Millions of children and teens are back in school, and while many parents know of the inappropriate and sexualized books in some school libraries and classrooms, fewer may be aware of classroom lessons that expose students to inappropriate materials.
Take social studies classes. Here in Colorado, the state’s Department of Education is rolling out new materials for K-12 children that teach about the “history, culture and social contributions of minorities.” That’s fine. It’s good for students to learn about different ethnic groups and what they’ve contributed to our nation.
But what’s not fine is those social studies standards now include teaching about so-called sexual minorities. The Colorado DOE education resources include: “15 Annotated Resource Sets for Teaching About the Historic and Civic Contributions of the LGBTQ community”; “15 Inspiring Books on LGBTQ History for Kids of All Ages”; and GLSEN’s (formerly the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) “A plethora of LGBTQ history resources from lesson plans to podcasts to support classrooms.”
The new material stems from the Colorado General Assembly’s 2019 law mandating the inclusion of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals” in the list of “American minorities” – as if LGBT-identified folks were somehow a separate ethnic group.
In an op-ed published in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Pam Benigno explains what’s happening in the state: “Teachers now have access to new state-provided sexually based education resources” to meet this state requirement.
Benigno, the director of Independence Institute’s Education Policy Center, reviewed some of the recommended LGBT materials for first graders, including:
A photo of a man clad in a rainbow costume during a Gay Pride Parade.
An article about Gov. Jared Polis being the country’s first openly gay elected governor.
A video of a teacher telling the children that sometimes boys love boys and girls love girls before reading a storybook about Harvey Milk’s Gay Pride Flag.
And a book about Pett Buttigieg, the first openly gay Democratic presidential candidate.
Evidently the legislature thought it was important for six-year-olds to learn about the sexuality of politicians and the history of the gay pride flag.
And, because these are social studies classes, there’s no need for schools to notify parents about these materials and no way for parents to opt out their children.
Colorado’s not alone in sexualizing young children.
In Chicago, public schools use health classes to teach very young children about transgender ideology and topics more appropriately talked about in families.
Parents Defending Education reported:
Chicago Public Schools’ health education ‘scope and sequence’ includes teaching pre-kindergarteners to “correctly identify body parts typically considered private including nipples, penis, anus and vulva”; requires first graders to define “gender identity”; tells third graders that “sex is assigned at birth”; and introduces fifth graders to “puberty blocker medications” (our emphasis).
Again, the health standards stem from a legislative mandate. As the Daily Citizen previously reported, the Illinois legislature passed a law in 2021 aligning its sex education standards with guidelines from “National Sex Education Standards,” produced by activist groups like SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, which wants to use sexual education to change American culture and values, and Advocates for Youth, an LGBT activist group.
For parents concerned about these issues and looking for guidance, Focus on the Family and Family Policy Alliance just published Equipping Parents for Back-To-School. This free, downloadable PDF informs parents about what’s happening in schools, covering issues like unhealthy sexual education programs, radical ideology in the classroom, assaults on students’ free speech, and boys playing on girls sports teams.
But Equipping Parents goes further, as it explains parents’ and children’s rights, informs about laws governing different aspects of education, and offers guidance for protecting and advocating for children.
The section on sexual education, for example, explains the problems with Comprehensive Sexual Education, which the Illinois legislature mandated, with it’s inappropriate and damaging ideology about relationships, sexuality and marriage. Equipping Parents points towards more appropriate sexual education groups and materials.
Equipping Parents gives guidance on advocating for sex ed that reflects conservative values and beliefs. The PDF explains that parents usually must give consent before their child is taught sexual education; have the right to review curriculums, lesson plans, and textbooks; and can usually opt children out of unhealthy, ineffective CSE.
Finally, the resource gives guidance to help parents talk with their children about these important – but sensitive and personal – topics.
Download Equipping Parents for Back-to-School to find out more about what’s happening in schools and how to advocate for your children.
Additional articles and resources:
Bill that Teaches ‘Gender Identity’ to Kindergarteners Signed into Law by Illinois Governor
Colorado Lurches to the Far Left
Resources for Parents Teaching Children About Healthy Sexuality and Marriage
Sex Educators Say ‘Early Grades May Be the Best Time’ to Introduce Children to LGBT Issues
Sexualizing Schoolchildren: Comprehensive Sex Ed
Image from Shutterstock.
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