An Ohio school district will allow teachers to wear badges to show their support of the LGBTQ movement, despite backlash from parental groups, according to NBC 4.
Hilliard City Schools in Columbus, Ohio, superintendent David Stewart told teachers in the district that they are still allowed to wear badges that say “I’m Here” next to a pride flag, which were supplied by the teachers union, the Hilliard Education Association, according to NBC 4. The announcement comes after Ohio Parents Rights in Education raised concern over the QR feature on the badge which leads to a teachers union LGBTQ “Resource Toolkit.”
The QR code made available on the badges takes students to the the National Education Association Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ Caucus website, which provides adult resources on “coming out” and sexual education. Ohio Parents Rights in Education raised concern over the QR code saying the website was age-inappropriate, ABC 6 reported.
“The badge has a QR code that once scanned takes you to a website that has extremely inappropriate information and as a parent that crosses the line,” Ohio Parents Rights in Education Lisa Chaffee told the outlet.
Teachers were advised by the district that “it may be in their best interest to cover the QR code on the back of the badge,” NBC 4 reported. The district also deemed the QR code only for “adult use” and if a student was to ask about the badge, the teachers’ response must be “age appropriate.”
“Any teacher who chose to wear one of the badges clearly understood that the resources at the link were intended for adults, not students,” Stewart told the outlet. “The resources are provided for teachers’ personal growth and professional development.”
The school said they are trying to make students feel “safe, included and welcomed,” according to NBC 4.
“Their role is education. There is an element of that where you have to have a good relationship with students. But that doesn’t mean you are the personal therapist for every student,” City Council Member Omar Tarazi told ABC 6.
Ohio Parents Rights in Education, the Hilliard Education Association, the school and Stewart did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
* Article from: The Daily Caller
(*) www.WhitePrideHomeSchool.com
