Happy Anniversary, Arlington Parent Coalition. It’s been a full year today.
On this first anniversary of the Arlington Parent Coalition’s inception, our leadership team has been reflecting on facts ascertained and lessons learned. Summing up our introduction to Arlington Public Schools’ activities around gender and sexuality since witnessing our first, shocking working-group meeting on the Transgender Student Policy (February 25, 2019), we offer this conclusion:
APS has adopted a policy of early and thorough sexualization of children around LGB/TQ-centric interests as the focus of a systematic social-propaganda curriculum, and APS will disregard and circumvent any parent who dissents.
In both Family Life Education classes and core classes in Arlington Public Schools, your child will be taught that:
earlier and more frequent sexual experiences are expected by society and are a right for everyone, including children.
homosexuality, transgenderism, and polyamory (multiple concurrent sexual partners) are healthy lifestyles, and just as legitimate as marriage between one man and one woman.
no kind of sexual activity may be deemed wrong, unhealthy, or unacceptable.
if your family does not agree with the above statements, your family is wrong.
Parents with children in any APS school must be cognizant of the fact that APS is no longer a partner to parents, nor is your child’s school neutral territory on sex and sexuality values. APS is an inhospitable and intolerant environment to anyone with traditional and/or faith-based values regarding marriage and family life. Your child may be fortunate enough to have a teacher who does not espouse the APS party-line on LGB/TQ and sexualization issues, but in our assessment this must now be considered the exception and not the rule.
Although Deborah DeFranco, supervisor of family life education at APS, told a member of the Arlington Parent Coalition last year that APS is not yet looking at the SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States) Comprehensive Sexuality Education guide, which has been adopted in many other school districts around the country (including the entire state of California), many components of those curriculum guidelines have already been observed in APS. The National Education Association (NEA) helped SIECUS develop these guidelines along with Planned Parenthood. This malicious alliance is now rolling out its strategic initiative to sexualize our nation’s children by way of our public schools.
APS has been unwilling/unable to provide any parent we’ve consulted actual curriculum from its Family Life Education program (despite legal requirements per the Virginia Department of Education to make said curriculum available to parents upon request). However, Arlington parents have seen and reported to APC enough egregious sexualization messages and events at APS that we can offer the following evidence to support our conclusions that APS is indeed utilizing at least some of the SIECUS CSE guidelines:
K-5th Grade (5-12 Years of Age):
What are some of SIECUS/NEA/Planned Parenthood/APS’s “Developmental Messages” for K-5th graders?
“Touching and rubbing one’s own genitals to feel good is called masturbation.” (K-3rd)
“Human beings can love people of the same gender and people of another gender” (and) “Homosexual men and women are also known as gay men and lesbians.” (K-3rd)
“Some people are bisexual, which means they can be attracted to and fall in love with people of the same or another gender. Gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and heterosexuals are alike in most ways.” (K-3rd)
“Two people of the same gender can live in loving, lifetime committed relationships.” (K-3rd)
“Sometimes women become pregnant when they do not want to be or are unable to care for a child.” (K-3rd, under “Abortion” heading)
“Biological sex refers to whether a person has male or female genitals and/or chromosomes. Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of being male, female, or a combination of these.” (4th-5th)
“Children may have a mother, a mother and a father, two mothers, two fathers, or any other combination of adults who love and care for them.” (4th-5th)
How do we know that at least some of these messages are already being broadcast to elementary-age students in APS?
Maureen Nesselrode, principal at Campbell Elementary School, said in the February 25, 2019, meeting referenced in the first paragraph that, “Elementary school principals are working hard to get transgender materials into classrooms and libraries.” (February 25, 2019)
Ashlawn Elementary School invited a transgender activist to read the transgender storybook I Am Jazz to Jaim Foster’s and Holly Fisher’s kindergarten classes, without parental approval or opt-out. Students were told that parents and doctors can “make a mistake” about a child’s sex. (February 28, 2019)
Oakridge Elementary’s Mosaic teacher, Dawn Arsala, taught an interactive unit on gender identity to 4th and 5th graders, and asked a child to read My Princess Boy aloud to the other students. (December 2019)
During Spirit Week’s Rainbow Friday at McKinley Elementary a child was mocked and called a “hater” by other children on the playground for associating the rainbow with Noah rather than homosexuality. Nothing was done by teachers or staff to address or discourage this bullying. (2017-18)
6th-8th Grades (12-15 Years of Age):
What are a few of SIECUS/NEA/Planned Parenthood/APS’s “Developmental Messages” for 6th-8th graders? (The bulk of the SIECUS guide’s messaging is focused on this age group, interestingly. A number of them relate to hiding things from parents.)
