A Michigan school district has jettisoned an optional lesson aimed at teaching first graders about gender pronouns. The administration indicated the decision was made due to security concerns.
When the lesson was announced, a fiery backlash from the community ensued with concerned parents calling the school to complain about the effort to indoctrinate small children into progressive views on gender identity.
The lesson included teaching kids about various gender pronouns, including “tree” and “ze,” which are concepts made up by progressive proponents of gender ideology. This episode not only shows how pushing back against the effort to influence young minds in this manner can succeed but also provides an example for those seeking to defeat the effort to indoctrinate kids into progressive ideas on gender and other issues.
A Michigan school district canceled a proposed optional lesson for first graders about novel gender pronouns, including "tree" and "ze," citing security concerns.
"The goal of the voluntary mini-lesson was to help promote Dewitt Public Schools' vision of a safe, nurturing, and supportive learning environment where all learners can succeed," DeWitt Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Shanna Spickard wrote in a message on April 19 to the district's families and staff. "Unfortunately, it has become a major disruption and distraction to that vision in which our staff, administrators, and students feel unsafe."
Schavey Road Elementary School in DeWitt, Michigan, had sent a letter on April 11 informing parents of the school’s plans through the optional lesson to "help students share and explore pronouns through discussion and literature to embrace differences and promote acceptance."
Following the announcement, Spickard said staff members had received inappropriate, angry and threatening phone calls, emails and social media messages, and the lesson was canceled for safety reasons.
Spickard complained about the opposition to the lesson, claiming that “the vast majority of these inappropriate communications have originated outside of our community” and that “several staff members have expressed feeling anxious, stressed, and even afraid to go to school.”
However, critics argue that the backlash against the lesson was about protecting children. Tom Barrett, a Republican running to represent Michigan’s 7th Congressional district, said, “It was shocking to learn that a local school was teaching alternative pronouns to first graders right here in mid-Michigan” and that it is “already incredibly difficult to protect our kids from inappropriate content.”
Days before the lesson was canceled, the school defended its decision to teach first graders about pronouns.
Schavey Road Elementary School, in DeWitt, Michigan, located just under 10 miles north of Lansing, doesn't see it that way.
A Michigan elementary school district is doubling down on a lesson for students about using novel gender pronouns, including the phrase "tree," with the superintendent saying it promoted "inclusivity."
Schavey Road Elementary School, in DeWitt, Mich., sent out a letter on April 11 informing parents of the school’s plans to "help students share and explore pronouns" in a lesson using the book "They She He Me: Free to Be!" by Maya Gonzalez, which includes cartoon pictures of men and women using interchangeable pronouns. The letter also states parents are able to opt their children out of the curriculum.
"We would like to inform you of a lesson that will be taught in your child's classroom," the April 11 letter said. "The lesson goals are to help students share and explore pronouns through discussion and literature to embrace differences and promote acceptance."
The book teaches kids to embrace nonbinary gender terminology, including "zie" and "tree."
Apparently, members of the community weren’t buying this line. A parent named Brandi Strahan told WILX that kids “don’t need to learn … about anything that’s personal or sexualized or … gender-specific, at five years old.”
It’s not clear exactly how many of the messages and phone calls the district received were actually threatening in nature. It would not be surprising to find out the threats were exaggerated. Those opposing the effort to influence children should not resort to threats of violence to get their point across.
Still, this episode shows that if enough people are willing to speak out when school districts attempt to foist progressive ideas on their children, they can win more victories. The success of the effort to indoctrinate children will only succeed as long as decent folks remain silent. In this case, the community decided to make some noise, and it worked.
