on his show as a guest.
Let’s see — her complaints are 1) that people have said that white police get away with murdering innocent black people, and the reason that happens is that white students aren’t being raised to care about enough for the situation to improve; 2) that a child was taught to think about the “jokey” racist image of a Native American; and 3) that children were being taught about the realities of non-binary and/or transgender people.
This is the same Megyn Kelly who insisted that Santa is white (i.e. implying that a black person in a Santa costume is somehow invalid), and who returned to vigorously defending the p-grabber even though he had said that she had blood coming out of her “wherever.”
Megyn Kelly is a bigot. Megyn Kelly doesn’t respect herself enough to refuse to defend Trump after the misogynstic things he said about her.
Don’t be like Megyn Kelly.
Glad to see kids at Collegiate getting some ethics lessons. Now if we could only educate their parents.
Is it the Organic food that is making everyone here so Bitter and Vitriolic??
Do we know which school she selected as an alternative?
I have just lost what little respect I still had for Maher. He has become increasingly conservative and center-right. It’s fine to associate with people like Coulter and Kelly. All voices are worth hearing, even if you don’t agree with them. But when you DO begin agreeing with them, you have lost your way.
I don’t mind Maher having conservatives on his show — we need to keep them out in the open for occasional reminders what they stand for from their own mouths.
She’s lying.
1. The letter wasn’t from the school or it’s faculty.
2. She pulled out of NYC at the outset of the pandemic and she’s not coming back because nobody will employ her. So she pulled her kids out of their schools and is educating them from her new home.
I just wonder why there is not a single comment in support of Megan’s position?
Are supportive comments being censured? I, personally, share in her indignation. If a private school can not shield our children from leftist indoctrination, where do we turn to? Home schooling? Who has time for that! I believe one day the tide will turn.
LOL! Learning about the very real systemic racism in the U.S. is now “indoctrination” into “leftist” ideas? Exactly how much of the Kool-Aid have you been drinking?
Learning about racism needs a foundation in facts and an understanding of history and context.
Simply peddling progressive dogma to toddlers is farcial and nothing more than brainwashing pure and simple.
Can you give examples of this so-called “progressive dogma”?
No, they’re not being censored, it just no one was courageous enough to publicly declare they’re in support of a bigot.
Congratulations.
You are delusional to confuse apathy for agreement…
I too stand against the practises Megyn Kelly described. Its apalling if true.
I think we need corroboration to understand if her beefs are real or exaggerated. I am no fan of MK and her personal views are of no consequence to me, but if those events really happened they’d be out of place at ANY school, from pre K to college and i would be upset as well. There is certainly some over-correcting by schools attempting to address inequality, and overreaching should be pointed out, but in general (i have 2 kids in local MS and HS) they are trying their best to navigate complex times. However, I also agree that ‘liberal’ should not mean dogma and there is a lack of real conversations about facts. Let’s get actual facts and in a measured and collegial way push back on any institution that goes too far for any reason.
Well said. You know, it’s funny that the right never considers its own teachings to be “dogma.” They also never point out that it is the (conservative) Texas Board of Education that ultimately sets NATIONAL textbook standards (because they are the largest buyer of textbooks, they get final say), and they have been creating revisionist history in our school’s textbooks for YEARS. In fact, in 2017, they even attempted to remove all references to Hillary Clinton. Thankfully, they were unsuccessful. But that is the degree to which conservatives would like to “indoctrinate” our children into THEIR dogma.
The irony is that the policies that Spence + Collegiate, and the like, are pursuing are fundamentally rightist. So Kelly should be comfortable with those schools educating her kids.