Anyone here opting their kids out of sex ed in Virginia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where exactly can one see this “assigned at birth” language used in the elementary curriculum? FCPS follows the state curriculum verbatim. So are you saying that the Republican-led government (and VDOE) changed the curriculum? Or do you have access to some new curriculum that FCPS is using?

If you have children in FCPS you most certainly have received correspondence from the county using this new gender identity terminology. In fact, the latest survey sent to parents last fall on the proposed FLE changes uses it exclusively.

This was the recommendation for last year’s curriculum:
SY2022 - 23 Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC) Consideration
In 2022 - 23 FLECAC should explore and recommend changes regarding inclusion of the gender spectrum in the elementary FLE curriculum and a more overall inclusive curriculum in Family Life Education.

The entire document:
https://www.fcps.edu/node/33908

So, I see that’s what the-powers-that-be are recommending or suggesting. Has this been approved? Will this be the curriculum this year? If not, then why opt-out your kid this year unless you were going to do it anyway, regardless of the actual curriculum. To say you are opting out this year because of future proposed language is disingenuous.

Are you a parent in FCPS? If so, you must have noticed that this language has already been used for over a year.

You should have also noticed that the 2023-2024 FLE and Human Growth forms have not been updated. FCPS hasn’t even updated the FLE Opt-Out forms since 2021.

It would be disingenuous to continue using an outdated Opt-Out form that doesn’t reflect the contents nor the language of this current year when school is about to start. Given the polemic surrounding the FLE changes for this year, transparency and accuracy should be a must.

It has NOT been used with ELEMENTARY students. I teach it verbatim and there is no “assigned at birth” in the elementary curriculum.

You are talking about the old FLE--they have not yet approved the new one.

EXACTLY. But people are posting that they are opting their kids out of an FLE that DOES. NOT. EXIST.

Will it change? Yeah, maybe. And then opt out if you want; that’s your right as a parent.

But these posters are straight-up lying by saying that the curriculum currently presented to elementary children uses the phrase “assigned at birth”. IT. DOES. NOT.

So, I’ll say again that to opt your child out of something that is not currently in existence is STUPID.

Three questions for you:
1. What will you do when you are instructed to use assigned male or female at birth with your ES students?
2. Have you visited your school’s library lately? FCPS has books in its ES libraries that not only use those terms as substitutes for boys and girls, they also teach students why those terms exist.
3. When students ask you what those terms in the books mean because they are confused, what do you reply?

[Anonymous]

We opted out, but the children learned about material.

We also discussed that the LGBT+ people have 2x rate of substance abuse and mental illlness due to choice to live the risky lifestyle.

The children did not understand why school promoted the lifestyle. It was not easy talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I decided to opt our kids out from the sex ed curriculum. We're lifelong Democrats who hate Trump and voted for Biden. But I just really can't deal with the extreme positions Democrats have staked out on some of these sexuality and gender debates. Of course I'd never say this publicly. Just curious how many others who feel like me are out there.

Fifth grade is EXACTLY when your kids should be learning about sex-ed.
Do you have any idea what goes on in middle schools these days?
Kids are losing their virginity younger and younger these days... no longer are they waiting until 16, 17 & 18.

Before you opt your kid out, maybe you should sit in on a few classes and see what's being taught?
Knowledge is power.
It would be a real shame if your kid wasn't on the same knowledge level as their classmates, and they end up making life altering mistakes, because mommy wants to keep them a baby for a long as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will be opting out.

I don't care for the "sex assigned at birth" language for the younger grades.

Why not? It’s accurate. And certainly more precise.

What you “care for” isn’t relevant anyway. You’re only a parent — leave the education of your children to professionals. Your opinions about this don’t matter at all. Stay in your lane.

Wow, this again. From birth to 18 raising the child is the parent's lane. Perhaps if public school stuck to the basics of math, reading, writing, history. science and social studies everyone would be better off. Maybe then the majority of kids in public schools could read and do math at or above grade level.

But no, let's spend hours and hours on semantics for a subject that could be removed from the curriculum entirely, and based upon the animus it causes probably should be removed.

Agree; it should be removed.

The language’s presence in FLE appeared due to a one-sided desire by certain radical activists to indoctrinate other people’s children. Time to remove it.

Educating is not indoctrinating and the fact you think it is renders you absurd. This is PUBLIC school not a private parochial. Maybe you'd be better suited in that environment? Because information about all families, people, in the public and community is absolutely fair game. That you thinks these families are in the same bucket as anything "radical" says alot about you. None of it good.

"Sex assigned at birth" is indoctrination. Period.

