700 public school students within a California school district were absent from school last Friday due to new LGBT curriculum.
The students were in protest against the Rocklin School District incorporating the achievements from LGBT-identifying individuals in their new school curriculum. An estimated 700 students stayed home from school in the 12,000-student school district, Fox 40 reports.
The protest came two days after a full board meeting last Wednesday that ended in a late-night 3-2 vote to approve the K–5 curricula approved by the state law. The new material includes the LGBT figures in an effort to be more inclusive in school material.
Parents of the elementary students argued that they are not ready for discussions on LGBT issues and they as parents should decide when to introduce the topic to them. The opposing parents asked for the material to be introduced in the sixth grade or later like it has been done in some other school districts. However, reports say the school district’s legal counsel said that was not possible.
The parents have since started a website titled “Informed Parents of Rocklin.” The new curriculum comes after California passed the FAIR Education Act, also known as the LGBT History Bill, in 2011. It requires school textbooks and curricula to be more inclusive of underrepresented demographics, including those who identify as or have been deemed LGBT. Though it was mandated, the final decision on curriculum choices lies with local school districts.
Officials in the Rocklin School District said the curriculum would be tweaked following the concerns raised by parents.
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