Olympia School District will feature Pride songs and books as part of an effort to “journey toward Gender-Inclusive Schools.”
QUICK FACTS:
- Washington’s Olympia School District is requiring students to attend various Pride-related activities without an opt-out policy.
- “The Olympia School District has no opt-out process for Pride-related lessons as they are aligned with the standards that are required to be taught within our schools,” a spokesperson told radio station KTTH.
- “OSD is committed to gender-inclusive schools, and we will follow the guidance of our governing agency, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI),” the statement continued.
- At the beginning of June, the school district released a Pride Month Proclamation, part of which read: “The month of June is an opportunity to celebrate the narratives, identities, and contributions of those within the LGBTQIA+ community.”
- “We recognize the struggle for equal rights continues today and are committed to expanded partnerships, policy reviews and updates, and opportunities to exercise learning courage that further our journey toward Gender-Inclusive Schools,” the proclamation continued, adding, “By recognizing Pride Month we affirm that supportive school environments substantially improve the mental health and school engagement of LGBTQIA+ students.”
- If a student chooses not to participate in the Pride activities, they will receive an unexcused absence.
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESPONSE:
- Superintendent Patrick Murphy said in June 2022 that excusing a student from the activities is “offensive.”
- “Acknowledging and celebrating the variety of backgrounds and families of our students and staff aligns with state and federal directives to ensure that we have gender-inclusive schools and to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment,” Murphy said at a meeting last year.
- “To ask students, to ask staff to excuse students when those types of activities would occur, it’s not only disruptive to the learning environment and an undue burden, I would say, on staff,” he continued, noting, “Much more importantly, it’s offensive and demeaning to the very students and staff who are protected.”
BACKGROUND:
- American Faith reported that elementary-aged students led a Pride celebration in Charlottesville, Virginia.
- A video surfaced showing girls explaining what LGBTQ stands for and then reading a book about Pride using the alphabet.
- According to Supervisor of Community Relations at Charlottesville City Schools Beth Cheuk, the student assembly was part of a “monthly schoolwide morning meeting celebrating the end of the school year.”
- “We have not communicated with families every time we had a cultural observation as part of these morning meetings. However, we will do so moving forward,” Cheuk added.
