Amid a relatively short Aug. 6 meeting, the Anchorage School Board was given a strongly-worded admonishment to end the practice of hiding students’ sexual identity issues from their parents.
Gabby Ide, who heads up the Anchorage chapter of Moms For Liberty gave an impassioned address to the leftist-controlled school board, imploring them to adopt a proposed policy that would eradicate administrative guidelines that instruct teachers to keep parents in the dark when teachers and school staff agree to promote a sexually confused student’s notion that they may be trapped in the wrong body, with the wrong sex.
While the school board has never actually voted on such a policy, it has allowed district administrators to create and enforce rules that limit parental notification and involvement, whenever bureaucrats think parents might not be on board with so-called “gender transitioning.”
“The very existence of these guidelines – inviting students to keep secrets from their parents – harms the parent-child relationship, which the U.S. Supreme Court has held is constitutionally protected,” Ide told board members. “Parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their children. Parents are a child’s first and most impactful educators.”
She pointed out that parents are the greatest advocates for their kids.
“We are the experts on our children,” Ide continued. “Hiding critical information about kids from their parents is outside the district’s authority.”
She urged the board to adopt a proposal by the body’s lone conservative member, Dave Donley, which would require that school officials to meet with parents regarding any gender, legal name, or pronoun changes that a child requests during the school year. It also mandates that written permission from parents is needed “before the name or pronoun used by the school to address or refer to the parent’s child in person, on school identification, or in school records is changed.”
To date, the school board has declined to vote on the proposal by letting it languish in a sub-committee for extended “review.”
By declining to act, the board has allowed the administration to instruct teachers in how to connive with students to keep parents out of the loop. In particular, teachers are told to not use a student’s new names or pronouns when speaking to parents, unless the child says it’s okay.
The rationale is that parents may not be as supportive as educators are when it comes to controversial gender transitioning and radical LGBTQ ideology.
Ide dismantled the idea that schools should leverage teachers against parents, calling it “egregious” and “unethical.”
“Political agendas, like gender ideology, do not belong in our educational institutions,” she said, adding that schools should focus on the basics, especially when two-thirds of Anchorage students cannot even read at grade level.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
“There are two sexes, zero genders and infinite personalities,” Ide emphasized. “How are teachers expected to educate if administrators refuse to adhere to biological facts and basic grammar definitions? It requires a special kind of cognitive dissonance to insist that education is your role, while education outcomes remain dismal, and children are encouraged to abandon their primary support system.”
She ended by calling on schools to partner with parents rather than “conniving behind our backs.”
“We do not co-parent with the district,” Ide concluded.
Towards the end of the meeting, Donley told his fellow board members that he introduced his parental rights proposal last year in order to direct school administrators on this important matter, something the board was elected to oversee.
“I believe it’s time for us to step up and vote on our own guidelines,” he said. “It’s not something that should be just left to an administrative guideline.”
Guidelines, he noted, are supposed to follow board policies.
“Policies are adopted only by the board,” Donley emphasized. “This parental notification matter is so significant, and so important to families, that I believe it deserves a vote of the board and not just included in an administrative guideline.”
School Board President Andy Holleman responded by suggesting there was nothing wrong with the current status quo.
He claimed that in his 12 years working in Anchorage schools he never once felt pressure to be dishonest with a parent.
“I would hope that no teacher in this district does, and if they ever do, that they should come to the board and register how that came to pass,” he said. “There are some difficult conversations, to be sure. Unfortunately, we’ve become embroiled in issues we never want to be.”
He then suggested that creating a board policy might make things more difficult for schools.
“The question that I always have is, does board policy help or does board policy make it even more complicated than it already is?” Holleman said.
TAKING ACTION
— The next Anchorage School Board meeting is Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. at 5530 E Northern Lights Blvd Education Center. Until the morning before the meeting starts the public can call (907-742-4315) or IN-PERSON before the meeting starts sign up to testify (in person or by telephone) for 3 minutes.
— To email or call board members prior to the meeting, click here.
15 Comments
“She pointed out that parents are the greatest advocates for their kids.” Except when they aren’t.
But don’t borrow trouble. The majority of parents are. There are other ways to deal with the few that are not.
When they aren’t, there’s a process for that. It’s called mandatory reporting. Schools are supposed to teach our kids to read and they’re failing at that one job. How do you suppose they’ll do raising other people’s kids? Would you allow a surgeon to cut you open when two thirds of his patients to die on the table?
I wonder what an impact it might make if every parent who is able were to simply remove their child from the classroom school and educate at home. It could save the districts boatloads of money and might help to take care of the delusional problem brewing in the brick and mortar setting. It would likely shift things toward a better direction as the school board and district would have less power and control, hence maybe would employ more common sense.
Again, I have to wonder how clueless parents have to be to miss something as fundamental is their kids’ gender identity? Yes, like everyone, I remember what it was like to be an adolescent, and how we would hide all sorts of things from our parents. But something as fundamental as gender identity? In this day and age, maybe it’s something to pay more attention to. I especially wonder what YOU, as a parent, would do if you found out that one of your kids was gay or was questioning their own gender identity.