“All people, regardless of biological sex, gender, age, ability, and culture, are sexual beings.”
“Masturbation, either alone or with a partner, is one way people can enjoy and express their sexuality without risking pregnancy or an STD/HIV.”
“Some sexual behaviors shared by partners include kissing; touching; talking; caressing; massaging; and oral, vaginal, or anal intercourse.”
[NOTE: Anal intercourse is well-documented as an unhealthy practice that damages the rectum and spreads disease more readily than vaginal intercourse. It is irresponsible in the extreme to recommend it to children.]
“Orgasm is an intense pleasurable release of sexual feelings or tension experienced at the peak of sexual arousal.”
“Two people who live together without being married can have the same commitment and responsibility toward one another as married people.”
[NOTE: Nowhere in this 52-page guide can we find even a suggestion that a life-long marriage between a man and a woman is advantageous or even valuable.]
“In most states, young people can get prescriptions for contraception without their parents’ permission.”
“The right of a woman to have a legal abortion is guaranteed by the Supreme Court, although there are restrictions in some states.”
“Teenagers can get confidential testing and treatment for STDs without parental consent.”
“In this community, call ______________ for STD information and medical services.”
“Teenagers are usually able to get tested for HIV without parental permission; to learn more about HIV testing in this community call _______________________.”
“State laws govern the age of consent for sexual behaviors. Age of consent laws are gender neutral. The law in this state concerning the age of consent is__________________.”
[NOTE: Age of consent laws deal with underage persons having
sexual relations with adults. Why would children need this information?]
“Many scientific theories have concluded that sexual orientation cannot be changed by therapy or medicine.”
[NOTE: This is untrue, as evidenced by thousands of people who either “came out” later in life or who left an unwanted homosexual lifestyle through counseling and therapy. Furthermore, a “theory” does not arrive at a conclusion. A theory posits a possible explanation.]
How do we know that at least some of these messages are already being broadcast to middle schoolers in APS?
Johanna Boyers, a counselor at Williamsburg Middle School entered a 7th-grade English classroom and gave a presentation on gender harassment, utilizing a third-party video that is unavailable to parents without a licensing code, and refused to let a child excuse himself. (September 25, 2019)
A child at Swanson Middle School, who opted not to participate in Swanson’s Day of Silence (for LGBTQ reverence) was physically silenced when another student clamped a hand over her mouth. Also at Swanson, Mr. Brosnahan offered extra credit to students who participated in the Day of Silence. (2016-17)
Emma Foley’s 6th-grade STAR class at Swanson Middle School was shown a TED Talk from the Mermaids (U.K. Transgender Advocacy Organization) CEO, featuring the phrase, “God made a mistake.” (May 8, 2019)
At HB Woodlawn, 6th through 12th graders participate together in the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club. Their advisor, Travis Reyes, is not present during meetings. One 7th grader shared with her parents what she learned in GSA about bestiality and pansexuality. (2017-18)
A HILT student at Gunston Middle School came home with an English vocabulary list that used transgenderism examples to define the word “category”. (January 2020)
9th-12th Grades (15-18 Years of Age):
What are a few of SIECUS/NEA/Planned Parenthood/APS’s “Developmental Messages” for 9th-12th graders?
“Some babies are born intersexed [sic] which means that they may have ambiguous genitals that are not clearly male or female and/or that their chromosomes do not match their genitals.”
“The understanding and identification of one’s sexual orientation may change over the course of his/her lifetime.”
[NOTE: This contradicts the “Developmental Message” given to 6th-8th graders, that an individual’s sexual orientation cannot be changed.]
“A person may accept his/her family’s values and not always agree with all of them.”
“Most women need some clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm. Most couples do not experience simultaneous orgasm.”
“Some people use erotic photographs, movies, art, literature, or the Internet [sic] to enhance their sexual fantasies when alone or with a partner.”
[NOTE: This is endorsement and promotion of pornography.]
“People can have sexual fantasies about individuals of all genders without it necessarily affecting their understanding of their sexual orientation.”
“A person whose religious or cultural teachings prohibit contraception may have to decide between those teachings, the risk of unintended pregnancy or STDs/HIV, and his/her decision to have vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse.”
How do we know that at least some of these messages are already being broadcast to high school students in APS?
GSA club members (students) are giving PowerPoint presentations on homosexuality and transgenderism to other students in health classes, family life education classes, and in at least one instance a HILT class. This unacceptable “Peer-Led Sex Ed”, which violates Virginia DOE guidelines on Family Life Education is endorsed by the NEA. (Yorktown & Washington-Liberty, 2017-Present)
A 9th grade student came home with a Gender Unicorn and LGBTQ glossary with accompanying graded quiz in her class folder. (May 24, 2019)
A Yorktown freshman was mocked by a peer for being a virgin, and called “Alphabet Soup,” meaning androgynous or asexual. Nothing was done by teachers or staff to address or discourage this bullying. (2019)
See our Relevant Events Spreadsheet and Blog Archives for more details on the above and other of APS’s sexualization efforts.
