FCPS FLE Opt out forms moved

[Anonymous]

Just when parents are looking for these, FCPS decides to hide them without a forwarding link.

Here are the new links to opt your child out of FLE:

Elementary grade K-6 Opt-Out forms (towards bottom of linked page)
https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-family-life-education-fle

Middle School grade 7-8 Opt-Out forms
https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle-school-academics-7-8/family-life-education-fle

High School grade 9-12 Opt-Out forms
https://www.fcps.edu/academics/high-school-academics-9-12/family-life-education-fle

This year is the gender ID and sexual orientation additions to the curriculum, as well as moving age sensitive topics down many grade levels.

Their "discrimination policy" discussion also removes religion and national origin from what they read to students:

"Discrimination: treating of some people differently than others without any clear reason; treating people unfairly based on a category, such as age, race, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identification"

Note that what they read kids in the FLE lesson omits "religion" and "national origin", and replaces with "sexual orientation" and "gender identification". This seems all too intentional. There is a long list of problems I have with the materials. The FLE content is full of bias like this which I find very biased by the creators of the curriculum.

I highly recommend looking at the curriculum yourself, opting out of the entire year and talking personally with your child about the topics you want your child to hear, from your family's values perspective. Or, opt out of the year and only opt into the topics you want your child to hear. The topics are very important for your child to hear, but FCPS veers so far from the state curriculum that kids are discussing controversial topics at an age inappropriate for most students

Why they would move, hide and not provide forwarding links to the opt out forms is questionable. To me it seems they are trying to subvert parental efforts to widely publicize the materials and encourage opt out. It would be like this school board to subvert parental objection to their political agendas. Even more reason to opt out and send them a message to listen to parents.

Again, read the lessons, and take advantage of your right to opt your child out of objectionable or age inappropriate lessons. Kids opting out will most likely get a study hall/library time to catch up on homework or do other things. Your child will probably thank you for this.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for posting OP.

What they are doing is alarming, and in terms of adding/subtracting groups from protected classes, illegal.

[Anonymous]

The entire FCPS site has been redone and everything is basically impossible to find. I doubt they specifically hid the FLE forms, which typically come home with the kids as well and are also available on blackboard. The freaking calendar doesn't even exist.

Stop with your conspiracy theories.

The FLE curriculum looks pretty good to me, though I agree religion should be included with all the discrimination Muslims are facing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The entire FCPS site has been redone and everything is basically impossible to find. I doubt they specifically hid the FLE forms, which typically come home with the kids as well and are also available on blackboard. The freaking calendar doesn't even exist.

Stop with your conspiracy theories.

The FLE curriculum looks pretty good to me, though I agree religion should be included with all the discrimination Muslims are facing.

Religion should be included because it is an actual, legal protected class.

Catholic, Mormon, Muslim, Evangelical Christian, Buddist, it doesn't matter. They are allprotected and for fcps to exclude them is both incorrect and dead wrong.

It has nothing tondo with the anti Christian bias of our current government, negative stereotypes of muslims, or any other specific religion.

Religion is a protected class. Period. FCPS needs to be accurate in what they teach and quit making up things to suit whatever agenda the school board has.

[Anonymous]

Nobody is hiding anything. My DD's MS already sent out all the forms for the coming school year, including the FLE opt out form. They will send it out again closer to the date when they do the presentations. They have no "agenda" for over-riding what parents want for their kids re: FLE.

If you haven't received the opt out form yet, I'm sure you will get it at open house. If you want to look at the exact materials for each grade, go to Blackboard. It's ALL on there. There is no conspiracy to hide anything.

[Anonymous]

I agree it should be included. Along with sexual orientation. Why is it one or the other?

Nothing is hidden though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous, "though I agree religion should be included with all the discrimination Muslims are facing. "

Exactly! Religion is part of the non-discrimination policy, but not in what they read kids in the FLE lesson on it.

Given Muslims are facing a huge amount of discrimination lately, or really anyone from middle eastern countries are, that is especially important to emphasize to our kids.

We saw what is happening with the burkini ban to Muslim women in France, fortunately the uproar brought attention and the ban was lifted. Whether you agree with a burkini or not, it is their right to follow their faith and modesty requirements.

It bothers me that the gender identity non-discrimination proposed policy doesn't take into account modesty requirements, such as what the Muslim girls, or for any religion or cultural reasons, shouldn't have to use a locker room with an anatomical boy.

It seems just as discriminatory to have a Muslim girl enter the locker room to change for gym class, only to find out there is a boy assigned the locker next to her. Girls have modesty requirements. Hope the school board makes common sense changes before enacting it.

Whether it's for removing their burkini or dressing for gym class, they have a right to not be forced to violate their religion.

[Anonymous]

"The FLE curriculum looks pretty good to me"

For me, one of my kids looks OK for the entire year and will not be opted out of anything.

The other 2, not so much, there's some age inappropriate things, and stuff that's not relevant (more relevant to certain cities and areas around Fairfax counties, so should be included, but not beneficial to everyone). Will opt out of these and not waste their time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"The FLE curriculum looks pretty good to me"

For me, one of my kids looks OK for the entire year and will not be opted out of anything.

