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The Parent Trap
U. S. New & World Report ^ | October 2, 2005 | John Leo

Posted on 10/02/2005 2:20:35 PM PDT by gpapa

David and Tonia Parker of Lexington, Mass., saw a red flag when their son came home from kindergarten last January with a "diversity book bag" that included Who ' s in a Family, a book promoting acceptance of gay marriage. The Parkers thought it was their right, as parents, to decide when and how to introduce their son to the issue of homosexuality. The Parkers believed the public school, Estabrook, is right to be teaching tolerance of gays but wrong in raising the subject in kindergarten and then indoctrinating 5-year-olds on gay marriage. Tonia Parker says gay parents are allowed to come into class and read their material to a captive audience of the very young.

(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: education; homosexualagenda; homosexuality; johnleo; kindergarten; parent; parentalrights; recruiting; school

1 posted on 10/02/2005 2:20:42 PM PDT by gpapa
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To: gpapa

I do not think the schools should be teaching tolerance by singling out deviant behavior to tolerate. Be general if you must, but don't include immoral behavior in your list of things to tolerate. That's just stupid. Given the stats on childhood sexual abuse, I don't think sexual anything should be included in the list of things to tolerate. You're just setting a kid up to be even more vulnerable.


2 posted on 10/02/2005 2:24:43 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past ("Let the wicked man forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord" Is 55:7)
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To: gpapa

This is about respect. The Parker's have respectfully asked to be notified and the school has disrepectfully created an atmosphere of untenable hostility toward them.

I do respect the rights of the school to indoctrinate the students in any way they wish but not at the expense of deeply held religious beliefs.

When I last checked, the Freedom Of Religion is, for the moment at least, still enumerated whereas the indoctrination of children into an "other" form of family in the face of one's deeply held religious belief is not..



3 posted on 10/02/2005 2:31:28 PM PDT by OpusatFR (Vegetarian, permaculturalist, cloth wearing, green, peak oil believing 8vd3 Catholic Indie.)
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To: gpapa
Why don't they teach tolerance for cheating, smoking, drug abuse, illiteracy, litter-bugs, non-recyclers, political conservatives, etc? Why? Because they would never included something on the list that they thought of as negative or bad. That's really the point. Homosexuality is named because they want to teach acceptance.

My brother is an alcoholic and no one is teaching school children to be tolerant of that. What a bunch of bigots.

4 posted on 10/02/2005 2:32:08 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past ("Let the wicked man forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord" Is 55:7)
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To: gpapa

Why do these people still have their child in pubblic school?


5 posted on 10/02/2005 2:33:21 PM PDT by arthurus (Better to fight them over THERE than over HERE.)
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To: gpapa

Why do these people still have their child in pubblic school?


6 posted on 10/02/2005 2:33:56 PM PDT by arthurus (Better to fight them over THERE than over HERE.)
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To: gpapa
The Parkers believed the public school, Estabrook, is right to be teaching tolerance of gays but wrong in raising the subject in kindergarten and then indoctrinating 5-year-olds on gay marriage.

Sorry Parkers...they "gay" agenda will only be satisfied when you promote the bone dance with Mr. Sphincter for five year olds. Until then you are SOL.

FMCDH(BITS)

7 posted on 10/02/2005 2:34:49 PM PDT by nothingnew (I fear for my Republic due to marxist influence in our government. Open eyes/see)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past

My 4th grade child came home with a story to read for "ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS" that was a story with how to read ARABIC words like Hello etc.

One questions was..if I were talking to so and so and wanted to say hello and the 4 choices were 4 different Arabic words.

I dont see how this helps with ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS.


8 posted on 10/02/2005 2:35:42 PM PDT by alisasny (Liberal UTOPIA rains down in New Orleans Way to go)
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To: gpapa

In this day and age of political correctness, and the broadening definition of child molestation, the school officials should all be arrested for child abuse and distributing pornography to minors. It is also a hate crime. Nothing less is acceptable. It's for the children......


9 posted on 10/02/2005 2:56:25 PM PDT by Morgan in Denver
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past
Are you kidding. Of course the public schools teach tolerance of all those societal problems you mentioned.

They come under the category of root causes searches designed to excuse bad behaviour.

