CDC Pushing For DEI & Gender Transitioning In Schools

Image Credit: CDC & Canva

Submitted by Fannie Celestrin –

WSCC what is it? How does it affect our lives? How does it affect our children’s lives? Who runs it? Who funds it? All questions I asked myself at the onset of this story and the answers are unfortunately not good for the future of Tennesseans or public (government) schools, but the ending has not yet been set. 

So, what is WSCC?

The WSCC is a CDC model that stands for Whole School, Whole community, and Whole Child.

On the CDC website, it explains how this model is a framework for addressing student health. It states how it has a “student-centered” approach that emphasizes the role of the community in supporting the school, connections between health and academic achievements, and the importance of evidence-based school policies and practices.

There are 10 key components to the WSCC model, and they are the following: 

•Physical Education and Physical Activity

•Nutrition Environment and Services

•Health Education

•Social and Emotional School Climate

•Health Services 

•Physical Environment

•Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services

•Employee Wellness 

•Community Involvement

•Family Engagement 

Is the WSCC model here in Washington County? You bet it is! You just won’t find it under that name or under the name of “School- Based Health Centers”. Instead, Washington County has this program listed as “Coordinated School Health” (CSH).

*The page on wcde.org has been removed since the initial publication of this article on easttnfreedom.com.

When you compare the components, you will see that it is the same model. The only difference is that they’re using eight of the components instead of ten. Washington County was a part of the top ten to pilot this program. 

The CSH is a national model that was developed by the CDC back in 1988. The CDC has funded, supported and developed this program in over 20 states. The Tennessee Department of Education being one of them.

The Office of Coordinated School Health (OCSH) was established by the Tennessee Department of Education in February of 2021. The OCSH also partnered with the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of School Health. With the passage of T.C.A. 49-1- 1002, The Coordinated School Health Improvement Act of 2000, authorization and funding was established for CSH in Tennessee.

In 2006, Public Chapter 1001, the Coordinated School Health Expansion and Physical Activity Law, established authority and funding ($15 million) to expand CSH statewide. Additional funding has been provided by a grant from the CDC. 

When you read over the components, it sounds good on the surface like school choice did. But when you really start digging into it, red flags go up.

On the CDC website, it talks about the WSCC model and examples of how it can be incorporated. It also has a virtual school with the model.

I chose to virtually go into the counselor’s office. It had a “diversity poster”, spoke about how the counselor incorporated lessons throughout the counseling programs, how you can build a social environment that is supportive of diverse students and staff populations by championing respect, inclusion, and acceptance/understanding. This fell under the component of “Social and Emotional Climate”.

After this, I virtually went into the conference room. In there, they had a “Health Equity” tab. When you click on that tab, it shows a conversation amongst the staff.

It explains how the National Academics of Science defines Health Equity as “the state in which everyone has the opportunity to attain full health potential, and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or any other socially defined circumstance”.

One of the states that proudly uses the model is Missouri. There’s a blog with articles on how it has been incorporated into the schools and how educators can incorporate this. I encourage everyone to skim through it if you have a chance – Click HERE.

Meanwhile, Washington state uses the School-Based Health Centers (SBHC). Same plan, different name. Parents Defending Education submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Seattle Public school. The FOIA revealed that one of the SBHC providers is offering “gender-affirming care services”.

In an email from January 2023 from the Neighborcare Health School-Based Health Center Program Manager, they state that “beginning February 6th, 2023, our program will begin offering comprehensive, evidence-based, gender-affirming care to our students and families who need them”. It also goes on to state that “these services will be a small pilot available to students and families within the existing schools they serve”.

The dangers of these incidents are closer than we think. We need to be vigilant before it gets any worse. It’s only a matter of time before we have an incident such as what is happening in Seattle happen here.

We see that Washington County school board members won’t even respond to questions, which is concerning. This is one of many reasons why we need to get involved and speak up against these things. If we don’t, they will continue to make decisions for our kids without our input or knowledge. Be informed, share knowledge and get others involved.