While parents in the Diocese of Arlington have been busy juggling
the daily demands of work and family, national transgender advocacy groups — with
the imprimatur of a progressive county school board — have been laying out
plans for those of us with children in Arlington public schools.
In 2015, the category of “gender identity and expression” was
added to the anti-discrimination policy by the Arlington County Schools (APS).
Now the school system is preparing to approve the expansion and implementation
of the policy among students K-12 with the Policy Implementation Procedures
(PIP) for Transgender Students in Schools.
Through PIP, Arlington County schools endorse gender-identity
ideology, the belief that a child is not born as a boy or girl but is free to
choose gender based on how each child “identifies” or feels at a given time.
This dangerous ideology is entirely disconnected from science and long-held
best practices in psychology and child development. In addition, there is the
mounting evidence that our local school board and those directly involved in
setting public school policies and curriculum care little about what parents,
let alone Arlington taxpayers, think about these issues unless they are members
of or advocates for the transgender community.
As Catholics, we believe in the inherent dignity of each and
every child, and we agree that no child should be bullied or harassed for any
reason. However, what began as a protection for a small group of students has
expanded to a progressive ideological indoctrination that will affect 28,000
children in Arlington County schools, including many young Catholic students.
Our community is considered at the forefront of creating societal
change. David Aponte, co-chair of the local chapter of GLSEN, formerly the Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network, said in 2018 that Northern Virginia and
California have served as laboratories for policies regarding lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender issues.
We have reached a point where even raising questions about
transgender policies’ impact on the educational, physical, emotional and
spiritual well-being of our children is construed as hate speech. However,
parents must understand that these proposed policy implementations expand
beyond anti-discrimination protections and, in fact, infringe on other
students’ right to privacy as well as compel speech and support for an ideology
that stands in opposition to Catholic teaching, science and common sense.
We know from conversations with school administrators that many
of the proposed implementation guidelines are taking place in our schools already
and they go far beyond Family Life Education curriculum.
— Bathrooms
and locker rooms are open to both biological sexes to be entered at will
without adult question or interference.
— Overnight
trips can require opposite-sex students to share sleeping quarters and possibly
beds.
— Boys
who self-identify as girls can compete against girls on girls’ sports teams.
— Educational
events in schools are being led by transgender advocates who teach our youngest
children that boys can be girls and girls can be boys. (See Ashlawn Elementary
School, February 28, 2019).
— Library
books, anti-bullying training, school clubs and school-wide speakers will be
used to promote transgender rights and interests.
— Teachers
and students will be compelled to use pronouns that correspond to feelings of
transgender students, regardless of biological sex.
The final approval of the policy implementation will take place
June 18 and comments currently are being collected. Parents have a
responsibility to speak the truth with charity to ensure our children’s own
education, as well as oppose any effort by our schools to mislead children
about science and the nature of the human person. The moment to act is now.
Allen and Hazzard are members of Arlington Parent
Coalition and Arlington Public School parents.
Find out more
Go to arlingtonparentcoa.wixsite.com/arlingtonparentcoa.