PARENTS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER THEIR RIGHTS BEING VIOLATED
Parents recently voiced their concerns to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District about a principal and teachers regarding the appropriateness of a book being read to their children in the 5th grade. The book, Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff, is a fictional novel about a ghost coaxing a young girl to find her inner-self by gender-transitioning into a boy. You can read more about the book in an article by EdFirstPV called Gender Ideology Being Taught in PVPUSD Classrooms.
Parents were rightfully concerned since they were neither told nor notified of the topics regarding gender sexuality being discussed with their child through the reading of this book.
were parents mislead about the right of teachers to choose the book?
The response from PVPUSD staff, teachers, and the Teacher’s Union (PVFA) to parents was that the CA FAIR ACT (SB 48) allowed the teachers to read the novel. However, the FAIR ACT states:
“Add instruction in history-social science about the role and contribution of persons with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans; and other ethnic and cultural groups to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States, with a particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society.”
The FAIR Act actually does not specifically permit teachers to present a work of fiction to discuss gender-transition in the classroom. Parents were also told that the CA Department of Education recommends the novel, when the CA Department of Education makes it clear that the local district has the ultimate responsibility of choosing literature, rather than an individual teacher.
In addition the Palos Verdes Faculty Union (PVFA) claims that the book is acceptable to teach because of the CA Healthy Youth Act. The CA Healthy Youth Act is a bill that requires school districts to ensure that all pupils in grades seven to twelve, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education. It specifically requires school districts to provide students with integrated, comprehensive, accurate, and inclusive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education, at least once in high school and once in middle school. It is essentially the outline for implementing the CA comprehensive sex education health courses provided by the school district. The CA Healthy Youth Act does not allow all other subject matters to teach topics regarding LGBTQ worldviews, and PVFA is misinterpreting the law.
Parent’s Right to know when controversial topics are topics in the classroom
Parents have the ultimately right to impart values regarding human sexuality on their own children. The state law is outlined in CA Education Code 51937:
“The Legislature recognizes that while parents and guardians overwhelmingly support medically accurate, comprehensive sex education, parents and guardians have the ultimate responsibility for imparting values regarding human sexuality to their children.”
Topics regarding human sexuality are regulated under the CA Healthy Youth Act within the district’s Comprehensive Health Education Curriculum. Parents have the right to opt-out their children from the Comprehensive Health Curriculum. Recently, however, opting-out has become increasingly more difficult for parents since this type of instruction is actively making its way into all other subject areas. The Palos Verdes Board of Education has the power to pass policies that align with their commitments they’ve made to parents and to the law.
PVPUSD has policies that address their Vision, Bylaws, Parental Involvement, Instructional Materials, Controversial Issues, and many more. PVPUSD Board Policy 6144 regarding topics that relate to Controversial Issues says:
“When providing instruction related to a controversial issue, the following guidelines shall apply:
1. The topic shall be suitable to the age and maturity of the students.
2. Instruction shall be presented in a balanced manner, addressing all sides of the issue without bias or prejudice and without promoting any particular point of view.
3. In the classroom, teachers act on behalf of the district and are expected to follow the adopted curriculum. In leading or guiding class discussions about issues that may be controversial, a teacher may not advocate his/her personal opinion or viewpoint. When necessary, the Superintendent or designee may instruct teachers to refrain from sharing personal views in the classroom on controversial topics.
4. Students shall be assured of their right to form and express an opinion without jeopardizing their grades or being subject to discrimination, retaliation, or discipline, provided the viewpoint does not constitute harassment, threats, intimidation, or bullying or is otherwise unlawful.”
A controversial topic is defined as any topic that arouses a strong reaction.
As parents pushed back against the overreach of instructional materials by some teachers, the PVFA has pushed harder to misrepresent parental concerns. Subsequently, the Palos Verdes Democrat Party became involved by sending out an email requesting their members and LGBTQ+ supporters rally for "inclusive education" at the Board of Education meeting on 3/8/23. Even former Board Member Rick Philips misrepresented the law when he spoke out against parents who shared concerns about being more involved in the selection of their children’s instructional materials. Education Code 60002 very clearly states:
“Each district board shall promote the involvement of parents and other members of the community in the selection of instructional materials.”
Furthermore, the disregard for a parents’ rights to rear their children is also apparent in the 205 News interview given by a Transgender expert and teacher, Stevie Hirner. Stevie is a PFLAG activist, living in Long Beach, who was called to speak at our local school board meeting where he misrepresent and attack parent concerns.
The law is the law
There are many CA laws that promote the involvement of parents. In addition to the aforementioned Education Code 60002, there is the CA Education Law 51100 that outlines the benefits of parent involvement:
“(a) It is essential to our democratic form of government that parents and guardians of schoolage children attending public schools and other citizens participate in improving public education institutions. Specifically, involving parents and guardians of pupils in the education process is fundamental to a healthy system of public education.
(b) Research has shown conclusively that early and sustained family involvement at home and at school in the education of children results both in improved pupil achievement and in schools that are successful at educating all children, while enabling them to achieve high levels of performance.
(c) All participants in the education process benefit when schools genuinely welcome, encourage, and guide families into establishing equal partnerships with schools to support pupil learning.
(d) Family and school collaborative efforts are most effective when they involve parents and guardians in a variety of roles at all grade levels, from preschool through high.”
It is the job of the Board of Education, the Superintendent Alex Cherniss and his staff, the principals, and the teachers to know and abide by the law and enforce Board Polices that regulate the school district. The Board of Education also has an obligation to the commitments it has made to parents and student learning.
PVPUSD states in its Board Policy Vision:
“The purpose of the district is to provide the guidance and resources necessary to ensure an environment conducive to learning. However, it is important to emphasize that the goal of our educational system is not to supplant parental responsibilities throughout the learning process. The Board desires to foster parental participation in order that an educational climate is created which reinforces the positive and healthy development of the child.”
Regardless of pressure from the Teachers Union (PVFA), activist support groups such as PFLAG that represent Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders, and Queer Youth, the PV Democrat Party, or even former Board Members like Rick Phillips, PVPUSD must dedicate itself to uphold CA law and its own Board Policies for the posterity of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District.