I’m not sure it is needed terminology for very young children, but it’s accurate. A doctor decides what sex will be written in the birth certificate, ie what will be assigned. The chromosomes sometimes don’t match the genitalia, and sometimes doctors (and families) know that and have to make wrenching decisions about what sex to assign. Sometimes they don’t know the genitalia and chromosomes don’t match, and it is only discovered in puberty or adulthood. The point is that sex and gender are complicated, and using a term that is precise is accurate. It may be too much at age 8, but it isn’t in-factual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So is this why men seem to have no knowledge of how women bodies/periods/pregnancy works?

Exactly.

These people are trying to infantilize their almost teenagers, and then they wonder HOW ever got pregnant??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We opted out, but the children learned about material.

We also discussed that the LGBT+ people have 2x rate of substance abuse and mental illlness due to choice to live the risky lifestyle.

The children did not understand why school promoted the lifestyle. It was not easy talk.

You think gay people abuse drugs more often because they “choose to live the risky lifestyle”?

And you think schools are “promoting” homosexuality as a “lifestyle”?

I can see why it was a tough conversation for your kids. Must be tough to realize your parents are homophobes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We opted out, but the children learned about material.

We also discussed that the LGBT+ people have 2x rate of substance abuse and mental illlness due to choice to live the risky lifestyle.

The children did not understand why school promoted the lifestyle. It was not easy talk.

Could it be…hear me out…that LBGTA youth have a higher incidence of depression bc of the ignorance they have to deal with? Not bc of their “lifestyle,” but bc of people like you PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where exactly can one see this “assigned at birth” language used in the elementary curriculum? FCPS follows the state curriculum verbatim. So are you saying that the Republican-led government (and VDOE) changed the curriculum? Or do you have access to some new curriculum that FCPS is using?

If you have children in FCPS you most certainly have received correspondence from the county using this new gender identity terminology. In fact, the latest survey sent to parents last fall on the proposed FLE changes uses it exclusively.

This was the recommendation for last year’s curriculum:
SY2022 - 23 Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC) Consideration
In 2022 - 23 FLECAC should explore and recommend changes regarding inclusion of the gender spectrum in the elementary FLE curriculum and a more overall inclusive curriculum in Family Life Education.

The entire document:
https://www.fcps.edu/node/33908

So, I see that’s what the-powers-that-be are recommending or suggesting. Has this been approved? Will this be the curriculum this year? If not, then why opt-out your kid this year unless you were going to do it anyway, regardless of the actual curriculum. To say you are opting out this year because of future proposed language is disingenuous.

Are you a parent in FCPS? If so, you must have noticed that this language has already been used for over a year.

You should have also noticed that the 2023-2024 FLE and Human Growth forms have not been updated. FCPS hasn’t even updated the FLE Opt-Out forms since 2021.

It would be disingenuous to continue using an outdated Opt-Out form that doesn’t reflect the contents nor the language of this current year when school is about to start. Given the polemic surrounding the FLE changes for this year, transparency and accuracy should be a must.

It has NOT been used with ELEMENTARY students. I teach it verbatim and there is no “assigned at birth” in the elementary curriculum.

You are talking about the old FLE--they have not yet approved the new one.

EXACTLY. But people are posting that they are opting their kids out of an FLE that DOES. NOT. EXIST.

Will it change? Yeah, maybe. And then opt out if you want; that’s your right as a parent.

But these posters are straight-up lying by saying that the curriculum currently presented to elementary children uses the phrase “assigned at birth”. IT. DOES. NOT.

So, I’ll say again that to opt your child out of something that is not currently in existence is STUPID.

Three questions for you:
1. What will you do when you are instructed to use assigned male or female at birth with your ES students?
2. Have you visited your school’s library lately? FCPS has books in its ES libraries that not only use those terms as substitutes for boys and girls, they also teach students why those terms exist.
3. When students ask you what those terms in the books mean because they are confused, what do you reply?

So the libraries have books that teach kids about various things?

Again, ignorance is a feature, not a bug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will be opting out.

I don't care for the "sex assigned at birth" language for the younger grades.

Why not? It’s accurate. And certainly more precise.

What you “care for” isn’t relevant anyway. You’re only a parent — leave the education of your children to professionals. Your opinions about this don’t matter at all. Stay in your lane.

Wow, this again. From birth to 18 raising the child is the parent's lane. Perhaps if public school stuck to the basics of math, reading, writing, history. science and social studies everyone would be better off. Maybe then the majority of kids in public schools could read and do math at or above grade level.

But no, let's spend hours and hours on semantics for a subject that could be removed from the curriculum entirely, and based upon the animus it causes probably should be removed.

