Please join us for a parent information meeting on Sunday November 5, 2017 at 6:00 pm at Oak Meadow Baptist Church in Austin, TX. We will be covering current and planned sex ed/LGBT programs and content at AISD. The presentation will be bilingual English/Spanish. Childcare will be available. Hope to see you there! Oak Meadow Baptist Church
6905 S I-35 Frontage Rd Austin, TX 78744
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Some AISD campuses will be hosting their Pride Week in the coming weeks. The purpose of Pride Week is to "highlight LGBTQ students, staff and families with the district's commitment to create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all." The stated purpose is because "LGBTQ students need to know that you accept them -- there are still too many people who don't." Therein lies the fallacy. The non-acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer sexual activity has nothing to do with accepting the person because a person is not defined by his or her sexual preferences! And in fact, sexual activity should not be accepted in any children (straight or otherwise), or outside of the bonds of marriage, due to the serious health and emotional risks alone. So why is AISD taking an entire week to celebrate sexuality choices when the truly healthy approach would be to discourage all sexual activity during youth and outside marriage?
The week includes events, activities, lesson plans, artwork, and school displays, as documented here, supported by the AISD SEL department. One teacher reported that her middle school campus has the students cross-dress in different themes throughout the week. For families for whom the promotion of LGBT sexuality conflicts with their morals or religious values, Texas education code 26.010 (a) states that "a parent is entitled to remove the parent's child temporarily from a class or other school activity that conflicts with the parent's religious or moral beliefs if the parent presents or delivers to the teacher of the parent's child a written statement authorizing the removal of the child from the class or other school activity." We have provided a sample exemption letter for Pride Week here, and a more general letter here. It will be important for parents to contact their principal directly to see what, if anything, their child's campus is doing for Pride Week. Some schools will do nothing, while others will go all out with displays and events. Some are having their activities after school or on the the weekend, as would be more appropriate so as not to obligate all children to participate. Other schools will by tying Pride Week celebrations into other events, like Red Ribbon Week. Usually, the only way to know is to ask, and we've had reports that some principals have been evasive in answering questions, so persistence is key. The following letter was presented to the members of the AISD School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) during their October 4th meeting. It's an amazing letter and we're grateful that Austin parents are attending the SHAC and making their voices heard!
First of all, I believe that all of us who take the time to be here, do so because we share a common ground: a genuine concern for our children to be healthy educationally, emotionally and physically. And that the way to do that given our great diversity of backgrounds in this great city of Austin is by treating others the way we want to be treated. Or as I was taught growing up, by loving our neighbors as ourselves. As a mom of two kids attending a school that has implemented Welcoming Schools, I want to thank you for giving the opportunity to express my deep distress and concern as to how AISD adopted such an obviously biased, one-sided, so called anti-bullying program under the deceiving name of Welcoming Schools. When I searched their website, all I found was an LGBTQ agenda! This minority group is one among many that needs to be defended against bullying behaviors. Everybody needs to be treated like a human being: from the confused child who suffers from gender dysphoria to the fat kid, to the special needs kid, to the colored-skinned child, to the Muslim child. I would be the first one to defend any transgender child being bullied since all humans need to be treated with dignity. But when I do so, I am by no means endorsing transgenderism nor am I accepting the way their parents are choosing to train their child. Additionally, my children do not need to see pictures in books of two same-sex people loving each other nor do they need to be told it is ok if a boy wants to become a girl nor does he need to accept these views as good or else he will himself be rejected and bullied. Respect for another human and acceptance of any and all behaviors are two separate issues and they need to be treated as such. A fair anti-bullying program will cover and focus on all minority groups "equally" (that should be a relevant word). Let's make anti-bullying about just that ... no hidden agendas heavily sponsored by "biased" groups (another familiar word). Respect for all people of all colors, shapes and ideologies, yes! Acceptance of what is morally good, that is up to each family to decide. Freedom to use public schools to push certain agendas, No! There are support groups, churches, clubs out there that each family can join to find like-minded people and gain support from that. That's not the role of a public school. As AISD gets ready to roll out the "All are Welcome" program and works hard at implementing the new anti-bullying program, please remember this petition. We, parents at AISD, want a fair, non-biased anti-bullying program. AISD does not need to lose more students. Thank you for your time and efforts to make our schools a safe and trust-worthy place. Bravo to this Austin mom! |