Family Law Attorney Mark Baer Calls Upon California Educators to Stop Teaching Hate

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 26, 2014) - Los Angeles Family Law Attorney and Mediator Mark Baer says the California public schools need to stop using curriculum that teaches children to hate. In the well-documented case of the Rialto, California public school system in May of 2014, the school district assigned 13 and 14-year olds in the 8th grade a "critical thinking" assignment. The students were asked to read an article by a member of a far-right, white supremacist neo-Nazi party member and full-fledged anti-Semite, as a source for discussion on whether or not the Holocaust ever occurred.

Two other articles were also introduced to the students by authors on the websites History.com and About.com and both introduced their opinion that the Holocaust did take place. Interestingly enough, the students were not given an article responding to Holocaust denial. After reading the three articles by so called, "credible sources," the students were instructed to write an argumentative essay explaining whether or not the Holocaust actually occurred. Out of approximately 2,000 students, 22 to 50 students (depending on the source) decided that the Holocaust never occurred -- that it was made up by the State of Israel and those involved for ulterior gain motives.

"In my opinion," says Attorney Baer, "if even one student was influenced by this exercise to hate others, then it needs to stop. The public schools are funded by local, state, and federal government monies and there is no reason why educators should be thoughtlessly giving children access to racist and anti-Semitic propaganda which, as we know, led to the deaths in WWII of so many millions of innocent people. I'm trying to improve the post-divorce lives of children," says Baer, "therefore, it concerns me to see children being poorly educated."

Mr. Baer further states that the exercise, itself, was extremely flawed. "You give students three sources of questionable credibility and then expect them to learn how to form their own opinions on world issues; it's a recipe for disaster," says Attorney Baer. "If students are told by their educators that such sources are credible, then how do they learn to evaluate the trustworthiness of anything? What exactly are we teaching our kids? Our students are in school to learn. We are supposed to be teaching them to think and make good decisions that will positively influence their lives and the lives of others. If they aren't given the tools to decipher whether something isn't true, what are we setting ourselves up for in the future?"

He adds, "The quality of education in California is a hot topic at the moment because in Vergara v. California, a court recently struck down various teacher tenure and seniority statutes on the basis that they violated students' constitutional right to an education. On June 13, 2014, I was interviewed about the teacher tenure decision by Roger Hedgecock of The Roger Hedgecock Show. Moreover, Students Matter is preparing to file more lawsuits in California over educational issues. From my vantage point, Rialto's 'critical thinking' assignment is just one example of 'ineffective teaching.'"

As a blogger for the Huffington Post on Family Law subjects, Attorney Mark B. Baer is recognized as a thought leader for his provocative and forward-thinking ideas on improving the way in which Family Law is handled. Utilizing his vast array of information and knowledge, well beyond the law itself, Mr. Baer provides insight on how the dissolution of familial relationships as typically practiced leads to less than optimal results, both financial and emotionally. He also highlights the difference between dispute resolution and conflict resolution to offer simple ways of achieving a better result for all parties involved, including the children.

Attorney Mark Baer is a psychologically-minded and child-centered family law attorney and mediator. When representing families, he tries to resolve matters in the least destructive manner so that the family dynamic that exists after the divorce or break-up can still maintain some semblance of communication and cooperation. When children are involved, this is of particular importance as parental conflict can harm children for years to come.

Attorney Baer utilizes a unique integrated approach that utilizes law, psychology, behavioral economics, neuro science, economics, philosophy and other disciplines. An advocate of using consensual dispute resolution processes such as mediation and collaborative law, whenever possible. Attorney Baer considers the psychological and financial health of the entire family and assists them in navigating the emotional waters of Family Law. He also helps his clients acquire new skills that can strengthen and empower them to better cope with future challenges.

Mark B. Baer is a Family Law Attorney/Mediator/Collaborative Law Practitioner who has practiced law in Los Angeles for over twenty years with an office in Pasadena, CA. His firm represents individuals on issues regarding family law, divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, restraining orders, paternity actions, or domestic partnerships.

For media requests or to read Attorney Mark Baer's blog on this subject, please visit: www.markbaeresq.com.