BACK TO SCHOOL: The back-to-school season should be an exciting time for children and their parents. Unfortunately, some administrators and teachers have prioritized activist curriculum over basic skills such as reading, math, and science. There are also inconsistent and changing policies regarding phones, tablets, and social media that can make this year extra burdensome for parents and kids alike. It is imperative parents are aware of what their children will be learning and absorbing inside classrooms and at extracurricular activities.
ACTIVIST CURRICULUM: “Woke Kindergarten” curriculum, started by a self-proclaimed abolitionist early educator, was implemented in numerous schools, including an elementary school in California.
Woke Kindergarten provides materials and resources for kids as young as kindergarteners to become radical activists. The resources include “woke wonderings,” which are intended to be thought provoking for kids.
In Chicago, the Chicago Teachers Unions (CTU) demanded teachers be permitted to reject any district-provided curriculum so they can instead “choose what works best for students,” without notifying parents of any differences they may choose to implement. That includes teacher-driven changes to state-mandated curriculum such as Black history, genocide and Holocaust study, LGBTQ materials, and antiracist curriculum. The CTU also demanded that “teachers shall not be coerced, retaliated against, or disciplined for using their preferred curriculum and materials,” essentially eliminating any recourse parents might have if they are not on board with the curriculum their children’s teachers are following.
Source: CTU
PARENTS WILL NOT BE INFORMED IF CHILD CHANGES PRONOUNS IN SCHOOL: Recently, California became the first state to remove the requirement for teachers to inform parents if their child’s gender identification or sexual orientation changes (i.e. if a boy asks to go by she/her pronouns). This change comes after several school districts in California passed policies requiring that parents be notified if a child requests different pronouns. This new law seeks to allow schools to make decisions for kids without parental involvement.
PHONES IN SCHOOLS: As we discover more about the negative and disruptive role phones play in classrooms, it is imperative schools provide children with a safe environment for learning. Giving children a phone free school day could help decrease rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm.
Several states across the country have taken action to limit or ban phones during school hours. Find out whether your state has implemented such restrictions by clicking here.
Source: Ed Week
TIPS FOR PARENTS
OTHER NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
GEORGIA SENATE FORMS COMMITTEE TO BAN BIOLOGICAL MALES FROM COMPETEING IN GIRLS SPORTS: A bipartisan group of GA Senators have come together to form the GA Senate Special Committee on the Protection of Women’s Sports. Their goal is to ensure that female athletes have the right to participate on an even basis with their male counterparts. Read more here.
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT JOIN LAWSUIT AGAINST NEW LAW BANNING PARENTAL NOTIFICATIONS: Anderson Union High School District and the Orange County Board of Education joined a lawsuit against a law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom prohibiting schools from informing parents if their children request to be addressed by different name or pronouns or seek access to sex-segregated programs or bathrooms that are different than their biological sex. Read more here.
DEMOCRATIC VP CANDIDATE TIM WALZ REMOVED PUNISHMENT BY STATES FOR SEEKING AND GIVING ‘GENDER AFFIRMING’ SURGERIES: Last year, Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bill and issued an executive order shielding people from punishment by other states for seeking and delivering radical gender procedures in Minnesota. His support for these policies has made Minnesota known as a “trans refuge.” Read more here.
‘GENDER INCLUSION’ POLICY ALLOWS BOYS IN GIRLS LOCKER ROOMS AND RESTROOMS IN MINNEAPOLIS: Minneapolis Public Schools passed a “Gender Inclusion” policy that allows biological boys to share restrooms, locker rooms, and overnight-trip hotel rooms with girls. Read more here.
OHIO BAN ON TRANS SURGERIES AND PUBERTY BLOCKERS FOR KIDS AND TRANS SPORTS BAN CAN TAKE EFFECT, COURT RULES: Tuesday, Judge Michael Holbrook upheld an Ohio law banning sex-change surgeries and puberty blockers for those under 18 and restricts transgender athletes to birth-gender sports. Governor DeWine’s veto was overridden by Republican supermajorities. Read more here.
Thanks for reading the latest edition of the American Parents Coalition’s The Lookout. If you have a troubling story to share about a school, doctor, company, or other institution working to usurp parents’ rights, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].