10 posted on 10/02/2005 3:04:39 PM PDT by OldFriend (One Man With Courage Makes a Majority ~ Andrew Jackson)
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To: gpapa
kindergarten

Kindergarten? What ever happened to finger painting, recess, story time, and crackers and milk before nap time? C'mon NEA.... these kids are five-years old! Get a friggin' grip!

11 posted on 10/02/2005 3:23:47 PM PDT by layman (Card Carrying Infidel)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past

"I don't think sexual anything should be included in the list of things to tolerate."

Certainly not in kindergarten, certainly not before puberty. Who's so nosy about everybody else's family, anyway. I'm pretty sure if Heather has two mommies in real life this can be handled between members of the community without the school system becoming involved.

The only thing about this widely reported story that I do not understand is why these parents are leaving their child in this disgusting school.


12 posted on 10/02/2005 3:27:10 PM PDT by jocon307
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To: jocon307

I don't know why either. But it is good that they are willing to fight this issue.


13 posted on 10/02/2005 3:28:49 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past ("Let the wicked man forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord" Is 55:7)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past

Maybe I should write a children's book about jimmy's parents being ex-cons. They were in prison for meth production and child pornography, but they are his parents and have paid their debt to society. We should be tolerant of them because everyone has different parents with different backgrounds. (sarcasm)

I do not understand why these topics need to be addressed at all. Kids need to deal with kid things like the alphabet, numbers, sight words, beginning writing, simple math, painting, etc. They do not need to be addressing social/moral issues. I taught kindergarten in 96 and we never did that stuff. I am not sure how I, as a teacher, would have handled it, I doubt she even has a choice. You can bet that I would have let a parent opt out if they sent a note to me. There would be no need for me to involve the administration. If his parents got the bag, and called me, I would have let them opt out. Once they involve the prinicipal in the liberal school system, you are at their mercy, the individual teacher (yes, there are some of us) is at their mercy too.


14 posted on 10/02/2005 3:47:57 PM PDT by WV Mountain Mama ("Good? Bad? I'm the one with the gun." Ash Williams, "Army of Darkness")
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To: gpapa
red flag when their son came home from kindergarten last January with a "diversity book bag" that included Who ' s in a Family, a book promoting acceptance of gay marriage

Gee I wonder what would happen is Suzy Suburganite came home from her kindergarden to her Movon.ore Mommy with a "Freedom bag" full of stuff from the NRA and Free Republic etc? Sorry but the double standard here is sickening. Conservatives have got to quit playing nice with these School Districts, THEY PAY FOR, wasting time and money on this Leftst political indoctrination crap.

15 posted on 10/02/2005 4:34:33 PM PDT by MNJohnnie (Don't get stuck on stupid now, reporters)
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To: arthurus
Why do these people still have their child in pubblic school?

This is an important question.

16 posted on 10/02/2005 4:49:52 PM PDT by OldPossum
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To: OldPossum

Maybe they don't have enough money to pay for public education PLUS a private one.

They don't get their tax dollars for education back when they decide to provide a better education at a private facility, so they pay more than double. Not so easy if you don't have the income to pull it off, no matter what your intentions as a parent.


17 posted on 10/02/2005 6:03:27 PM PDT by NonLinear (He's dead, Jim)
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To: gpapa
Considering how test scores are down even though tests are easier ... I think they need to concentrate on reading, math and arithmetic in Kindergarten not neutralizing perversion.
18 posted on 10/02/2005 7:51:04 PM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: arthurus
"Why do these people still have their child in pubblic school?"

They probably think it's "free".

yeah, it's free alright - free from any civilized morality and knowledge.

Ours is in a private school. A kid just joined my child's' first grade class from public school - he is very behind. He couldn't read, barely writes and knew very little math. They are debating on whether or not to put him in kindergarten.
If you want a dumb kid - by all means send them to a government school.
19 posted on 10/02/2005 7:55:15 PM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: layman
"Kindergarten? What ever happened to finger painting, recess, story time, and crackers and milk before nap time? C'mon NEA.... these kids are five-years old! Get a friggin' grip!"

That's 1/2 day preschool stuff today. No kidding. Kindergarten is more serious.
20 posted on 10/02/2005 7:57:18 PM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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