There is a disturbing trend happening in many of the Northern Virginia school districts. Most recently, the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) school board has been making policy changes that expose our children and our neighbors’ children to sexually explicit materials and inappropriate and dangerous situations.
“Gender Identity” Policy Alert
In May 2015, the FCPS school board added “gender identity” to its nondiscrimination policy (Policy 1450) which opened the door for students to use restrooms and locker rooms of the sex for which they identify rather than their biological sex. FCPS allows principals and administrators to make decisions about accommodating transgender students’ bathroom and locker room usage on a case-by-case basis. Students are given no advance notice if a student of a different biological sex will be using the same facilities that they use.
Sexually Explicit Curriculum Alert
Parents should also be aware of troubling content in Family Life Education (FLE), Fairfax County’s sex ed curriculum. In ninth grade, students are taught that “gender assigned at birth” may be different than one’s biological sex. One eighth grade lesson mentions anal sex four times. A fifth grade lesson refers to needle sharing and sexually transmitted diseases. Parents can opt their students out of FLE. However, they are often unaware of the content, trusting that their school system is teaching age-appropriate content to their children.
Even if parents do opt their students out of Family Life Education, their students may still be exposed to sexually graphic material. Assigned high school English literature sometimes includes passages containing bestiality, incest, pedophilia, and gang rape. Book titles may be listed in a syllabus, but teachers are not required to inform parents when students will be reading books with this inappropriate content.
Action Items:
- Contact your school to find out how to opt your student(s) out of FLB.
- Ask your school the process for checking out copies of student-assigned textbooks so you can review the content.
- Consider attending one or both of the CWA of Virginia recommended events listed below. These events will help educate parents and communities about what is happening in our public schools, specifically in Fairfax County.
- Vote your values and vote in the November 5 school board elections.
Event: Parents Beware: What Fairfax County Public School Board has in store for your child
Wednesday, October 9 in Springfield
Click here for event flyer.
Tuesday, October 22 in Burke
Click here for event flyer.
Pray
Please pray for the parents and children of Fairfax County that the Lord will give them extraordinary discernment. Please pray for Fairfax County School Board members by name.
Thank you in advance for both your prayers and actions concerning this issue.
Sincerely,
Toni DeLancey
State Director
CWA of Virginia