The Fairbanks School Board didn’t want to hear from its constituents before unanimously voting to approve a resolution that establishes October as LGBTQ History Month throughout the school district.
On Sept. 15, the school board lumped the controversial resolution into its consent agenda, a section of the meeting agenda that bundles routine and non-controversial items into one vote to save time.
The consent agenda does not allow the public to weigh in or for board members to debate the merits of individual resolutions. Instead, board members simply vote to “approve” the consent items and then move on with the rest of the meeting.
While the board gave no justification for including the LGBTQ History Month proposal in the consent agenda, it did effectively undermine a large group of attendees who came to testify on the resolution.
One woman directly hurled insults at any parent who would dare to oppose LGBTQ History Month.
Typically, consent agenda items include mundane things like approving previous board meeting minutes, committee reports, standard contracts for vendors and slight updates to documents. A resolution encouraging schools to celebrate gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer sexual identities and preferences does not fall into this category.
Despite the board’s action, 18 people still chose to speak about the resolution during the designated open testimony period, in which community members can address any topic of their choosing.
Ten people spoke against the resolution, while eight supported it.
Those backing the resolution said it was necessary to ensure that kids who claim to be LGBTQ can “reach their full potential,” while feeling safe, loved and affirmed in their chosen gender identities or expression.
“Not supporting these students is not an option and should not be entertained,” Jacob Sears testified. “These students exist regardless of how some parents or community members feel about them.”
Others argued that people who claim various sexual identities “deserve” to be publicly acknowledged.
Several speakers suggested that public schools should serve as a refuge from parents who might not agree with LGBTQ sexuality.
Jaimee Coon, who is currently running for Fairbanks School Board, wrote an alternative resolution which she read into the record. She emphasized that she valued all people, regardless of their sexual identity.
“Sometimes school is the place where students learn that they matter, that they don’t have to be ashamed or embarrassed of who they are,” one woman claimed. “Because the reality is that not every student has a safe and supportive home.”
Another woman directly hurled insults at any parent who would dare to oppose LGBTQ History Month.
“If you are a parent in this room and you are opposed to this resolution, I can guarantee you are doing way more damage to your children than any public school ever could,” Jen Gunderson testified. “And your kids probably hate you and they would love it when they grow up and they can leave your house.”
Those who opposed the resolution, however, emphasized that they were not opposed to any individual, but to an ideology that elevates controversial notions about sexual identity over all other characteristics.
Jaimee Coon, who is currently running for Fairbanks School Board, wrote an alternative resolution which she read into the record. She emphasized that she valued all people, regardless of their sexual identity.
“Each member of this community is tremendously valued simply for being human and is endowed with inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Coon stated. “I have personally welcomed you into my classrooms and befriended you on staff. My husband and I have welcomed you as guests in our personal Airbnb cabins, and we have worshiped beside you at church. I marvel at your creativity and your intellect. Your community deserves safe classrooms and schools as well as an excellent education at the hands of our school district.”
Coon went on to state that the school board should focus its attention on promoting academic excellence in “reading and literacy, writing and communication, math, science, history and civics, languages, critical thinking, and analytical skills.”
She noted that human beings of “every sexual orientation” contribute “human knowledge based on intellect and creativity, not based on sexuality and gender identity.”
Coon said the school board’s push to elevate sexuality and gender identity in school was “demeaning and demoralizing to the LGBTQ community to promote private personal affairs at the subversion of actual contributions.”
Bridget Watkins echoed this sentiment.
“I want to be very, very clear. I believe every single student deserves safety, dignity, respect, kindness, and protection from bullying or any type of discrimination,” she began. “That should apply to every single child that we serve.”
She was concerned, however, about the board’s insistence that schools promote a “particular identity-based movement.”
“Our public schools serve families with many different beliefs and values,” Watkins told the board. “We can teach history objectively, prevent bullying, and treat every single student with respect without the school board specifically encouraging schools to promote a particular observance.”
If the school board truly wants to promote inclusion, it would not single out a narrow group to the exclusion of all others, she added.
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“Inclusion truly means all families, including those who hold traditional, conservative, and even Christian beliefs,” Watkins said. “I am simply asking the board to respect the diversity of values in the families that you guys serve, to keep our schools focused on education rather than any social agenda.”
At one point, the mother of someone who claims to be transgender spoke up.
“I believe he deserves the same dignity and respect as everyone else,” she said. “But loving my child does not [mean] the public school system should actively promote gender identity or contemporary LGBTQ social-justice ideology to children. I believe there is a difference between protecting students from bullying, teaching appropriate historical facts, and actively promoting an identity-based observance.”
Others questioned whether LGBTQ History Month would include activities, events, lessons or special presentations related to human sexuality.
Jessica Conklin reminded the board that state law requires schools to notify parents and let them review materials “not less than two weeks” before they cover activities involving human sexuality.
“An annual board resolution should not become a backdoor for introducing new instructional content that bypasses Alaska’s parental notification, review, withdrawal, material approval, or district curriculum procedures,” she testified.
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