Agree; it should be removed.

The language’s presence in FLE appeared due to a one-sided desire by certain radical activists to indoctrinate other people’s children. Time to remove it.

Educating is not indoctrinating and the fact you think it is renders you absurd. This is PUBLIC school not a private parochial. Maybe you'd be better suited in that environment? Because information about all families, people, in the public and community is absolutely fair game. That you thinks these families are in the same bucket as anything "radical" says alot about you. None of it good.

"Sex assigned at birth" is indoctrination. Period.

I’m not sure it is needed terminology for very young children, but it’s accurate. A doctor decides what sex will be written in the birth certificate, ie what will be assigned. The chromosomes sometimes don’t match the genitalia, and sometimes doctors (and families) know that and have to make wrenching decisions about what sex to assign. Sometimes they don’t know the genitalia and chromosomes don’t match, and it is only discovered in puberty or adulthood. The point is that sex and gender are complicated, and using a term that is precise is accurate. It may be too much at age 8, but it isn’t in-factual.

When schools teach about albinism, they teach that it is a genetic abnormality that happens very, very rarely and only when a particular set of chromosonal defects occur in just the right combination. The same thing with one blue eye/one brown eye, or absorbed twins, or any other statistically tiny genetic abnormality.

Schools do not teach that those genetic variants are something commonplace or standard.

The same thing should occur with the very rare occurences where a persons external sex organs do not match their chromosones.

Pushing the completely political "sex assigned at birth" falsity to elementary children is dead wrong and completely unscientific.

Telling kids that you can choose to be male or female is unscientific and wrong.

There are diseases, genetic conditions, cancer risks, human development and puberty which are unique and specific to your male or female chromosones.

The "treatments" to "change your gender" are dangerous, risky and have a 100% failure rate as you cannot change your chromosones. To teach kids otherwise is a violation of the trust put on schools by parents.

You can teach kids to be nice to everyone without lying to them or indoctrinating them into falsehoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will be opting out.

I don't care for the "sex assigned at birth" language for the younger grades.

Why not? It’s accurate. And certainly more precise.

What you “care for” isn’t relevant anyway. You’re only a parent — leave the education of your children to professionals. Your opinions about this don’t matter at all. Stay in your lane.

Wow, this again. From birth to 18 raising the child is the parent's lane. Perhaps if public school stuck to the basics of math, reading, writing, history. science and social studies everyone would be better off. Maybe then the majority of kids in public schools could read and do math at or above grade level.

But no, let's spend hours and hours on semantics for a subject that could be removed from the curriculum entirely, and based upon the animus it causes probably should be removed.

Agree; it should be removed.

The language’s presence in FLE appeared due to a one-sided desire by certain radical activists to indoctrinate other people’s children. Time to remove it.

Educating is not indoctrinating and the fact you think it is renders you absurd. This is PUBLIC school not a private parochial. Maybe you'd be better suited in that environment? Because information about all families, people, in the public and community is absolutely fair game. That you thinks these families are in the same bucket as anything "radical" says alot about you. None of it good.

"Sex assigned at birth" is indoctrination. Period.

I’m not sure it is needed terminology for very young children, but it’s accurate. A doctor decides what sex will be written in the birth certificate, ie what will be assigned. The chromosomes sometimes don’t match the genitalia, and sometimes doctors (and families) know that and have to make wrenching decisions about what sex to assign. Sometimes they don’t know the genitalia and chromosomes don’t match, and it is only discovered in puberty or adulthood. The point is that sex and gender are complicated, and using a term that is precise is accurate. It may be too much at age 8, but it isn’t in-factual.

In about 5,999 out of 6,000 birth, external genitalia is normal and the doctor is simply reporting the obvious, as any elementary school student could also do

Ostentatiously choosing this language in the guise of “accuracy” or “inclusiveness” really is indoctrination, because it’s attempting to skew the kids’ still-plastic view of what normal is, and skew it AWAY from what is clearly, overwhelmingly, statistically, the normal state of affairs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will be opting out.

I don't care for the "sex assigned at birth" language for the younger grades.

Why not? It’s accurate. And certainly more precise.

What you “care for” isn’t relevant anyway. You’re only a parent — leave the education of your children to professionals. Your opinions about this don’t matter at all. Stay in your lane.

Wow, this again. From birth to 18 raising the child is the parent's lane. Perhaps if public school stuck to the basics of math, reading, writing, history. science and social studies everyone would be better off. Maybe then the majority of kids in public schools could read and do math at or above grade level.

But no, let's spend hours and hours on semantics for a subject that could be removed from the curriculum entirely, and based upon the animus it causes probably should be removed.

