All across America, parents are going on offense to fight back against radical sexual ideologies and gender identity agendas in K-12 schools.
100 Percent Fed Up guest author Dr. Becky Behrends reports – In Michigan, a grassroots organization known as the Great Schools Initiative (GSI) is at the forefront of this fight. GSI is a non-profit organization established for the purpose of coordinating “collaborative, high impact, education-focused initiatives designed to transform declining schools into highly effective teaching institutions.” Their current primary focus is to get schools in Michigan to be compliant with state and federal law in regard to sex education. Schools that are not in compliance are allowing “rogue” sex education to take place.
Compliance with Michigan’s sex education laws includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Keeping sex education confined only to sex education classes and courses
- Only qualified and certified instructors should teach sex education
- Parents should be notified of any and all sex education instruction provided by the school at any time and in all grade levels
- Parents should be given the opportunity to review sex-ed course material
- School districts providing sex education are to have Sex Education Advisory Boards (SEAB).
- Sex education curriculum and materials have to be approved by the SEAB and local school boards
- School districts must accept written parental notices opting out their students from sex education without any negative consequences ensuing
When schools allow unapproved sex education curricula, materials, and discussions to take place in other required classes that kids must take and taught by instructors not qualified to teach sex-ed, it is a violation of the law.
It is illegal.
Sex education classes are not mandatory.
The laws in Michigan are very clear about this. A 1976 law (PA451, Sec. 1507-3) stipulates that sex education instruction is not to take place in any “required” class students must take, such as math, social studies, science, etc. And parents have the right to review the course contents of any such instruction. A 1981 opinion by then-Attorney General, Frank Kelley, stated:
“It is, therefore, my opinion that 1976 PA 451, Sec. 1507(2) and (3), supra, prohibits a board of education of a school district from including any sex education instruction in any class or course that students are required to take.”
The federal law that applies to this situation is called the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Under this law, children are not to be subjected to polls, quizzes, and various other communications about sexuality. The privacy and safety of children is to be respected.
Parents have the right to choose the values they want their children to be aligned with.
Teachers circumvent the law when they hold discussions about gender identities, gay and lesbian lifestyles, transgenderism, or heterosexual teen sexual encounters. Schools and educators play word games with parents and deny that they are engaging in sex education in required classes. They rebrand their discussions as “psycho-social development,” or “family development,” or as “necessary to create safe spaces for LGBT and Transgender students.” It is obvious that they are pushing sexual agendas. When kids walk into a social studies or science class with gay pride or transgender flags, it naturally provokes curiosity and questioning. Such symbols are, in fact, statements. Again, the intent is to circumvent the law by claiming such symbols are not “speech” or education. They most certainly are, and parents are not fooled by this.
Corporations spend millions of dollars to purchase just a minute of ad space during the Super Bowl. They wouldn’t do this if they didn’t believe it would influence the wallets and buying preferences of adults. Day after day, exposure of children to sexual ideologies obviously influences and indoctrinates children.
The American College of Pediatricians says that indoctrinating children into believing they can change genders is child abuse.
Promoting early sexuality in children and teens leads to a host of problems, among which are STDs, teen pregnancies, depression, suicide, and the inability to trust and sustain long-term relationships, among other problems.
Great Schools Initiative provides opt-out forms on its website.
Parents have the right to opt out of their kids from classes where sexual discussions are taking place inappropriately. GSI encourages parents to download this form and submit it to their local schools. School districts face potential lawsuits and loss of state funding if they do not comply with state sex education laws.
A screenshot of a portion of the 4-page opt-out form:
There are almost 600 school districts in Michigan. Very few of them have Sex Ed Advisory Boards (SEAB), which they are required to have if they provide sex-ed classes. Very few of those schools which do have SEABs have the required types of citizens on their boards, such as pupils, educators, local clergy, and community health professionals. Again, they are, therefore, not in compliance with state law (MCL 380.1507).
The Michigan Department of Education is fighting back by stating that schools already have opt-out forms for official sex-ed classes and, therefore, the GSI opt-out form is not necessary. Rogue sex- ed is therefore not subject to opt-out. In a back door sort of way, they acknowledge that rogue sex-ed is taking place but are claiming “you can’t touch this because the law only applies to official sex ed classes.” MDE has no intention of stopping it. But, they are suggesting that local school districts should make their own decisions about this, i.e., take on the legal risk. Nice punt from MDE and a shameful abdication of their accountability!
It is suggested that parents use the following template to present to their local school boards and superintendents:
Is the (INSERT NAME OF DISTRICT) in compliance with state law regarding sex education, including a properly formed and functioning SEAB (Sex Ed Advisory Board)? Please provide the names of the SEAB Members and the public reports for the last 4 years.
What is being done by our board of education and the superintendent to investigate and eradicate Rogue Sex-Ed in our (INSERT NAME OF DISTRICT)?
Is our District accepting and adhering to a parent’s written Opt-Out?
Thank you in advance for your attention given to this matter. I have provided the Board with my contact information, and I will be awaiting your response.”
Parents can no longer afford to be passive and complacent on this issue.
Many are frustrated, as well, and don’t know how to fight back. GSI is providing a path forward. Hands off the children of the rising generation!
Put parents back in control!
Guest Post by Becky Behrends, M.D. and Vice President of Research for Michigan Citizens for Election Integrity (MC4EI.com)
