Borrowing a page from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican-led initiatives across the country, the Lee County Board of Education has added a “Parents/Guardians’ Bill of Rights” to its policy code. Policy Code 1305 states that Lee County Schools “recognizes and respects parental/guardian involvement in their children’s education” and defers to the parent or guardian “to make the best social and moral decisions with respect to their children.”
But some of the language in the new policy has drawn the ire of students at Lee County and Southern Lee high schools — several requested a meeting with Superintendent Andy Bryan to discuss their concerns with language that suggests teachers will be responsible for informing parents if their student is considering a change in their gender identity or pronoun usage without their parents’ knowledge.
Section 1B of the code states: “Schools shall defer to the parent/guardian to make the best social and moral decisions with respect to their children. Parent/guardians are in the best position to work with their children and, where appropriate, their children’s health care providers to determine: a) what names, nicknames and/or pronouns if any, shall be used for their child by teachers and school staff while their child is at school, b) whether their child engages in any counseling or social transition at school that encourages a gender that differs from their child’s sex or c) whether their child expresses a gender that differs from their child’s sex while at school.”
Section 1C then adds: “Schools shall keep parents informed of their children’s well-being. To ensure parents/guardians are able to make the best decisions with respect to their child, school personnel shall keep parent/guardians fully informed about all matters that may be reasonably expected to be important to a parent/guardian, including, and without limitation, matters related to their child’s health, and social and psychological development.”
One student — who asked not to be identified — told The Rant they were concerned the policy would also affect students who suggest becoming LGBTQ or become involved in a same-sex relationship without their parents’ knowledge.
The new policies and changes to existing policies have been led by new Republican board member Chris Gaster, who was named chairman of the Policy Committee after his election. Gaster went public in early January — weeks after being sworn in to his position — condemning a SanLee Middle School theater production of the play, “Almost, Maine,” which contains a scene with two same-sex actors who suggest an attraction to each other.
SanLee scrapped the play after Gaster made his concerns public, despite revealing that their version of the play was a middle school-appropriate version that didn’t contain the scene in question (or used opposite-sex actors in the scene).
The policy was the topic of discussion at the Board of Education’s February and March meetings. In February, Democratic board member Jaime Laudate asked if the “Bill of Rights” was necessary since a bill with similar language was “skyrocketing” through the state legislature.
“This seems redundant to me,” Laudate said in the meeting. “Passing it here locally sends the wrong message to our teachers. Not that I don’t agree with parents’ rights — I have kids in the school system. But I’ve never been denied what’s in this policy. Not a single time.”
“I’m just curious,” added Democrat Patrick Kelly, “Is this a movement from the outside? Is this about the national stage? Or is it local? I don’t think it’s needed in our school system.”
Republican Board Chairman Sherry Lynn Womack responded passionately, saying, “We’re here to lead our community and our students. If we table our policy to accommodate the passage [of the state bills], we may have to wait well over a school year. … The community realizes we’re not waiting on a law, because we’re here to serve them, our community and our children.”
The first reading of the new policy passed with a 4-3 vote, with former Republican Sandra Bowen the third objector. She expressed concerns over situations where parents have different views of “matters related to their child’s health, and social and psychological development.”
“What if you have two parents at odds? Both have equal rights,” she said. “We then have to decide who to give those rights to? Then they have the right to sue, so we’re on the hook for a lawsuit with no force of law behind us. That’s why waiting for the state legislature to decide the word of law … makes sense. We’re putting the cart before the horse — we’re becoming a talking point on the news — and by getting ahead, we’re opening ourselves up to legal action.
“As it’s written, it’s not an easy cut-and-dry policy to put in place. When it comes to gender identity and nicknames, we should not have to be the adjudicator. Putting a teacher on the phone with a parent because Jim is requesting to be called Sally puts that teacher in an awkward spot.”
At the March meeting, the board approved the second reading of the policy unanimously with no further discussion. Republican Alan Rummel said in the meeting that teachers should play a role in teaching morals in school. “It takes a village to raise a child,” he said.
