The advocacy group Parents Defending Education has been exposing school districts nationwide for implementing policies and curricula that prioritize indoctrination over transparency. In one notable instance, the organization discovered widespread LGBTQ+ indoctrination taking place in North Carolina, often unbeknownst to parents.
Nine school districts in the state have been found to provide staff training on promoting LGBTQ ideologies in the classroom, as well as policies designed to keep students’ gender identities hidden from their parents. The affected districts include Davidson County Schools, Buncombe County Schools, Brunswick County Schools, Rockingham County Schools, Durham Public Schools, Chapel-Hill Carrboro City Schools, Pitt County Schools, New Hanover County Schools, and Cabarrus County Schools.
Some of these districts have policies that allow staff to keep students’ gender identities hidden from their parents, even if it contradicts the students’ biological sex. For example, Davidson County Schools, Buncombe County Schools, Brunswick County Schools, Durham Public Schools, New Hanover County Schools, and Cabarrus County Schools provide guidance or training that enables staff to conceal students’ gender identities. This means that a student who identifies as a female but was born male could do so at school, using a chosen name and female pronouns, without their parents being aware.
Durham Public Schools have taken it a step further by approving a proclamation in observance of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, which targets states that have passed legislation banning males from participating in female sports and restricting gender transitioning procedures for minors. Pitt County Schools, on the other hand, provides students who want to “transition” with a “Gender Support Plan,” which allows parents or legal guardians to be involved, but also permits “transgender” students to use facilities that align with their gender identity rather than their biological sex.
Michele Exner, senior adviser at Parents Defending Education, has slammed these policies, stating that they demonstrate a lack of trust in parents and perpetuate the notion that school staff know better than parents. Exner warns that parents will continue to push back against such policies, which she believes are designed to undermine parental authority.
