Two weeks after the Alaska Watchman reported that a publicly funded Mat-Su homeschool program was posting LGBTQ-themed signs around campus, the school has quietly removed the controversial symbols.
Earlier this month, the Watchman revealed the fact that Mat-Su Central School had posted at least two rainbow-emblazoned signs announcing that the school was a “Diverse, Inclusive, Accepting, Welcoming, Safe Space for Everyone.” One sign was tacked to Mat-Su Central’s large bulletin board, near the main entrance. The other was taped to the front doors of the school library.
As of at least Oct. 16, both signs had been taken down. The bulletin board post was replaced with a solid green sign with black lettering stating, “You Belong.”
Signs with this exact wording have sparked heated controversy in several schools, as they are used to signal to students and educators that campuses are on board with affirming alternative sexualities and gender expressions.
The Mat-Su School District, however, has a policy that specifically prohibits school employees from using school time or resources to promote “activist” causes.
Mat-Su Central Principal Stacey McIntosh initially said the signs came from a “member of the Mat-Su Central school community,” but she did not indicate if the person was an employee of the school. She added that the school’s protocols allow staff and students to display various types of information.
At the time, McIntosh claimed it would violate constitutional free-speech rights to remove the signage.
This is not the first time a Mat-Su school has posted LGBTQ messages on school grounds. Last fall, a school psychologist, Jacob Balaskovits, urged educators at several elementary schools to encourage students in their beliefs that they are gay, bi-sexual or transgender by posting rainbow-symbol stickers around campus. These symbols, he said, let students know that educators will “affirm their chosen or shared names, pronouns, or other identities.” He also told teachers to refer students to “someone in the school who they can talk to more.”
13 Comments
Our family, a MSC homeschool family, is happy to see the change the school made with the signage and are thankful they recognized the issue. The new signage is perfect!
Why do you care what signage is at the school if you’re homeschooling? If anything you shouldn’t have a say on the matter at all as you’ve opted out of the system.
the school in the article is Matsu Central HOMESCHOOL. Each home school charter has a campus building. This person has every right to be concerned.
You clearly know nothing about homeschool Common Sense. Do you think that we don’t leave our homes whatsoever because we are homeschooled? On the contrary. We make excessive trips to the library (oh wait, the library has been infested too with trash books and purple hair dyed humans with a forced lisp who want our kids to read about boys wearing girls undergarments)… among MANY other places including museums (also now overrun by liberals who think transgender sickness is an appropriate exhibit) and our program home base (who should not be selling books to elementary students about sexualized topics at the scholastic book fair or who have these garbage rainbow signs up everywhere). Why do the kids with no morals have such a warm welcome, but my kids with a long list of values America used to care about have to stay home ?!
As CEAK said, Mat-Su Central is a homeschooling program. And even if it was not, homeschooling families care about all school children, not only because they are precious and the future of our country, but also because our children have to live in the same world as them.
And as far as homeschooling families “opting out of the system,” we actually CANNOT opt out of the system, and must pay for what the public schools do: we pay local, state and federal taxes that go to fund those schools, even though if children do not attend them, so darn right we have a say in those matters.
You can remove the signs to hide but you can’t remove the Leftists. Matsu communities democrats like Eagleriver-chugiak democrats are just laying low not to ruffle the feathers of the few hundred conservative voters.
Abolish public education. There is no way to stop the evil being committed (at taxpayer expense) against vulnerable children away from their parents’ protection. Predators seek out children in no-parent zones. Parent-directed instruction at home or in small co-ops would eliminate taxpayer-funded child abuse. For those who truly cannot afford to educate their own children after sacrificing vacation time, espressos, restaurant meals, recreational vehicles, gaming equipment, etc., PRIVATE charity (not government-controlled vouchers), is the safest option.
Totally agree
Don’t call gay people predators…married men are the predators
Nice mental illness exposed! Delusional, stupid, deification on your manhood? Sensible thinking and actions have been abandoned! These are dangerous pedophiles and need institutional help!
hahahahaha.
We ought to have never tolerated sexual deviants. Their sins lead to nothing but death.
Good job Joel !
Common Sense has no common sense. Nor reading comprehension. Keep trying Stupid.