Agree; it should be removed.

The language’s presence in FLE appeared due to a one-sided desire by certain radical activists to indoctrinate other people’s children. Time to remove it.

Educating is not indoctrinating and the fact you think it is renders you absurd. This is PUBLIC school not a private parochial. Maybe you'd be better suited in that environment? Because information about all families, people, in the public and community is absolutely fair game. That you thinks these families are in the same bucket as anything "radical" says alot about you. None of it good.

"Sex assigned at birth" is indoctrination. Period.

I’m not sure it is needed terminology for very young children, but it’s accurate. A doctor decides what sex will be written in the birth certificate, ie what will be assigned. The chromosomes sometimes don’t match the genitalia, and sometimes doctors (and families) know that and have to make wrenching decisions about what sex to assign. Sometimes they don’t know the genitalia and chromosomes don’t match, and it is only discovered in puberty or adulthood. The point is that sex and gender are complicated, and using a term that is precise is accurate. It may be too much at age 8, but it isn’t in-factual.

When schools teach about albinism, they teach that it is a genetic abnormality that happens very, very rarely and only when a particular set of chromosonal defects occur in just the right combination. The same thing with one blue eye/one brown eye, or absorbed twins, or any other statistically tiny genetic abnormality.

Schools do not teach that those genetic variants are something commonplace or standard.

The same thing should occur with the very rare occurences where a persons external sex organs do not match their chromosones.

Pushing the completely political "sex assigned at birth" falsity to elementary children is dead wrong and completely unscientific.

Telling kids that you can choose to be male or female is unscientific and wrong.

There are diseases, genetic conditions, cancer risks, human development and puberty which are unique and specific to your male or female chromosones.

The "treatments" to "change your gender" are dangerous, risky and have a 100% failure rate as you cannot change your chromosones. To teach kids otherwise is a violation of the trust put on schools by parents.

You can teach kids to be nice to everyone without lying to them or indoctrinating them into falsehoods.

Fully agree, especially with your last sentence

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We opted out, but the children learned about material.

We also discussed that the LGBT+ people have 2x rate of substance abuse and mental illlness due to choice to live the risky lifestyle.

The children did not understand why school promoted the lifestyle. It was not easy talk.

Could it be…hear me out…that LBGTA youth have a higher incidence of depression bc of the ignorance they have to deal with? Not bc of their “lifestyle,” but bc of people like you PP.

I don't make LGBT people have many partners which leads to higher STD rate and early death. This is lifestyle choice. Frank discussion of LGBT should include that fact.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3334840/

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) disproportionately affect men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM comprise approximately 2% of the U.S. population1, but accounted for 59% of new HIV infections and 62% of cases of early syphilis in 20092,3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that HIV and early syphilis rates among MSM are >40 times higher than those among heterosexuals4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We opted out, but the children learned about material.

We also discussed that the LGBT+ people have 2x rate of substance abuse and mental illlness due to choice to live the risky lifestyle.

The children did not understand why school promoted the lifestyle. It was not easy talk.

Could it be…hear me out…that LBGTA youth have a higher incidence of depression bc of the ignorance they have to deal with? Not bc of their “lifestyle,” but bc of people like you PP.

I don't make LGBT people have many partners which leads to higher STD rate and early death. This is lifestyle choice. Frank discussion of LGBT should include that fact.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3334840/

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) disproportionately affect men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM comprise approximately 2% of the U.S. population1, but accounted for 59% of new HIV infections and 62% of cases of early syphilis in 20092,3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that HIV and early syphilis rates among MSM are >40 times higher than those among heterosexuals4.

To be fair, it’s really gay men, not lesbians, who account for the upper end of the promiscuity curve

It’s hilarious how different those groups are

Because men and women are different, and men with no need to calibrate themselves to women’s expectations are even more masculine in some ways than the straights

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We will be opting out.

I don't care for the "sex assigned at birth" language for the younger grades.

My Kindergartener had a friend with a trans high school aged sister. By 4th grade (the year they have the puberty conversation in FLE), she had multiple friends with gender binary or trans siblings. You cannot avoid this OP. Your children will learn about people who are different from you no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor is active and involved in local politics. She went to the sex ed classes that her child was in (just sign in at the front desk as a guest) and "live tweeted" the whole thing. It was hilarious.

If you ever have questions of any kind about what is going on in public schools - go there and find out first hand. Then vote.

Something that never happened for $1000 Alex. Parents are not allowed in FLE classes with elementary children. Does. Not. Happen.

+1 there are no guest visits to classrooms to listen to FLE instruction. As if anyone would buy this. Lol.