The other 2, not so much, there's some age inappropriate things, and stuff that's not relevant (more relevant to certain cities and areas around Fairfax counties, so should be included, but not beneficial to everyone). Will opt out of these and not waste their time.

What age in appropriate things? Only in elementary here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"The FLE curriculum looks pretty good to me"

For me, one of my kids looks OK for the entire year and will not be opted out of anything.

The other 2, not so much, there's some age inappropriate things, and stuff that's not relevant (more relevant to certain cities and areas around Fairfax counties, so should be included, but not beneficial to everyone). Will opt out of these and not waste their time.

I agree with the secind poster and not the first.

The sex trafficking video in particular is not relevant to the vast majority of fcps and is not age appropriate either. It is a waste of time and resources.

Other things are just not age appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"The FLE curriculum looks pretty good to me"

For me, one of my kids looks OK for the entire year and will not be opted out of anything.

The other 2, not so much, there's some age inappropriate things, and stuff that's not relevant (more relevant to certain cities and areas around Fairfax counties, so should be included, but not beneficial to everyone). Will opt out of these and not waste their time.

I agree with the secind poster and not the first.

The sex trafficking video in particular is not relevant to the vast majority of fcps and is not age appropriate either. It is a waste of time and resources.

Other things are just not age appropriate.

There IS a lot of sex trafficking in Fairfax though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anonymous, "though I agree religion should be included with all the discrimination Muslims are facing. "

Exactly! Religion is part of the non-discrimination policy, but not in what they read kids in the FLE lesson on it.

Given Muslims are facing a huge amount of discrimination lately, or really anyone from middle eastern countries are, that is especially important to emphasize to our kids.

We saw what is happening with the burkini ban to Muslim women in France, fortunately the uproar brought attention and the ban was lifted. Whether you agree with a burkini or not, it is their right to follow their faith and modesty requirements.

It bothers me that the gender identity non-discrimination proposed policy doesn't take into account modesty requirements, such as what the Muslim girls, or for any religion or cultural reasons, shouldn't have to use a locker room with an anatomical boy.

It seems just as discriminatory to have a Muslim girl enter the locker room to change for gym class, only to find out there is a boy assigned the locker next to her. Girls have modesty requirements. Hope the school board makes common sense changes before enacting it.

Whether it's for removing their burkini or dressing for gym class, they have a right to not be forced to violate their religion.

But FLE is teaching about discrimination and reproduction, right? It isn't teaching about who can use the FCPS locker rooms. That's a whole different thing. Just because FCPS needs to figure out this locker room thing doesn't mean kids shouldn't be taught not to discriminate period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"The FLE curriculum looks pretty good to me"

For me, one of my kids looks OK for the entire year and will not be opted out of anything.

The other 2, not so much, there's some age inappropriate things, and stuff that's not relevant (more relevant to certain cities and areas around Fairfax counties, so should be included, but not beneficial to everyone). Will opt out of these and not waste their time.

What age in appropriate things? Only in elementary here.

Your elementary kid will get STDs (I think fifth), graphic human trafficking (6th), incest (I think 2nd), a description of the mechanics of oral sex read by their gym teacher (I think 7th), group discussions of their sexual history/experiences/preferences (9th & 10th), a description of the mechanics of anal sex (HS), and more sex trafficking (MS).

There is a ton of time devoted to sex trafficking (not very relevant to the average fcps kid) and very little time spent on appropriate use of technology (things like not taking/sharing nude photos, not videotaping sex acts, not filming sex acts even with consent especially if participants are minors and even if they agree to filming-- all far more useful and relevant to the average fcps teen or preteen than sex trafficking). There is a part to the curriculum (I believe the high school section) that states kids need to be taught about sexuality in kindergarten.

Some of the things covered might be fine for your family. Some may not.

However, they revised the sex ed curriculum and it is not the same as it was a few years back (when it was very age appropriate and probably similar to what you assume an elementary curriculum would be like.)

It is really important that you as the parent review the curriculum online before letting your kid take part in it so you know what they are being taught.

You can no longer assume the school board has your kid's best interest in mind. It does not.

[Anonymous]

PP here...anal sex might be 8th grade, not high school. It is all in the script.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"The FLE curriculum looks pretty good to me"

For me, one of my kids looks OK for the entire year and will not be opted out of anything.

The other 2, not so much, there's some age inappropriate things, and stuff that's not relevant (more relevant to certain cities and areas around Fairfax counties, so should be included, but not beneficial to everyone). Will opt out of these and not waste their time.

I agree with the secind poster and not the first.

The sex trafficking video in particular is not relevant to the vast majority of fcps and is not age appropriate either. It is a waste of time and resources.

Other things are just not age appropriate.

There IS a lot of sex trafficking in Fairfax though.

In very limited communities. Not Fairfax County as a whole and not for the vast majority of fcps students.

They should target that curriculum to the few geogrwphic areas that actually have this problem.