Parents in North Hollywood, California plan to boycott an assembly to discuss LGBTQ+ issues for Pride month at Saticoy Elementary School.
An Instagram account named Saticoy Elementary Parents posted on Monday that “outraged” parents, “who share conservative values” and “don’t feel this material is appropriate to teach to the children,” are planning to keep their children home from school on June 2 because of a planned school assembly to observe LGBTQ+ Pride month.
The Instagram account was created to oppose the program.
“Attention: PROTEST IS ON JUNE 2nd! We need help! We need signs! We need everyone to come!” Saticoy Elementary Parents wrote on the Instagram post’s caption.
The Los Angeles Unified School District announced there will be a K-12 school assembly held at Saticoy Elementary School to teach students about the LGBTQ+ community.
The group alleges that students will watch a video where it says “some kids have 2 mommies, some have 2 daddies.”
“This has caused outrage among parents, many of them emailing/ calling LAUSD higher-ups to complain about this day and protesting by not taking their children to school that day,” the group included in their Instagram post..
According to Fox 11 Los Angeles, teachers will read to students at the assembly a book by Mary Hoffman titled “The Great Big Book of Families,” which talks about diversity and “all kinds of families.”
In another Instagram post, the group claimed “we are being forced into talking about topics that should not burden our children for many years to come.”
“Keep your kids home on June 2nd! We are parents of elementary school children, who have the right to introduce sexually explicit topics at our discretion,” the post read. “Yes any topic that is related to LGBTQ is is sexually explicit. Why? Our children are innocent and have no idea what is out there. We as parent have the right to introduce these topics at our discretion. Instead we are being forced into talking about topics that should not burden our children for many years to come.”
According to Fox 11, the district says parents can allow their children to skip the program.
“Los Angeles Unified is committed to creating a safe and inclusive learning environment that embraces the diversity of the communities we serve. The District encourages everyone in our school communities to treat each other with respect, kindness, and compassion so that our students can be empowered to achieve their greatest potential,” the district said in a statement.
It went on to say, “As part of our engagement with school communities, our schools regularly discuss the diversity of the families that we serve and the importance of inclusion. As part of our engagement with school communities, our schools regularly discuss the diversity of the families that we serve and the importance of inclusion. This remains an active discussion with our school communities, and we remain committed to continuing to engage with families about this important topic. Families are always encouraged to discuss important topics with their children and families may also contact their schools for more information about any school programs or activities.”
The boycott underscores the phenomenon of parents across the country paying closer attention to school boards by challenging progressive curricula and contesting books they deem inappropriate.
Issues in education have become a top concern among voters. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, school board meetings have often become battlegrounds between parents and school board officials, reigniting the debate on how much control parents have over their children’s education.
The issues prompted parents to rise up to run for school board seats after concerns over educational content during the coronavirus pandemic.
Wow… North Hollywood!!! Good for them. Not stop voting for democrats!!!