Question for parents:
Is this book in your child’s classroom?

From our friends at Minnesota Family Institute:

Against one mothers wishes, 7 and 8 year old children were forced to sit through the reading of “Asha’s Mums,” a book depicting a child with two mothers, and listen to their teacher tell them that he and his same-sex partner planned to adopt a child.

Click HERE to view KSTP news clip.

FeLicia McCorvey Preyer, mother of second graders twins, said she met the teacher and school officials before the start of the school year. “I mentioned,” she said, “that I did not want my child hearing this information” about gay issues. Preyer said that instead of supporting her parental rights and authority, she was treated with disrespect and even arrogance. “They treat me as if my beliefs are the problem,” she said.

Gena Bounds, a parent of one of the second-graders said, “Now Darriell (her daughter) thinks the school is telling her she needs to believe that two daddies or two mommies is the same thing as a mom and a dad.”

When the parents met with the principal, they were told their children could not be reassigned to another class. Principal Laura Bloomberg [phone (612) 752-7100 or e-mail laura_bloomberg@wmep.k12.mn.us] said the mission of the school is to build “a partnership of diversity, community and technology.” She said parents were free to object to the school board or withdraw their children from the school.

Minnesota State Statue states that parents have the right to review curriculum and request their children be excused from parts of it.

“This kind of curriculum is becoming the norm, not the exception,” said Chuck Darrell, director of communications for Minnesota Family Council. “Parents need to speak out or they too will find themselves at the whim of arrogant school officials who do not respect their simple requests, such as removing a 7-year-old child from being subjected to homosexual propaganda,” he said.

Excerpted from Illinois Superintendent Pleads Gay, by Steve Jordahl, published Oct 5, 2006, by Family News in Focus:

Rich Mitchell’s job is on the line after he compiled a spoof video making his teachers look like killers and drug abusers. Now he’s crying victim…

“Groups like Lambda do use intimidation letters, ACLU uses intimidation letters and sometimes they work.”

Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth has seen the ploy before.

“I think, by very publicly referring people to his lawyer who is with Lambda Legal, it’s an attempt at intimidation. It’s like saying you can’t discipline me because I’m gay. With the preponderance of sexual orientation laws – they’re growing all over the place – you will see very smart homosexual activists abuse these laws.”

Continue reading at Family News in Focus…

Excerpted from Ex-coach Receives 21 Years for Sexual Abuse, by Todd Ruger, published Sept 20, 2006, in (Southwest Florida) Herald Tribune:

…Although the abuse happened years ago, the emotional wounds seemed fresh for the first victim who testified Tuesday. The Herald-Tribune does not publish the names of sex abuse victims without their permission.

That man, age 40, recalled that he was the No. 1 seed at a state swimming meet. The night before the meet, in Gainesville, LaMorte forced the victim to stay in his hotel room.

LaMorte abused him that night. Emotionally distressed, the swimmer’s dream of a state championship ended when he was disqualified for twice starting too soon.

“And I never swam again,” the man said.

The man said LaMorte would pull him out of classes to abuse him in the locker room. The victim said he never fought back or quit the swim team because he “didn’t know how to.”

Staring at LaMorte, the victim said he suffers alcohol abuse, has been violent and has strained relationships with his children…

Continue reading in Herald Tribune…

Excerpted from Batavia Gender Controversy Persists, by Marketta Gregory, published Sept 15, 2006, in Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:

…”It seems like the administration is sweeping this under the rug and saying that any opposition is losing steam,” said Donald Shirk, the parent of a sophomore and senior pastor at Grace Baptist Church. “I strongly disagree.”

The district first heard about the teacher’s plans around Christmas; Shirk heard about it a little more than a week before school started. Since then, he and his assistant pastor, Mark Hurlbut, have been scouring medical journals, researching court cases and writing editorials saying that students shouldn’t be made to assist in the teacher’s treatment.

“This hit our community like a tsunami,” Shirk said. “Now we’re caught up in the surf.”

Other pastors have contacted Shirk, and they are hoping to start a petition to show that not everyone approves of the actions that have been taken by the school district. Also, a national group that offers free legal counsel to advance religious freedom has written to Stutzman, saying that students’ religious rights are being violated.

Attorneys working for the district wrote back to the Florida-based Liberty Counsel and explained the school’s position.

Meanwhile, the district has heard from several parents who support the teacher and what the district is doing. And even some of the people who don’t agree with sex reassignment surgery understand that the district is doing what it must do, Stutzman said, adding that gender identity disorder is considered a disability and protected under New York law.

“There are no other options in New York state.”

Continue reading at Democrat & Chronicle…

Excerpted from NY Transsexual Teacher Inappropriate Role Model, Says Knight, by Jim Brown, published Sept 13, 2006, by American Family Association:

…School officials announced a male teacher at the high school — who has been diagnosed with a “transsexual disorder,” says AP — is going through a medical transition and is dressing as a woman. Bob Knight with the Culture and Family Institute says the district should be putting the interests of its students first, but “like much of the public educational blob, is [instead] showing utter contempt for the parents.”

Knight contends that, by its actions, the district is telling parents it does not care if children become “sexually confused” by the transsexual teacher, or that someone “with a serious gender-identity disorder is being placed as a role model” in front of the students. In addition, he suggests the district is so committed to what he calls the “pansexual revolution” that it is telling parents “you’re going to go along with it, and we’re not even going to give your kids an out.”

Such an attitude, says the pro-family spokesman, is “arrogance at its worst.” He also feels the district, which has instructed students to refer to the teacher as “Mrs.,” is failing to ensure students have the best possible role model before them.

“I think that the district is well within its authority to tell the teacher …’If you can’t figure out that you’re really a man — you’ve got the DNA, the genetic sequence for being a man — you can’t be a teacher,'” says Knight…

School officials says the teacher will instruct about 100 students this year…

Continue reading at AFA…