The Queer Blended Learning Center, organized by “one n ten,” an activist group, is opening with funds from taxpayer-funded vouchers.
“We just had this population of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders that could really benefit from a safe space to be able to really have exceptional education while also having an education that pertains to their own identity,” the organization’s director of development and marketing Clayton Davenport said to the Arizona Republic.
“Being able to raise their hands and ask their questions in a safe, affirming environment is going to be key to their mental health and educational advancement,” he added.
Curriculum for the learning center will include LGBT history, as created by the New York Department of Education.
Other fields, such as math, reading, and science, will be taught in an online format.
Former Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed Arizona’s largest school voucher program in July 2022.
The law allowed more than 1.1 million Arizona students across public and charter schools to be eligible to receive up to $7000 to transfer, pay for private school tuition, or other education costs.
Reporting from The Daily Caller:
The school was founded in response to debates throughout the country between parents, lawmakers and school boards over how to address gender identity and sexual orientation topics. In May, Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have prohibited educators from using pronouns that don’t correspond with a student’s biological sex. The Virginia Department of Education in July released a final version of its model policies that would require schools to separate sports teams on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity.
