Taylor Parent Says School Introduced Mental Health Curriculum Without Notice or Opt Out Option

Parent says Taylor schools brought in outside mental health lessons without notifying families.

TAYLOR, Mich. — A Downriver mother says the Taylor School District allowed an outside mental health worker into her daughter’s elementary classroom without notifying parents and without offering any way to opt in or opt out of the program. The concerns were raised by Stephanie Smolinski, who says she discovered the lessons only after her daughter came home describing a therapist who visited the class.

Smolinski said the issue began in early October when she spoke during a school board meeting about her concerns that social emotional learning and mental health programming were taking precedence over academics. She said her comments were dismissed. Two weeks later, her daughter came home describing a man who told students he was a therapist and discussed his work and interests.

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“He was telling the class that he is a therapist and what his place of work does,” Smolinski said. “I was under the impression this was some type of social emotional mental health thing. Why else would he be in the school?”

Concerned, Smolinski called the school principal, who told her the visitor was affiliated with Corewell Health and said the program was being offered to fourth and fifth graders. The principal could not explain the curriculum, how often it would be taught or what material it included.

“That’s where it all spiraled for me,” she said.

Unable to get detailed information, Smolinski said she began researching the name of the therapist on her own. She contacted the Taylor Teen Health Center, which told her the programming was part of a Second Step curriculum and was described as bullying prevention. Smolinski said she felt she was receiving more information from the health center than from the school district.

The center told her the lessons were typically opt in or opt out based on the school’s requirements. Smolinski said she questioned why no such forms had been sent to parents before the therapist visited the classroom.

When she followed up with the school, the secretary told her the lessons were part of the district’s curriculum, meaning there was no opt in or opt out option. Smolinski said she received no returned call from the principal, and instead was contacted by an assistant superintendent who questioned her Facebook post about the issue rather than addressing her concerns.

“My Facebook post had gotten attention,” Smolinski said. “She was not calling me about my concerns. She said it was about my misleading post.”

Smolinski said she then learned the Second Step instructor would be coming into the school weekly. Shortly after she began pressing the district, parents were sent an opt out form for the first time, but it arrived only 24 hours before the next session was scheduled to begin. The district also offered a curriculum viewing window for parents, but held it during a one hour period on a half day when many families were unable to attend.

When Smolinski arrived at the school to view the materials, she said only one binder was available for all parents and she had limited time. She says administrators spent part of the viewing confronting her over her Facebook posts and did not allow her time to review the curriculum in full.

The district superintendent later released a message to parents, saying the program was a non district approved curriculum and explaining why he supports social emotional learning. Smolinski said she felt that admission confirmed her concerns about transparency.

She opted her daughter out of the program, but noted other parents may not be aware the curriculum is being used. She said she believes the district should fully inform parents of any programming involving mental health instruction or gender related questioning. One of the materials sent home, she said, asked students to identify their gender as male, female or other.

“These children don’t even know what that means at that age,” Smolinski said. “If that is in there, then what else is in there?”

Smolinski said her broader concern is that academic performance in Michigan remains low and that schools should prioritize reading, writing and math.

“All three of my children are struggling,” she said. “I depend on the schools to teach academics. I don’t need them to raise my children emotionally. I teach them those things at home.”

Smolinski said she hopes parents across Michigan will ask more questions and push for curriculum transparency.