This week our fourth-grader brought home a permission slip from her teacher who requested a parental signature in order to allow her to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The teacher assured concerned parents that this Dr. Seuss movie contained no objectionable material which might be offensive or inappropriate for elementary school age children.
That same day, on the front page of our local paper, readers were informed that our county School Board voted for the protection of, among others, transgender identity and gender expression in area public schools. In the name of ‘staying competitive and catching up with the Joneses,’ civil rights and freedom of expression, parents are now faced with a new reality in our schools which allows any male who feels like a female, to use girls’ bathrooms, and the other way around.
I admit that I am a bit confused and might be the only one who scratches her head over the apparent irony of the double standard. On one hand we meticulously scrutinize Dr. Seuss for objectionable content. On the other, we fling our children’s bathroom doors wide open, inviting anyone who feels like it to come on in.
Sadly, any mother or father who might find this new policy “objectionable,” “inappropriate” and “offensive” runs the risk of being labeled hyper-vigilant, homophobic or intolerant bigot. Unless, of course, the School Board institutes another policy, requiring signed permission slips to allow children to use bathrooms during school hours.
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