Also added to the board’s policy code 7305: Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct is a section on “Balance & Fairness” that requires staff members to “remain neutral” on controversial topics and “present the information without bias.” The code suggests that topics like Critical Race Theory and negative aspects of American history will be off limits in local classrooms, though it doesn’t go into specific details.
“All people deserve full credit and recognition for their struggles and accomplishments throughout United States history,” the policy reads. “The United States foundational documents shall not be undermined. No employee of Lee County Schools will make any attempt to discredit the efforts made by all people using foundational documents for reform.
“No fictional accounts or narratives shall be used to invalidate actual objective historical events. All people who contributed to American Society will be recognized and presented as reformists, innovators and heroes to our culture.”
Again, the wording mirrors similar policies passed in Florida, where the “Stop W.O.K.E.” act restricts how topics like race can be discussed in public schools. Florida is currently unable to enforce the act after a federal appeals court recently ruled against removing a temporary block on the legislation.
I don’t get why anyone wants to be a teacher. What a terrible job, and people just keep piling ever more terrible and unnecessary tasks on to them. I don’t understand why the schools can recruit anybody at all at this point.
Absolutely. It’s a far right move to boost private schools and bleed public schools of resources. Public money for schools follow the child. It’s a sad commentary when bigger issues that affect our lives is reduced to political propaganda!
This should not be teachers responsibility, it could put them in harms way if students get angry, the parents need to pay more attention to their kids ,
While I agree wholeheartedly that parents have the right to decide whether or not their children can change their gender identity, I disagree that teachers should be given that responsibility or be required to “tattle” on children. Parents need to raise their own kids, period. Let teachers teach and stop piling all the home responsibilities on top of their incredibly difficult load — before you lose them all!
In news that will shock no one, Local QAnon fanatic Chris Gaster has decided he wants to get lgbt+ kids out of the school and into the ground by trying to get this draconian thing passed.
Here’s some proper news: if you kid isn’t comfortable being out to you, the first place to look for answers why is in the mirror. Not in the classroom where you don’t trust the professionals to know what’s best to teach your kids, but trust them enough to triage gunshot wounds.
This policy will literally put kids in danger. My kids got to high school in Lee Co. They have friends that are in the closet… And do you know why? Because their parents are homophobic and have threatened to beat them and kick them out, if they ever come out as LGBTQIA+. School should be a SAFE HAVEN. They are required to do mandatory reporting to the state, but if a kid is completely terrified at the idea of their parents knowing they are gay/trans/etc, NO TEACHER should put them in harm’s way.
If you require your childs teacher to inform you of their pronoun preference, you are failing as a parent. On the upside, this is fully allowing the child and parent to determine how the school recognizes the student. If Jim wants the be called Sally, and the parents agree to allow it, the school (and the school board) will be required to comply, like it or not.
All this is absolutely ridiculous…
What the hell happened to a boy is a boy ,
And a girl is a girl…It’s no wonder these kiddos are so F….D
up.. Has everyone just lost there mind, or is society so mentally
altered that grownups don’t know right from wrong..
The only responsibility a teacher should have , is teaching the child. And teach them at their level. Stop teaching to a test …
We are failing our children , and that starts at home .
Parents get off your ass and start raising your own children..
Or better yet stop having them.
It’s always been this way Kim. The only difference is it is coming out of the shadows for everyone to see. Girls feeling like boys, and boys feeling like girls is not something that just happened. Let people live how they want to live if it does not affect you personally. I do agree to let teachers teach, and everyone else can mind their own business.
