I reject the proposed SEL standards and I can see situations in which SEL will end up serving as a tool of emotional manipulation and social control.  I am a parent who opposes the behavior and psychosocial data collection/assessment that new SEL standards will require.  No government body should give personnel carte blanche to intrude on children's emotional lives and personal development. It fundamentally interferes with parental authority. 

Who asked for this educational transformation? Why is there such an interest in personal identity and what business is it of the state?  If the World Economic Forum is for it, I am certainly against it.  Are wearable technologies assessing SEL and Virtual Reality in the future plans? Are we trying to get to a Chinese social credit system to create the perfect global citizen?  Is this a corporate strategy that's coming down through government into our neighborhood schools?  People need more information about this and not the old refrain, "Trust the experts,"  like CASEL.   Public trust in institutions is at an all-time low.

https://www.weforum.org/reports/new-vision-for-education-fostering-social-and-emotional-learning-through-technology

During the pandemic, Virginia's K-12 public school used computers for distance learning.  That device is the key to every data collection point for grades and Profile/ Portrait of a Graduate. Is the state contemplating a social impact bond to measure improvements in social emotional learning progress?   Is the state saving all that data year after year in a child's portfolio that could be shared with college or workforce applications?  I somehow don't think the state is telling us the whole story.  I don't trust this Board of Education.

There is something cult-like about having a child reflect constantly on his or her identity and role in a group.  With the power of peer pressure, a child could be pressured to say something that goes against family tradition or religious faith.  This is not good for society when there is supposed to be open discussion and freedom of conscience.   There's a sentiment that some things cannot be said out loud anymore and students may feel like they have to lie about what they truly believe.  This is unacceptable and that is how SEL can be used for control.

What about the teacher's biases?  Teachers should not be put in the position to make progress reports on emotional development or so-called "emotional intelligence" which can be used for good or for evil.  (per Adam Grant). Without a moral grounding, SEL can be misused.   Coupled with activist training in schools like the proposed action civics, SEL can be used to whip up emotions to  cause further division and anti-social behavior. 

No, I do not support SEL being added to graduation requirements or used to make children feel neurotic about constant self-examination.  I don't want to pay for this type of neural education that can go wrong in so many ways.  Each child is unique. Each family is unique.  Leave the formation of a child's character and emotional health to the family.