In today’s era of state-run schools with sanctioned sex education, it is essential that parents remain vigilant in order to remain aware of what their children are being taught and exposed to. With dramatically spiking rates of children and teens who are claiming that they would like to physically transition into the opposite gender or are, at the very least, experiencing gender confusion, the policies of the schools those children attend can make an enormous difference. Some schools will inform the parents of what their child is saying or experiencing, and many will not. And when parents get involved and push back against the sexual ideologies that are being brought into nearly every public school (and many private schools), they can often achieve surprising results. Consider this example, from the state of Delaware:
The Carney administration reversed course Friday on a proposed school anti-discrimination policy, removing a provision that would have allowed transgender students to use a different name than at home without notifying their parents. Susan Bunting, secretary of the Department of Education, made that change and others after reviewing more than 11,000 comments – most in opposition about the parental notification provision of the proposed policy. Beyond changing the transgender provision that was drafted by a panel of educators, parents and advocates she appointed, Bunting also:
Removed a provision that allowed students to play on the sports teams that “is consistent” with their gender identity.
Changed the intent of the initiative from a model policy that all districts would be encouraged to adopt to a document aimed at providing “guidance to assist school districts and charter schools in creating an anti-discrimination policy.”
“We understand that there are strong feelings on all sides of this issue,” Carney’s statement said. “There has been a significant amount of public feedback. Secretary Bunting and her team have carefully considered that feedback, and incorporated it into the updated regulation that was published today. “We believe the final product will help local districts craft policies that protect students, and involve families every step of the way in these discussions.”
Unsurprisingly, this move has triggered hostility from those who were pushing the policy, including some teachers. They are trotting out the usual rhetoric—that children need a “safe space,” and that because many parents are backwards and bigoted transphobes, the state must protect children and teens from the less enlightened men and women who have sacrificed so much to raise them. A handful of ideologues genuinely believe that the government, with their own careful guidance, would be better at raising children than mothers and fathers would. It is a simple fact that LGBT activists do not believe in parental rights, full stop—thus their hostility to a series of common-sense amendments:
Under the policy change instituted by Bunting, “a school shall request permission from the parent or legal guardian before accommodating a request by a minor student’’ to use a different name … If the student does not permit the school to request permission from the parent or legal guardian, then the request to take action shall not be accepted.”
But state Representative Rich Collins, a Sussex County Republican who fought the provision as it was first proposed, said it would have illegally elevated student’s rights over parents’ rights.
“I am cautiously optimistic that they have restored parental rights in education Regulation 225,” Collins said Friday. “Assuming that it is exactly as they said, then certainly it is a good thing that parents have been informed.”
This story out of Delaware highlights two important things: First, as I mentioned earlier, it confirms again that sexual ideologues are attempting to push policy and education that provides introduction and indoctrination into their worldview to students in every school in the country. And secondly, it proves that if parents band together and pushback against the government, they can illustrate to the government that trans activists are still a minority—and that they have the first responsibilities to their children, not the government. Parents across the continent should heed this encouraging example of parental action resulting in political retreat.
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For anyone interested, my book on The Culture War, which analyzes the journey our culture has taken from the way it was to the way it is and examines the Sexual Revolution, hook-up culture, the rise of the porn plague, abortion, commodity culture, euthanasia, and the gay rights movement, is available for sale here.