Andy Holleman said: “I would hope that no teacher in this district does, and if they ever do, that they should come to the board and register how that came to pass,”. So this means wait until the damage is done, THEN the board can act? Wow, I thought the purpose of education was to arm the educated for the future, to make things better. History class used to be used to teach what had succeeded and what had failed in society. This armed the educated to be able to make choices based on fact. Speed limits exist to keep drivers safe, they do not appear because of a failure, they are engineered into the design. So should protecting parents and parental rights from deviants who would destroy the minds and souls of the most precious members of our society. Anchorage School Board – Shame on you for not doing your job. Shame on you for attempting to unilaterally co-parent children. To argue that a confused child can make their own decisions in life is to flout reality and justice. What happens when a minor breaks the law or causes financial damage? Parents are on the hook, period. To think that these same children are mature enough to make a life choice without parental involvement is ludicrous. If the child emancipates themself, then the choice is theirs, but even that requires the courts to intervene. These are the ramblings of an old man now, but are meant to inspire some reason and critical thinking. -Cheers
Supporting a transgender child involves a combination of emotional, practical, and educational steps. Here’s a general approach:
Listen and Affirm: The most crucial thing is to listen to your child and validate their feelings. Let them express themselves and ensure they know that you love and support them unconditionally.
Educate Yourself: Learn about gender identity and transgender issues. Understanding the terminology, experiences, and challenges that transgender individuals face can help you be a better ally to your child.
Seek Professional Support: Find a therapist or counselor who specializes in gender identity and family dynamics. They can provide guidance and support for both your child and your family.
Respect Their Identity: Use the name and pronouns your child prefers. This small but significant act of respect can make a big difference in their emotional well-being.
Support Social Transition: If your child wants to socially transition (change their name, pronouns, clothing, etc.), support them in these changes. This can help them feel more comfortable and validated in their identity.
Protect Them: Ensure your child is safe from bullying or discrimination at school and in other environments. Advocate for their rights and work with their school to create a supportive environment.
Communicate Openly: Keep the lines of communication open. Check in with your child regularly about their feelings and experiences, and let them know they can come to you with anything.
Join Support Groups: Connect with other parents of transgender children or LGBTQ+ support groups. Sharing experiences and advice with others in similar situations can be incredibly helpful.
Take Care of Yourself: Supporting a transgender child can be emotionally demanding. Make sure to seek support for yourself as well, whether through therapy, support groups, or trusted friends and family.
Remember, every child’s journey is unique, so stay flexible and responsive to their needs as they evolve.
Hah! In other words, parents MUST learn the indoctrination steps. Adhere to the indoctrination steps. Ascribe to the indoctrination steps. Are you myopically obtuse or just tone deaf?
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It is a pity if you truly believe this ideology. As moods are not identities.
If we should be identifying as anything, it should be that we are beings of consciousness first and foremost. Everything else is just part of the character we choose to play as.
For instance. I am a being of consciousness who happens to dwell within the body of a human male. If i happen to wish to express as feminine or as a dog or a dragon or a space ship from the Pleiades, these are simply moods that will come and go over time. To attempt to confine myself to a singular identity based on moods, I would be imprisoned in that singular thought form and not free to express any other way.
To attempt to make children choose an identity so early on eliminates their ability to freely explore the vastness of their consciousness. There are far more great and important things to explore in life. We are much more than just the physical vessel. Those children that you wish to confuse with gender identity will only suffer as reality will continue to challenge the rigid thinking you wish to impose upon them.
Those who seek to keep secrets from the parents do not serve humanity, for they have adopted the ways of a groomer who wish only to perpetuate their ideology on the children of others.
Thank you, Joel, for highlighting this critical issue. Those who support those guidelines may think some parents will harm their children. I get that. The problem is the data doesn’t support that argument. The district doesn’t get to make that determination. It doesn’t have the ability to give a child what they need. Until parental rights are removed by due process, only custodial guardians can authorize services required to properly care for a child that believes they are born in the wrong body.
Speaking only for myself and not the ASD or the School Board, I am very grateful to Moms for Liberty and the parents who testified at the August 6 meeting. They did so with dignity, respect, and clarity. It was an excellent example of how conservatives and those with common sense can meaningfully influence the process. I encourage and hope more parents show up to advocate like this for parent’s rights in the Anchorage School District.
Dave Donley
“The question that I always have is, does board policy help or does board policy make it even more complicated than it already is?” Holleman said.
These rules should already be followed by EVERY Teacher in the district. How in the hell does writing the policy out cause any complication? It causes complication when a WOKE Teacher decides it’s their roll to hide information from the parents or guardians of a child. The complication would be that since it’s in writing that the teacher “must not”, there are grounds for multiple law suits. THAT COMPLICATION?
This: ““Political agendas, like gender ideology, do not belong in our educational institutions,” she said, adding that schools should focus on the basics, especially when two-thirds of Anchorage students cannot even read at grade level.” As if ASD over the last 3 decades has proven themselves capable of ANYTHING besides creating dumpster fires.
No one should be forced to pay for this Satanic Agenda in the form of Property Taxes… ^^^
Thank you Joel Davidson. Dave Donley, and Mons for Liberty. How did “In loco parentis” in a public schools morph into the school taking complete take over of a minor child’s mental and physical health. Peggy Johnson is correct the emphasize is the 3 R’s and not the assignments on multiple genders.
Here’s interesting discussion…. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/07/31/why-is-a-transgender-identity-even-plausible/