May 23 2009
Gay Elementary School Curriculum?
A group of parents in a California school district say they are being bullied by school administrators into accepting a new curriculum that addresses bullying, respect and acceptance — and that includes compulsory lessons about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community that will be taught to children as young as 5 years old.
The parents from the Unified School District in Alameda, a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland, say these issues are best learned at home and most definitely are not age-appropriate for elementary school children.
The parents are also angry that they will not be allowed to keep their children out of the classes.
“I believe these children are far too young to be learning about what these issues mean,” said Alaina Stewart, who has three children who attend elementary school in Alameda. “These are adult issues and they are being thrust upon the children.”
But the school board says otherwise, and its attorneys say that if the curriculum is adopted, the parents will have no legal right to remove their children from class when the lessons are being taught.
Full story here.
I’m all for gay rights. Homosexuals should be treated like everyone else. I’m also for teaching children to be tolerant of the differences of others.
If children are taught from a young age that being homosexual, bisexual, or transgendered is okay, then it wouldn’t be such an alien or foreign concept. This would, in theory, make them less likely to bully or persecute someone of a different sexual persuasion.
I would assume that actual sex acts would not be discussed. I’m far from a prude, but even I feel like that would be crossing the line. Being gay or TG isn’t all about sex, though, and I’d think that they could explain it to the class in terms of lifestyle. Something along the lines of “some children have two Mommies, some have two Daddies, and some Daddies like to wear Mommy’s dresses,” perhaps.
I have to wonder, however, how much of this type of curriculum five year old children would comprehend. While there are certainly kids who are wise beyond their years, this general concept might be a bit difficult to grasp.
I commend the school system for trying to take a step in the right direction, but perhaps they should wait until the children are a tad older.
This situation also raises another issue: Should parents have the right to pull their children from the class if they don’t agree with the curriculum? I think so. Take into consideration that most schools require that parents sign a release form for children to participate in Sex Ed classes. If the parent chooses to opt out, then it’s their right to do so. Why should this be any different?