That APS’s social-engineering goals come from the top-down, as opposed to via rogue sex-ed from aberrant individuals is clear from parents’ interactions with the school board, administrators, and principals:
Pam McClellan, supervisor of counseling at APS, had this to say in reference to parents who do not accept the notion that children can be born in the wrong body: [APS must] “help parents who are unsupportive or who aren’t quite there yet… help to move the parents along.” Her arrogant assumption that parents are unqualified to make life and health decisions about their own children sums up the underlying ethos at APS. (February 25, 2019)
Unless the least trustworthy teacher is more trustworthy than the most trustworthy parent, no parent should ever lose his or her authority over a child to the school system.
Regardless of one’s position on this particular issue, everyone should consider it an unacceptable horror that the state would wrest control of children from their own parents.
A substitute teacher reported to APC that training on mandatory reporting in APS was comprised almost entirely of gender identity, with little or no information on recognizing signs of child abuse or on providing for the safety and care of all children.
When APC contacted Dr. Gregg Robertson, Washington-Liberty principal, about students teaching other students lessons on sex and gender, his responses were cursory and dismissive. He did not answer any of the seven questions APC asked. Deborah DeFranco (Supervisor of family life education at APS) has never even responded to APC’s letter as of this publication date.
APS gives training and cites support for their policies from organizations like Teaching Tolerance (a social-engineering initiative from the Southern Poverty Law Center), GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network), and Welcoming Schools, which are one-sided, anti-faith groups that promote LGB & TQ interests as opposed to true diversity or tolerance. There is no tolerance for those who don’t agree with groups that promote transgenderism and the hyper-sexualizing of children; anyone who questions them or dissents from their ideology is labeled a “hater”, “bigot”, “TERF”, “religious zealot”, and/or “homophobe/transphobe”.
The Arlington Parent Coalition will continue to pursue its primary goal of holding Arlington Public Schools accountable for creating and following evidence-based practices and policies which support and protect ALL students, as opposed to a preferred minority. APC also continues to work toward its second, but equally urgent goal: supporting parents and guardians in Arlington and around the nation as they seek to keep their children safe at school.
Our Summary Takeaways:
Arlington Public Schools (APS) is not a safe place for anyone who does not want their children introduced to the most libertine, dangerous, and explicit forms of sexuality.
Arlington Public Schools administrators have disregarded input from parents, and have indicated by their behavior that they intend to continue doing so. This arrogant attitude has no place in an organization that is government-funded via taxpayer dollars, and APS must be reminded of its position as an institution of support to parents in educating their children, and APS must once again be required to defer to parental authority.
Parents whose children attend APS must be vigilant, determined, and engaged every day, at every level, in order to protect children from this intentional sexualization agenda.
Arlington Parent Coalition urges parents to:
submit to your principal a Universal Opt-Out Letter, restricting APS from providing any sexuality or gender training to your children.
put a statement in your child’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan), if s/he has one, that the school is not to provide any sexuality or gender information to your special education student.
demand accountability to the law and demand respect for parental authority from teachers, administrators, and school board members.
demand that Deborah DeFranco (supervisor of family life education) as well as your children's teachers and principals release to you every piece of curricula, including presentations, graphics, books, handouts, photos, links, physical props, and/or talking points used in your child’s classrooms that have anything to do with family life education, sexuality, and/or gender.
file a complaint with the Virginia Department of Education (1-800-292-3820) for breach of guidelines if the above materials are not provided to you within one calendar week of your request.
submit comments to local newspapers and media outlets such as the Sun-Gazette, ARLnow, the Washington Post (800-477-4679) and the Washington Times (202-636-3042), expressing your dissatisfaction with APS’s performance regarding sexuality and gender education.
As always, thank you for partnering with the Arlington Parent Coalition to keep children safe in school.
*The material contained in this article is copyrighted by the Arlington Parent Coalition under a Creative Commons license, which allows the right to share, use, and build upon the work herein. Schools and LGB & TQ lobby groups around the United States and the world are following the same playbook and utilizing the same strategies and propaganda toward indoctrinating children into unhealthy and hyper-sexualized lifestyles. Therefore we expect that the above information is true not only of Arlington Public Schools, but of school systems elsewhere as well. Anything contained in this article may be copied and used freely by those fighting this unconscionable indoctrination and deception.