Without reading the full text of these new rules, I can only comment on the article. It really isn’t a comment on the article per se’. I do find it interesting that people are saying this isn’t the responsibility of the teachers. I agree with that sentiment. These types of rules are being made around the country because so many teachers and teachers unions have injected themselves into issues and subjects that are outside their role as educators. I can’t say if lee county teachers are doing any of this. I can say, we have seen nationwide, educators taking issue into their own hands, that are well outside their wheelhouses. Teachers and teachers unions have advocated that it is their responsibility to facilitate minor children identifying as any one of the LGBTQ+ community. Even going so far as encouraging the children to lie to their parents, providing the children with a change of clothes at school so the child can change out of the clothes the parents dressed them in, then wear the clothes that represent the gender they identify as, then change back before they go home. Again I am not saying this is happening in Lee County. But these things are happening around the country and it is only a matter of time before it does happen here. Don’t say it isn’t the teachers job to inform parents if their child may be going through gender identity questions or social issues. But then say it is perfectly fine for teachers to facilitate, hide, lie, and encourage the child to lie. What are you really teaching the child when you stop being a teacher and start being a facilitator of hiding things from a child’s family? These teachers don’t know what is going on in that child’s life. There are many things teachers don’t know about these kids and encouraging a child and actively participating in having their own little secrets could be harming that child far greater than any help they think they are giving. Many of these children have had some serious physical, psychological, emotional and sexual traumas these teachers are completely unaware of and the child gravitating towards Trans, Non-binary, whatever pronoun they want today, or any other LGBTQ+ activity may have nothing to do with them actually being what they think they are and in fact is a subconscious defense mechanism that is rooted in deep seeded trauma. This is why parents need to know these things so they can figure out what is going on. Talk to actual psychological professionals, determine if the child is in fact LGBTQ+ or are they reacting to something greater. It has become somewhat of a social fad to identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community because socially there must be something wrong with you if you are just an everyday kid who is just a boy or a girl and you aren’t in some sort of identity crisis that everyone just gushes over how brave and strong you are. Teachers and education administrators could and have caused irreparable physical and emotional harm to children by encouraging and facilitating these ideas. Nobody wants to here from the victims, yes victims, of these ideas and there are many. Young adults that were emotionally vulnerable at a young age that were convinced by their educators, counselors, and even doctors that they were something they really weren’t. 10 to 15 years later after they have surgically modified their bodies and taken hormones they realize that wasn’t the solution to what was going on and now it is too late, you can’t go back. Nobody talks about these people because it exposes the very real permanent dangers of what is being pushed on our children. SO yes these rules are being written here and many other places because the education system has put itself into this issue and parents have a right to know if something is going on with their child. No it isn’t child abuse or homophobia, or Transphobia to have your child receive mental health care in these situations. It is prudent parenting that any responsible adult would do to try and figure out what is going on to make sure their child doesn’t have some underlying issue that is manifesting as being LGBTQ+. Nobody wants to actually talk about the real issues because then you are a monster and immediately smashed over the head with every derogatory label they can throw at you because how dare you suggest that your child is not what they say they are and they may have serious issues going on… Members of the LGBTQ+ community love to say things like the reason suicide is so high in their demographic of society is because of harassment. There is some truth to that. Has any of them ever dared to ask, maybe the propensity for suicide is from harassment as much as many of the LGBTQ+ community are victims of unresolved horrible sexual, emotional, psychological abuse that had nothing to do with being LGBTQ+. The LGBTQ+ community is very complex and the issues that we as a society are facing today are equally complex. There is no one size fits all answer. When a child is going through their developmental years and they say they are some demographic of the LGBTQ+ community, those adults directly involved in that child’s life have to work to determine what is real and what is not. Pushing a child to be LGBTQ+ when they really aren’t is equally damaging as pushing them away from it when they really are. We have got to figure out a way to objectively determine what is the best way forward for our children so they can grow up safe, and happy in their lives, wether that is them growing up Heterosexual or not. Honestly just stop pushing them in one direction or another. They are children and teenagers, they will figure it out without a bunch of adults trying to convince them they need to be one way or the other. Let them grow up and when they are adults and they have matured, they will know who they are. They are children, they don’t have to decide anything right now and we shouldn’t be making them decide, or helping them lie, or hide it. Just let them be children. Love them no matter how they move forward. If we operate from a place of love we will never go wrong.
