By DAVID BOYLE
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board voted down a controversial “supplement” to its new health curriculum while approving a new health book.
The supplement included subjects such as gender identity, sexual orientations, and romantic orientations. These pages are from the supplement:
The testimony was divided into two camps: parents who voiced strong opposition to the supplement; and educators who believed they knew what was best for other’s children.
Most of the community testimony opposed the controversial supplement. One person said, “It tells lies. It says that there are more than two genders, and that is a lie.”
He closed his testimony by saying, “If you want your children to learn about sexual deviation, you should send them to (Jeffrey) Epstein’s Island.”
Another citizen said that instead of purchasing a new health book, the money should be used for the literacy training program required by the Alaska Reads Act. It seems this parent would like the district to focus on what matters — getting children reading at grade level.
A North Pole resident said that the supplement “shook me to the core” and stated it was definitely not middle school material. She warned that parents would be removing their kids from the district if this supplement becomes part of the curriculum.
A supporter of the new health book stated that abortion should also be included in the curriculum because it is not in the new health book.
Further discussion by the board showed the controversial supplement to the health book was in the teachers’ lounges for an entire week for their review. Parents seemed to have less access than the teachers.
The board was divided into those who believed that LGBTQ material in the supplement should be included in the health curriculum and those who strongly opposed the supplement inclusion.
Board member Erin Morotti said that failing to acknowledge LGBTQ identities is to “essentially erase them.” And “To erase someone is to deny their humanity and therefore their human rights.” She was all-in for the supplement.
Member April Smith said she was voting “yes” for the new health book even though the health book did not represent her values. However, the book did represent her community. She further said that the district could not afford the controversy the supplement would create in the community. This supplement would cost public trust in the district. She voted “no” to the supplement.
Members Timothy Doran, a former principal, and Brandy Harty, a former teacher, both supported the supplement being included in the health curriculum.
The discussion finally devolved into whether students would have access to the supplement. District staff said that students would not have access to the supplement unless the teacher gave access to it. A contradiction that implied that teachers would have the final say, not parents.
That would leave the door wide open for the teachers to openly share the material covered in the supplement.
A student could have access to the controversial supplement without parental permission because the supplement is not in the parents’ permission slip. And a teacher could assign material out of the supplement.
After many rounds of voting on amendments to adding the supplement and several reconsideration votes, the board voted on the new health curriculum without including the supplement.
The board voted 4 to 3 on excluding the controversial supplement. Voting “yes” were Burnett, Matheson, Smith, and Sanderson. Voting “no” (and to include the supplement) were Dorn, Harty, and Morotti.
The board voted 4 to 3 to adopt the new health book without the supplement, supporting the community’s parents.
Perhaps, now the school board could move on to educating our children in math and reading — life-long skills needed for success in life.
