The Alaska State Senate is set to vote on a bill that critics warn will empower educational bureaucrats with authority to craft mental health guidelines for impressionable students, thereby opening the door for public schools to push topics like gender identity, sexual orientation, systemic racism, DEI and more.
Sponsored by hard-left Democrat Senators Elvi Gray-Jackson, Forrest Dunbar, Loki Tobin, Scott Kawasaki, and left-leaning Republican Cathy Giessel, SB 41 aims to vastly expand the ability of public schools to address a litany of mental health issues.
The bill requires the Alaska Education Board to develop “age-appropriate” mental health education guidelines for K-12 public schools. While it includes parental notification requirements, it is framed as an opt-out, not an opt-in program, meaning kids will undergo this education unless parents proactively pull them from the courses.
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The bill has advanced to third reading and is scheduled for a vote by the full Senate on April 10. If it passes the Senate, it will move to the House for consideration.
Introduced last year, the bill has raised concerns from parental rights advocates who warn that it could be used to push controversial ideologies that run contrary to traditional family values. Others have argued that mental health is something that should be addressed by parents in the home, not by a struggling government educational system that is already failing to instill basic academic skills in the vast majority of Alaska students.
“Giving education bureaucrats the authority to develop mental health guidelines for children is a dangerous proposition, as we have all seen what leftist ideologues do to develop curriculum,” warned Alaska Family Council Vice President Tim Barto in a Must Read Alaska column last year. “It opens the door for topics such as racism, equity, sexuality, and gender to creep their way into public schools under the guise of mental health.”
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to read the bill.
— Click here to contact members of the Alaska State Senate.
10 Comments
When did school teachers get put in charge of kids’ mental health? Every time we turn around, schools are invading the space proper to parents. Teachers are probably the least able to provide mental health education, let alone mental health care, and yet, here we are, funding this nonsense. What, precisely, could be the reason to have mental health lessons for kindergarteners? Or any elementary school kid, for that matter?
Tamra. Teachers have a four year education behind them. Parents do not. Genetics doesn’t confer superiority, education does. But you’re a christian so critical thinking is just out of of reach. You can learn though.
Please take your children, out of these Woke public schools. You won’t regret doing this and your children will love you, and will thank you later, when they’re adults.
This bill is against families and parental rights. The Supreme Court recently strengthened the Parental Rights laws. This bill is against families, parents and puts government in a position to undermine and harm children with a different worldview that is not biblical to replace family-influence with government influence.. This takes over the role of the family and the church and is meant to redefine what is moral and ok by man’s standards instead of by God’s moral standards in Scripture and preached to Jesus-followers in the community. The government has no business taking over the God-given role of raising up children in families. This is a Christian nation founded on the Bible with the assistant of the Church. Karl Marx hated God and the curriculum is set up to teach Marxism to the children without parents in charge. The atheist legislators do not know what is best for our family and neither does the NEA. This is an anti-God move by atheists.
“ This is a Christian nation founded on the Bible with the assistant of the Church.” Gosh Ewigs; ever wonder why christians are increasingly being despised?
Who are the sponsors of SB 41, and what are their political affiliations?
Great question, one that should be answered. Thank you!
No, no and no! Can they just please teach our children critical thinking skills, and math, science, reading and writing? Stop with all these ancillary services. These children have parents, who are legally responsible. Drastic overstep and waste of money in my view.
George Rauscher just voted yes for this bill.
Has he now become a RIno????
went can’t they let children be children.
Raucher/valdez team up and groom at will!!!