Alan Davis, principal of Martin L. Olson School in Golovin, is one of the few public school educators to voiced strong support Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s bill aimed at strengthening parental rights and baring public schools from hiding a child’s sexual identity, personal pronoun preferences or health records from parents. The governor’s legislation also requires parental permission before educators discuss sexual matters or gender identity with students and mandates that schools get parental permission before changing the name or pronouns they use in referring to a child. Finally, the bill safeguards a student’s right to privacy by requiring schools to separate locker rooms and restrooms according to biological sex at birth.
Davis, who taught science and math for 25 years before taking the helm as principal of the pre-K-12th grade school at Golovin, wrote a March 30 letter to lawmakers in Juneau, urging them to support House Bill 105. His letter stands out as one of only a few written by public school administrators or teachers that actually supports the governor’s bill.
“Every principal that I ever worked for told me that parent communication was the key to student success,” Olson wrote to the House Education Committee. “Parent/school communication has always been the norm, and has always been expected. It is sad that a governor has to propose a law to make a school communicate with a parent.”
Alan noted that he has seen the long term social and emotional damage that can result when schools fail to communicate important matter to parents.
“Parents care more and have more rights to their children’s wellbeing than the school,” he said. “Schools, school boards and teachers’ unions should stop trying to take these rights away from parents. When a student graduates, they are no longer the school’s concern. Parents are concerned for a lifetime.”
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to read House Bill 105.
— Click here to contact the members of the House Education Committee, where HB 105 currently sits.
