Sex and COVID: Unbeknownst to Parents, School Used Health Survey to Discuss Sexuality
When parents send their kids to school, they usually trust the staff to provide the children with the education necessary to pursue their vocational goals.
But some parents have found that instead of performing the job they entrusted them to do, public schools are subjecting students to ideological concepts regarding gender identity and sexual orientation.
The Bethel School District in Washington state has drawn condemnation from parents for exposing kids to such inappropriate material in a recent COVID-19 survey, according to a March 25 report from KTTH-AM.
The survey, administered by the Bethel Superintendent’s Office to students in grades 6 through 12, included more than just health-related questions.
In addition to asking students about their physical and mental wellness, the survey asked them to identify as “male, female, transgender, questioning/not sure of my gender identity, or something else that fits better,” according to KTTH. It also asked kids what gender they were “assigned” at birth, “even if you are not that gender today.”
Another set of questions inquired about sexual orientation, asking students if they are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or “something else that fits better.”
While the optional survey warned students that it included “personal questions that may be considered sensitive or uncomfortable,” their parents say they were not informed about the content ahead of time.
Not only did many of them argue that it seemed inappropriate to expose kids to adult concepts of sex and gender identity, but the parents also challenged the relevancy of such questions in a health survey.
One father in the Bethel School District told KTTH he believed the survey was just a “wellness/COVID questionnaire.” He said he did not learn about the content until his 12-year-old daughter took pictures and told him about it.
“I do my best to protect my daughter’s innocence at this age,” the father said during an interview with host Jason Rantz.
“I don’t allow her to watch rated R movies that have sexual content in them. We don’t allow certain magazines and monitor her internet usage. It’s infuriating when the school pushes back against my value system.”
“Most of it I don’t have a problem with, and I understand the need for wellness monitoring,” he added. “But is the state’s intent to inject transgender and hypersexuality into everything they do?”
The father noted that his daughter is allowed to make “choices about life when she matures.” But while she is under his care, he said, the “values” he intends to teach his daughter will not be “manipulated by our overreacting government.”
“I do not trust the public school system any longer. Once she is exposed to it, you can’t unring that bell,” the man said.
“I got a very special email about how to opt my kids out of the HIV classes but no specific/special email about wanting to ask my 12-year-old if she is a lesbian, a different gender than at birth, or how she identifies her sexuality.”
As KTTH reported, the father said he will demand that the school send any future surveys to him before administering them to his daughter. He also advised other parents to do the same when it comes to keeping a close eye on the material their child’s school may be putting in front of them.
But students should not be exposed to content that undermines their value system without their parents’ knowledge.
If schools like Bethel want to discuss controversial topics with students, they should not introduce the material in secretive or misleading ways.
Instead of weakening familial relationships, schools should encourage kids to view parents as trustworthy resources for navigating difficult questions regarding sexual issues.
By secretly pushing a sex and gender identity agenda on kids, teachers and school board members force children to explore heavy topics without their parents’ guidance.
The Bethel School District did not immediately respond to The Western Journal’s request for further comment.
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