Laramie County School District appears to work with Second Step to implement SEL into summer academic program

Laramie County School District has a summer program for students who may be struggling academically called “Summer Academy.” The program appears to be separated into two groups for elementary students and secondary students. Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the district seeking more information about the program after concerned community members informed PDE that the program would implement social emotional learning (SEL) initiatives. PDE found that the program involves SEL lessons from the organization Second Step.

In the records request, PDE asked for instructional materials regarding SEL, board documents, registration forms, contracts, and academic matrix used for students to be eligible for the program. One document that PDE received from the district was a quote from Second Step for the organization’s “Second Step Elementary + Second Step Middle School, Single-Site Pricing, 1-Year License” dated February 9, 2024. The contract would start on July 31, 2024, and extend through July 31, 2025. The district would pay Second Step $2,997 for services during this year. The district did not clarify if this was solely for the summer academic program.

PDE also received the following Second Step curriculum overview from the district. These lessons appear to have a focus on teaching students about perceived “empathy” with some lessons on sexual harassment, including to “recognize and define sexual harassment and explain the difference between flirting and sexual harassment” and “recognize gender-based harassment and the effects it can have on someone, as well as how stereotypes about gender contribute to gender-based harassment.”

Second Step is an organization known for promoting political ideologies in its SEL curricula. Second Step states on its website that the organization is “committed to addressing racial injustice and helping you drive real change in your school communities.” The organization also provides resources for educators to implement equity into the classroom. Two of the resources that Second Step has offered are called “Talking to Kids About Racial Identity” and “Starting in the Classroom.”

The following were additional documents that PDE received from the records request regarding the summer program.