It is a fact that the people who love the child the absolute most, beyond everyone else, is their parents. Their parents have the best interest for the child in mind, always. Your article was written from a far leftist standpoint, supporting the idea of chemical castration, mutilation, butchery and lies. We parents are not going away, we will not be silenced, and you will not marginalize us. We are here and we are going to be in your face every day because you will not have the children. Leave the children alone!
I’m glad the kids are safe now. It’s not like they’re dying all over the nation due to gun violence….oh wait.
There are some huge leaps being made in the comments section that have no mention in the article.
Parents – It is your job to raise your child. If a teacher knows more about your child than you do, you are failing. You don’t have to be your child’s friend, but you do need to establish a relationship based in trust. If you don’t, whatever pronoun they want to use will be the least of your worries.
I personally think this is a lot of noise over nothing. A way for extremists on both sides to make points with their base.
So I actually as a parent with a child in Lee County Schools read the “bill”. It doesn’t say that teachers are to tattle with any relationship change the student is making. The article states that personal teachings, counselings, and decisions should be made within the home structure. What it does say the teachers have to discuss with the parents is change in pronouns and names and that teachers are to report if there is a risk to the student well being such as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations. As far as discussing the pronouns with the parents, if you want the teachers to “respect” the pronouns of the child then I’m sure the school documents ect are going to reflect that and are personal documents. So yes I would assume that changing pronouns and names should be discussed with the parents for documentation purposes. I did not read this document as a teachers have to do everything and go tattle and counsel. I read it as keeping reading, writing, and mathematics in our schools, and sexuality out of it. Simple as that. The article is posted on the rants FB page under the comments if anyone wants to read it.
Actually, you CANT change your trans child’s name on school documentation willy-nilly. It can only be changed after a LEGAL name change. This isnt about changing anything on legally required paperwork, its about making the child feel comfortable in the classroom. If your name was Stacy, and I called you John every time I spoke to you, wouldnt that bother you? Its the same with trans kids. All they are asking for is a little respect, so what’s the actual harm here? Answer: There is none. Its as simple as “You give respect to get respect.” If the teacher doesnt respect the child’s chosen name (or even nickname) do you really think that kid is going to even care what that teacher has to say? People want to talk about coddling children, and how its a big problem with “kids these days” But that’s not even the real issue. Children today, will be adults tomorrow. If you let them grow up believing that adults dont respect them, their thoughts, beliefs, and feelings, they will grow up to be adults who have no respect or understanding for others. You want to talk about a moral issue, with some serious repercussions? There’s a big one right there.
I grew up in a small town. A town where every adult ‘tattled’ on kids. We all knew it, so it was rarely a surprise if my parents found out I did something wrong or lied.
They rarely did because I didn’t lie to my parents. I still don’t lie in general because of the risk of getting caught. I learned how to tell the truth in an appropriate manner and handle the consequences of my decisions.
That is a good thing. Liberals are so upset about misinformation, yet here they are encouraging it.
It’s a terrible world when adults in mentoring positions feel it is not only their right, but their obligation to encourage students to lie to their parents. We should be encouraging children to be honest and face conflict rather than lie to avoid it.
Because once those children grow up and graduate, those teachers won’t be around to share the burden of the consequences of their actions that created deceitful members of society unable to cope with the harsh realities that will face them as an adult. They’ll move on to another year of teaching children how to lie and how to support those that do.
You say that but in many cases staying in the closet when it comes to their families, is literally a form of self preservation and protection. Many people love to gloss over the fact that LGBTQIA+ children die EVERY DAY to suicide and the number one cause is lack of family support. If you want to lecture society about “teachers teaching kids to lie” how about eliminate the reason to? They wouldnt have to lie, and keep secrets, if their parents would actually parent for once. Home should be a place where ever child is understood, loved, and accepted. But that’s not the norm, is it?
