Superintendent Shanna Spickard of DeWitt Public Schools on Friday apologized to those who welcomed the lesson planned for first-graders at Schavey Road Elementary School and said the decision to cancel was not made lightly. But as a result of online backlash, she added that multiple staff members are “afraid to go to school.”
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Far-right and anti-LGBTQ social media group, Libs of Tiktok, and the conservative Moms for Liberty both posted a clip of an interview that location station WILX-TV did with a parent opposed to the lesson. The station failed to include that the lesson was optional.
The blowback has since exploded.
School district responds to backlash
Spickard said in a Facebook post that staff members had received inappropriate and threatening calls, emails and messages on social media. Some staff have even been doxed with personal information about their families and children shared online as a way to harass and intimidate the instructors.
“While the vast majority of these inappropriate communications have originated outside of our community, several staff members have expressed feeling anxious, stressed, and even afraid to go to school. This is unacceptable,” Spickard said. “We are in contact with local law enforcement regarding these communications and have increased both police and administrative presence as precautionary measures.”
You can read the full statement below:
State Rep. Steve Carra, a Three Rivers Republican, criticized the lesson in a Facebook post. Carra’s post received hundreds of comments and shares.
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What did the lesson plan include?
The optional lesson would have introduced students in one classroom to they/them pronouns, which are used by those who don’t identify with gendered pronouns he/him or she/her. The class was planning to read “They, She, He, Me: Free to Be!” by Matthew Sg and Maya Christina Gonzalez, and discuss themes in the book, including pronoun use and genders outside the mainstream binary.
The school district told community members that the lesson was an effort to help all students feel understood and included.
Spickard previously said in a statement that the “lesson is to emphasize the importance of inclusivity, which is a core value of the district.
“The mini-lesson is not designed to challenge or alter family beliefs,” she continued. “Instead, it aims to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment.”
Which states require LGBTQ topics in their public school curriculums?
Resources for those interested in teaching about gender identity are becoming more accessible. At least six states and Washington, D.C. require curriculums to include LGBTQ topics, the Washington Post reported, including Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, California, Illinois and New Jersey.
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As of 2022, the American Bar Association reported that 11 states have laws ensuring sex education curriculum includes information affirming LGBTQ identities. The association reported that five states and Washington, D.C. mandate that education about “LGBTQ sexual health and relationships” are neutral.
Another six states require that “LGBTQ-inclusive health education curricula” foster positive relationships. The curriculum is required in California, Colorado, Oregon, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Washington.
Contributing: Lansing State Journal
* Original Article:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2024/04/19/dewitt-michigan-schavey-school-pronoun-lesson-plan-canceled/73383883007/