Some parents happy and others are not
There aren’t many, if any, public school districts in relatively conservative, majority Catholic South Texas that are embracing DEI —Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — to the extent that IDEA Public Schools is incorporating it into its policies under the banner “GAY PRIDE” and its support of the LGBTQ+ community.
From IDEA’s own website announcing its support in June for “Pride Month”:
“IDEA Public Schools is proud to celebrate (Gay) Pride Month throughout the month of June! This annual celebration commemorates Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/ Questioning (LGBTQ)+ contributions and achievements in our history and how this community has strengthened the diversity and progress of our nation. Pride also serves as a reminder of the continued work to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBTQ+ Americans.” For those still unfamiliar with the concept, IDEA explains it to all those who may want to know more. From IDEA’s website:
From IDEA’s website: “LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. These terms are used to describe a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. As we continue our mission of college for all and to become a more anti-racist and anti-bias organization, we want to strongly affirm that IDEA Public Schools stands with our LGBTQ+ Team & Family!”
IDEA is also bringing the topic of sexual orientation into its schools. Again, from its website touting its June 2021 support of Pride Month:
“As we reflect on and celebrate the unique contributions of the LGBTQ+ community in American history, we should also aim to engage in meaningful discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion, LGBTQ+ history and culture and the issues affecting these communities today. By educating, empowering and encouraging our young people, we are all working together toward progress and the hope of a better tomorrow.”
Apparently, working to be inclusive, IDEA Public Schools says it wants all parents to know that their children have a home. Again from its June website posting:
“To our gay and lesbian communities, our transgender community, our bisexual community, our queer and questioning communities and so many others — we see you, we hear you, and we support you. You have a place here at IDEA Public Schools, and we will do everything we can to create a learning and working environment where you thrive.”
The main hesitancy on the part of other south Texas school districts, as opposed to IDEA, seems to be the question: is it appropriate to teach elementary students about same-sex relationships and/or so-called sexual gender identity?
Sexual education, per se, in Texas, which will finally allow teachers to discuss methods of birth control, beginning next year, as opposed to abstinence-only, is usually taught in seventh and eighth grades, but the Texas Education Board has yet to incorporate the top of sexual orientation, sexual gender into its approved sex ed curriculum.
Texas, with one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy, currently ranks number seven among the top 10 states with the highest teen birth rates. (Source: CDC.)
Oops.
Despite that, between 2000 and 2020, the only thing educators could teach students about how to avoid getting pregnant was “abstinence only,” which many Democrats considered lunacy, knowing how teen hormones tend to rage given the right set of circumstances, which typically doesn’t take a lot.
“Nothing will happen. Trust me,” said the teenaged boy to the teenaged girl.
The Texas Board of Education changed that policy last year. Schools may include birth control in their sex-ed curriculum starting next year (August 2022), but it’s only an elective course at the high school level, and it doesn’t include issues such as sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
The 2020 revision passed by the state’s Board of Education, Republican controlled, allows public school educators to teach seventh and eighth grade students about birth-control methods and their effectiveness in preventing pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, but the revisions aren’t set to go into effect until August of 2022.
Currently in the Lone Star State, for every 1,000 girls aged 15-19, 25.3 give birth every calendar year. (Source: CDC.)
IDEA and DEI
What is DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), you may ask, since it’s not yet a widely known program.
It started out in the 1960s as part of the movement to get more minorities into the workplace, which was situated around affirmative action that drew strength from the law and a need to comply with the equal opportunity employment objectives implemented in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The idea was, anyone seeking a job should not be discriminated against based on identity — skin color, ethnicity.
Over the decades since, the issue of sexual orientation, sexual identity has been added to the diverse mix and is now being taught in some school districts at the elementary, secondary, and college levels. Like COVID-19 vaccines and face masks, the degrees to which school districts have incorporated the sexual aspect of DEI into its policies are largely correlated with local and state politics. The more liberal a geographical area tends to be, the more apt you are to find schools touting DEI; the more conservative, less likely it is be that school districts will incorporate it into its classrooms.
Parents at Odds
At IDEA Public Schools, still one of the largest charter operators in the country, the issue of its support of Gay Pride and implementing DEI into its school policy has drawn both support and criticism from parents and from school staff.
During (Gay) Pride Month this past June, when IDEA posted this on its Facebook page — “Love is Love..Our team stands with ALL families…Happy Pride Month” — the subsequent public comments underscored the division. Here are more than a few (unedited, unfiltered) posts made on IDEA’s Facebook page under that “Happy Pride Month” post:
# Stop discussing sexual preference with kids. If your staff enjoys homosexuality so be it. But let our youth decide who they are. My sister is a lesbian and nobody interferes in her life. You adults need a coloring book or something.
# You need to take this down because not all people agree with this and it can be offensive to some people.
# Thank you, IDEA, for showing support to the thousands of scholars and employees who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ Community. I, as an employer of IDEA, feel extremely proud and ecstatic that our scholars can feel accepted, free, and safe, which is our top priority as educators, in our schools! Continue being the trailblazers that have always set the example and have raised the bar for future generations!
# Very cool, IDEA! Makes me proud to work here. Thank you!
# It is common knowledge that to expose children to sexual concepts beyond their years is tantamount to child abuse.
# If this is true then you would take a closer look at who you’re hiring. (Name redacted) & her husband (name redacted) are both employed at IDEA & have been spreading anti lgbtq sentiments in their community. They should be fired.
# I am a parent that’s new to the Idea community and just now reading these posts. Can someone please share with me what Idea’s beliefs are again in teaching our children about these very controversial topics? Is it taught as part of the school curriculum?
# Though it’s reality, it is still a controversial topic among many as I see even in the conversation being held on this site. Just wanted to know exactly what’s been taught. Acceptance and love for all is very important. However, as parents, we definitely want to have a say so on what’s being introduced or taught to our child. We are her 1st teachers and some things are best left for parents to educate their children. As new parents to this school, we will definitely follow up with the school to better understand the curriculum and expectations.
# Welcome to our team and family. No, this is not something we teach, we do however teach about Love and kindness, treating each other with respect regardless.... This topic isn't only at (IDEA), it's in all charter, private and public school districts. (Ed. note: This isn’t really the case. In South Texas, IDEA is definitely the exception and not the rule when it comes to DEI.)
# No they don't teach you in their curriculum but if your child goes into the school and is lesbian gay straight trans they won't be discriminated against. The school shows their support.
# Just like EVERY THING else we all have our differences in views about this. I have my beliefs and as an Idea employee and parent (I) teach about LOVE and acceptance regardless of what one chooses. We teach, love, kindness, honor, respect, self love and many morals with my own children and our scholars in the classroom. There's no need in bashing or sending hate.
# GOD loves us all equally, but he hates our SINS. He hates sin, but not the sinners. God created man and women in his own image and likeness. Genesis 1:27.
And so it goes…