The 50 Spot: Should Parents Be Notified if a Teacher Wants to Discuss Sexual Orientation in Class?

Published February 12, 2009 @ 07:04AM PT

We generally consider it trouble whenever the Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI) gets behind a piece of legislation. The MFI has a lengthy track record of opposing LGBT rights, including diehard opposition to same-sex marriage. They've called homosexuality "destructive to individuals" and "unhealthy." Now they're behind a bill that would require teachers to get written permission from parents before discussing "sexual orientation issues" in schools. To us, this sounds like another attempt by an anti-LGBT group to hamstring learning in the classroom. And others agree. More below in the 50 spot, and we're also stopping by California and Minnesota.

Massachusetts: Bay Windows has the scoop -- a conservative Massachusetts State House Member (Republican Bradley Jones - North Reading) has filed a bill in the legislature that would expand the state’s sex education parental notification law to require written parental approval for students to participate in any "curriculum, or a school sanctioned program or activity, which involves ... sexual orientation issues." Backed by the Massachusetts Family Institute, supporters of the bill see it as a way of safe-guarding children from radical sexual orientations. In reality, of course, the bill is just another attempt by anti-LGBT groups to limit the ability of schools to teach children about diversity. The bill could also severely limit the way schools teach sex education, which could have profound impacts on the health and well-being of students. As Marc Solomon of MassEquality said to Bay Windows, "I think we want to be teaching our kids about the diversity of families and the diversity of human experience, and not having kids who have gay parents feel some sort of shame about their family. And I think that’s what this bill does. Somehow there’s this notion that teaching about sexual orientation is like teaching about sex, and I think that that is profoundly wrong, and it’s disappointing that the bill was introduced." Disappointing, indeed.

California: Californians Against Hate (CAH) has filed a second campaign finance complaint about the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints' involvement in helping pass Proposition 8. According to the Associated Press, CAH founder Fred Karger announced at a news conference yesterday that he believes the Mormon Church deliberately covered up its financial role in helping pass Prop 8, accusing the church of spending millions of dollars more than they actually reported to state officials. Per Karger, "I'm calling this Mormongate. I think there's been a massive cover-up." Specifically, Karger wants to know if the Mormon church spent money on phone banks in Utah and Idaho, on precinct walks, and on buses and a California legal firm.

Minnesota: Heading back into the schools, Minnesota's largest school district (Anoka-Hennpin, which covers Minneapolis) has lifted a fourteen-year-old policy that required school employees to refrain from discussing issues of homosexuality. The new policy, adopted by the school board on Monday night, says that school officials "shall remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation, including but not limited to student-led discussions." Phil Duran, a staff attorney for OutFront Minnesota (the state's largets LGBT organization), told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that "We're grateful the board put some thoughtful effort into moving forward and balancing the district's obligation to serve all students and recognize there was some sensitivity about this issue."

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Making the bill law in which parents are required to be notified when discussing sexual orientation is wrong and contrary because the purpose of discussing sexual orientation in class is not foster radical ideology, but to teach students about diversity, thus encouraging tolerance. In addition, I'm proud that Californians Against Hate has further downed the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints because this organization has most likely committed crimes to further their intolerant beliefs. Finally, it's good to hear that a 10+ ban on discussions of homosexuality was repealed because issues relating to it don't deserve silence.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 02/12/2009 @ 11:04AM PT
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Although I support the lgbt community in its' quest for parity, the schools get their authority from the parents. The parents get their authority from God or natural right. They have the right and duty to be informed of all facets of their children's education. Parents who neglect this duty are neglecting their childrens' education. Schools who do not keep parents abreast of what their children are being taught are arrogant, and do not understand the chain of command

Posted by Charlie Reed on 02/13/2009 @ 06:38AM PT
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Since there are always, at least for another century or two, going to be parents who consider ancient books as the Only Word on science, ethics, race relations, metaphysics, philosophy, and the Key to Everything, I fantasize that The Rest of the World can get on with its children's learning through a permission process like this.

Progressive, modern parents, who realize that the international community of scientists, for example, has better and more evidentiary answers than Iron Age books, can elect to have their children learn these things. The unfortunate kids of Parents Who Know Better Than Scientists can sit in separate classrooms puzzling over the moral implications of forced incest when Adam and Eve's children needed to propagate the species, how Satan could manufacture fossils, and so forth.

The cafeteria conversations between students belonging to the two groups would cross-pollinate the modern ideas into the pre-modern minds of the second group.

And eventually, the second group would whither away, and eventually there would be no need for parental permission to have children explore questions freely.

Posted by Clay Burell on 02/15/2009 @ 05:35PM PT
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Clay, I am not sure if your comment was meant as response to mine. If it was, You have made assumptions. My comment did not mean to decide what schools should teach. I am addressing the arrogance of schools who forget for whom they work and the absurdity of the idea of schools teaching in secrecy from parents. My family did enjoy the "satan created fossils" thing though. We hadn't heard that one! Parents have been the main influence in my families' elementary education for at least three generations. If my mother had waited for school I would not have read until five. I consulted with my daughters' teachers constantly, and took her out of school for trips to museums, zoos, national monuments, regularly. My six year old grandson knows plenty of biological and paleontological taxonomy already. Parents being involved has nothing to do with wanting kids to be ignorant. It has to do with education being too important to trust just anyone to. This is the duty, the right, and the great pleasure of being a parent.

Posted by Charlie Reed on 02/15/2009 @ 08:40PM PT
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Charlie, I wasn't pointing at you.

My grandmother taught me to read before I went to school too, so no arguments there. But at a certain point, we have to at least confront the fact that being a parent doesn't make you all-knowing, and to insist that one's children are not exposed to ideas any parent disapproves of is problematic.

If every parent was a genius - or even abreast of the state of knowledge in all subjects - schools woudn't be necessary. But your average parent was your average student - and so wouldn't necessarily make the best intellectual guide for a child.

The "Opt-out of Open Inquiry" model is something I mean seriously. Teachers can't possibly inform parents before-hand of every topic that will come up in a week of school. And if they tried, it would be like trying to herd a hundred cats.

There's a great (and more formal) discussion of this here, if you prefer your ideas with less sauce: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BridgingDifferences/~3/538099948/dear_diane_you_ask_why.html

Posted by Clay Burell on 02/15/2009 @ 09:01PM PT
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Clay, after re-reading my last post, I realize it makes it look like I don't respect professional educators. It is quite the opposite! I have only 1.5 years college, Idepend on people who are trained in teaching children to get the bulk of this most important job done! My comment above was supposed to reflect the proper educators / parent dynamic. I was not attempting to belittle teachers.

Posted by Charlie Reed on 02/15/2009 @ 08:58PM PT
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No offense taken at all, Charlie. I think we're actually more in agreement here than otherwise, on most points, anyway.

Posted by Clay Burell on 02/15/2009 @ 09:04PM PT
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I lean towards not having to inform parents, because parents are not generally informed of anything students learn in school, except through the children (at least in my experience). If a teacher was going to teach kids about how there are people of all different colours and religions and languages, they wouldn't have to inform the parents first, so they shouldn't about this, either.

Posted by Lianne Lavoie on 03/05/2009 @ 02:10PM PT
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.