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

Anonymous
Teacher here. You all know children talk to each other, right? By 2nd recess, all the boys and girls knew what had been covered in FLE that day, even the ones who opted out.
Anonymous
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Anonymous wrote:We will be opting out.

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


Cute. But they'll hear it anyway. But if you wanna bury your head in the sand about it, the void will just be filled by others elsewhere.


It isn't burying my head in the sand. It is me providing my kids with information, not the school.


What the hell difference does it make? You want to be the one to tell them "you will see these people in the world, but they are freaks and not normal." is that it?


FCPS can offer a gender social class, but sex ed or life science is not about socially acceptable norms


OK, cool so no objection to learning about same-sex families. Good to know. So WHAT is your objection to sex ed then? Are you one of those abstinence-only idiots?


feel free to look at the curriculum but its about male vs female how a baby is made, how to use a tampon.



can a male menstruate?

You are doing your son a great disservice by not teaching him how a female body works (regardless of whether that individual identifies as female or male).
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. You all know children talk to each other, right? By 2nd recess, all the boys and girls knew what had been covered in FLE that day, even the ones who opted out.


Yes, but they didn't go home and talk about it with their parents.

Which is the real reason parents opt their kids out of FLE.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. You all know children talk to each other, right? By 2nd recess, all the boys and girls knew what had been covered in FLE that day, even the ones who opted out.


Ding ding ding!!!!
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You "can't deal" with exactly which positions? The ones that inform children that there are adults on this earth that act and look all different ways? That sometimes things are binary? That we shouldn't hate people because of how the act in the bedroom (where you most likely are NOT present) or how they dress?

Your kid will learn about puberty and that it's ok to have 2 moms. Relax.


Yes, I totally recognize that I'm an outlier in the group on this, but I just don't think elementary school kids need to be learning about all of the trans/non-binary stuff. In any event, we'll cover it when DD is bigger.



+100
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Considering that my DS’s best friend is non-binary (assigned female at birth, goes by he/him and a more “boy” name) since 2nd grade I think basic sex education in elementary school is great.


Your DS's best friend is a not particularly feminine girl. Big Effing deal. No reason for her to announce this with an "I'm so unique and special" pronoun.
Anonymous
This is obvi a troll.
Anonymous
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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?


1) Use the terms. Happily. It’s good to normalize this sort of language.
2) Yes. And that’s a wonderful thing. It is important that we teach our children these things. Why do you think it’s a problem?
3) Give your children some credit. They aren’t confused. You are.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
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.


Cute. But they'll hear it anyway. But if you wanna bury your head in the sand about it, the void will just be filled by others elsewhere.


It isn't burying my head in the sand. It is me providing my kids with information, not the school.


What the hell difference does it make? You want to be the one to tell them "you will see these people in the world, but they are freaks and not normal." is that it?


FCPS can offer a gender social class, but sex ed or life science is not about socially acceptable norms


OK, cool so no objection to learning about same-sex families. Good to know. So WHAT is your objection to sex ed then? Are you one of those abstinence-only idiots?


feel free to look at the curriculum but its about male vs female how a baby is made, how to use a tampon.



can a male menstruate?

You are doing your son a great disservice by not teaching him how a female body works (regardless of whether that individual identifies as female or male).


If you have heard what some men believe about women's bodies, you would want them to learn about anatomy and menstrual cycles.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:What’s covered? Are you sure it’s covering the topics you think? I thought it was just puberty and reproduction, but maybe I’m naive.



Not PP you are responding to, but I assume that the curriculum is the same that it always was, which I don't object to.
What I don't trust however, is that some idealistic, fresh out of college teacher will be able to resist the urge to not bring in LGBTQ topics which I would rather discuss with my child myself.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What’s covered? Are you sure it’s covering the topics you think? I thought it was just puberty and reproduction, but maybe I’m naive.



Not PP you are responding to, but I assume that the curriculum is the same that it always was, which I don't object to.
What I don't trust however, is that some idealistic, fresh out of college teacher will be able to resist the urge to not bring in LGBTQ topics which I would rather notdiscuss with my child ever.


fifty
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What’s covered? Are you sure it’s covering the topics you think? I thought it was just puberty and reproduction, but maybe I’m naive.



Not PP you are responding to, but I assume that the curriculum is the same that it always was, which I don't object to.
What I don't trust however, is that some idealistic, fresh out of college teacher will be able to resist the urge to not bring in LGBTQ topics which I would rather discuss with my child myself.


The Board has not yet voted on the recommendations by the FLE Committee--which, if you haven't checked, has several activists on it--including one trans person and one trans parent. Not to mention, a very vocal and active Progressive who regularly speaks at the meetings. In addition, there is another who is sponsor of the LGBT student organization at his school, in addition to being a union activist. There are not that many people on this committee and that is four of them that I could find information by googling. That does not indicate a representative group of families to me.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
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?


1) Use the terms. Happily. It’s good to normalize this sort of language.
2) Yes. And that’s a wonderful thing. It is important that we teach our children these things. Why do you think it’s a problem?
3) Give your children some credit. They aren’t confused. You are.


Can you please say a little more about why it’s GOOD to normalize a wildly misleading description of one of the most fundamental aspects of human biology?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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?


1) Use the terms. Happily. It’s good to normalize this sort of language.
2) Yes. And that’s a wonderful thing. It is important that we teach our children these things. Why do you think it’s a problem?
3) Give your children some credit. They aren’t confused. You are.


Can you please say a little more about why it’s GOOD to normalize a wildly misleading description of one of the most fundamental aspects of human biology?


Those who oppose this language are using the same words that have been used for centuries to discriminate against people who are not like them. At various times being black, being native, being gay, being disabled, being Jewish, being intellectually challenged, even being left handed was against the laws of nature. Now we're drawing the line at being non-binary. Why? These people exist, and your children will have to live with them.

Education is meant to open minds and hearts, not build walls to understanding. Let your children learn about the world as it is, and let them decide what is fundamental.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
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.

What makes you think parents don’t already talk to their kids even earlier than in fifth grade about feminine hygiene, human growth and reproduction, peer pressure, abstinence, substance abuse, pornography, etc.? Not everyone outsources this part of their kids’ education to FCPS. Some parents begin these conversations with their children when the need arises, or at the age they consider appropriate for each child. These topics are not foreign to moms to address with their girls, or dads with their boys. In the absence of either, parents rely on a trusted adult to address it with their kids, - in many cases their pediatrician.

These conversations revolve around factual and need-to-know information that doesn’t need to be consulted with other parents nor seek anyone’s approval. Students who choose to opt-out from the FLE lessons at school deserve the same amount of respect and consideration on the part of the school staff and the rest of the community. The denigrating and derogatory adjectives used in this thread to refer to students who are opted-out, and towards their families, are reflective of the intolerance and lack of inclusivity towards those who dare to think differently by those who identify with the virtual signaling mob.
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