Nini, here is your answer as to why it is wrong to entertain a child’s desire to be called John instead of Stacy. Why are they wanting this? Do you know? I bet the teachers don’t know either. The Child may not know. It isn’t living in reality. It is fostering an imaginary fantasy. You want to talk about suicide. OK, you quickly point fingers at the assumption the children are from homes that won’t accept them. Is it not accepting them if the parents seek psychological help for their child? You would just have a child tell you that they are no longer Stacy, call them Johnny and never ask if there is something else going on because you want to normalize what is clearly not normal. I hate to break everyone’s bubble, it is not normal to believe you are not the biological sex you were born as. No matter how much people conflate the issue with spinning their wheels on definitions of sex and gender etc. They are actively hiding the very real reality that the child or adult has something going on. You want to blame things like harassment for the suicide, and there is harassment, I won’t deny that and it has to stop. I will also tell you when you are dealing with someone that can’t accept themselves for how they were born and are seeking ways to physically change that. You are dealing with someone that has serious issues with coping with reality. Feeding into the fantasy can cause a great deal of permanent harm. I ask you since you seem to be all on board with not only participating in the child’s fantasy but forcing others to do it as well. You want to know what it hurts? You talk about “Respecting” the child. How about protecting the child? While you are making the argument that is disrespecting the child and how with they ever grow up to respect others when adults can’t respect them. What about the very real possibility that since adults like you will just jump right in and tell Stacy that she is now Johnny and espouse how much you support them and how brave they are and how you will respect them when others won’t. What if your wrong? What if all you have done is further harmed this child. Children look to adults to be a solid anchor. You have just used your position of authority as an adult to facilitate this child on a path that requires puberty blockers and depending how long they stay on this journey body modification surgery. All of which will cause changes that are permanent. Even if they don’t get surgery, the puberty blockers will forever change them. Once you go through the puberty window, there is no going back later. When the child becomes 20 and if they realize they are Stacy. Guess what, they are stuck. Getting off the hormones will not cause them to go through puberty. Where will you be for that now adult child? How will you answer for your role in their life changing decisions? Will you still “Respect” them when they no longer want to be part of the club? Probably not. In fact many people who have de transitioned and exposed the very real dangers that people that think like you pose to young impressionable children are then completely destroyed by the very people that told them how brave they are, and how much you respect them. Where is your admiration for their courage then? Where will you be then? How will you look at Stacy when she is 20? What will you say to her if she confronts you and asks you the simple question,”I was young, impressionable, emotionally vulnerable, and I came to you for help and you made me believe I was Johnny?” What will you say to that child when they emotionally mature and realize they aren’t what they thought they were. You want to talk about suicide? Imagine how hopeless you would feel at that point. Imagine realizing that instead of adults getting you the help you needed to understand why you are feeling this way about yourself, they guided you down this path and it never identified what was really going on. Now you can’t have children, your body has been permanently changed and you have to go through life bearing the physical and emotional scars of decisions you made as a child and were encouraged by adults. You want to talk about courage and bravery. If that person survives that, they have courage and are far braver than they have ever been. You and the people that are pushing this ideology on children better wake up. You are causing far more damage than helping. You guys all learn and read about what supports your cause. I challenge you to go and research, read, listen and learn from the victims of your cause. You may realize you need to be very cautious in how you guid a child going through identity questions. I know this entire explanation has fallen on deaf ears because all of you are so vested in your ideology you can’t read the hard truths. You are manipulating children for your own ideology and destroying their lives.
These articles from a pediatrician are not the end all be all counter argument. They are just examples from one medical professional that treats children. She cites all of her observations with supporting medical studies and points out any flaws in the study. I recommend reading all of her articles. Not to change your minds. But more importantly to think about what questions you are not asking. What have you been told and is it factual or flawed? We can’t blindly just believe. You must seek opposing observations and listen to what they are seeing. In the end you have to determine are you helping the child or hurting them. I will argue if you are not informed of all of the potential risks and the percentage of those risks happening, and you move forward with gender affirming care, puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and reassignment surgery all because the loudest people in society told you that you are monster if you don’t. You are abusing your child, you are not protecting them.
https://www.dailysignal.com/author/michelle-cretella/