Posted on 08/31/2007 6:22:57 AM PDT by IrishMike
Is that a comment about teeth?
And I remember the entire class groaned with misery at that one image and its message.
It’s unreal. This thread can really make a person jaded.
Well look at it this way...
(They may darken the skies with their arrows...We’ll just have to fight in the shade...)
Or another good one...
“Nuts!”
I live in the district and watched the entire video. It’s not appropriate for 3rd graders. The worse part about all of this is that the district hired a consultant/coach, Elizabeth Schroeder, to teach the elementary teachers how to discuss homosexuality with their students. Her website is extremely interesting and disturbing considering what she’s been hired to do in our district.
I’m a part of the opposition and we’ve been fighting this video since January.
Rags in front, fags behind...
Stevie would be better served to be happy with a decent level of live and let live rather than dictating terms.
We’ve been fighting this video since January. It was shown in *one* of our seven elementary schools in December right before Christmas Break. The parents were not informed of the video content prior to their children being shown the video. There was no “opt out” option. The packet sent home the first day of school mentioned the video (not the content) as part of the new Health class curriculum on Tolerance.
The parents with kids in that one school only heard about the video from their children who watched it. They looked into it and informed the rest of the parents in the entire district by word of mouth, meetings held in various church halls, etc. We formed a group opposing the video by the end of January. The February BOE meeting was attended by many parents but mostly people from outside the district/twp. We had Garden State Equality there, a rep from Womens Media flown in from California, as well as vocal homo activists from Philly. It made national news.
A review committee was formed, and big surprise (not), it consisted of the same same people who advocated the video and parents from each school who are on the executive board of the each school’s PTA. No one vocally opposing the video was on the Review Committee. Every member was handpicked by the Assistant Superintendent/Director of Curriculum who chose the video (her son is gay and an activist in Philly and her sister is a vocal lesbian. She is a man-hating woman who went through a difficult divorce years ago).
Parents were given an “opt-out” and of those who replied, a little over 50% opted out so their children would be removed during the viewing of the video. The BOE pulled the video until the Special Review Committee could reach a decision on August 30th.
Another interesting note is that the BOE held this meeting on August 30th. Many parents couldn’t attend because the public high school was having its Freshmen Orientation (with students and parents). The Catholic parish and School was holding its annual week long Carnival. Many were on vacation. The District was asked to reschedule the meeting for earlier in the summer or in September and refused.
The Special Review Committee recommended the video be shown to 4th and 5th graders.
We know this is only the first battle and even though we were victorious it’s only the beginning of a long fight.
Some parents in the district aren’t concerned because their children attend the catholic school or other private schools. My two teens attended the Catholic grade school and now attend the public high school. My two little ones attend the Catholic school. I think this issue goes beyond having children in the district schools.
I taught in this district and currently substitute teach here. The NEA is encouraging teachers to support the video. The few teachers who oppose it are too afraid to speak up.
Recently, a MA judge ruled that parents are not allowed to opt out (I’ll post the link as soon as I can)which is basically taking away parental rights. This can happen in this district too and unfortunately many don’t understand how serious this is.
A MA judge ruled that parents are not allowed to opt out
........................................................
Liberal judicial activism is probably (more than terrorism) the single greatest threat to the constitution and our cherished freedoms.
LOL, New Jersey!
The San Fransicko of the east coast.
Beautiful tag line.
LOL, New Jersey!
The San Fransicko of the east coast.
.....................................................
And what would that make MA, the armpit of liberalism ?
Twink,
Congratulations on your success so far in fighting this video, and keep fighting the good fight.
I hope you won’t mind me pinging to a few others including New Jersey parents who may be interested:
PING! See post #108. Twink is one of the Evesham parents fighting this battle. She tells the rest of the story in #108.
Makes me sick to see people driving around in new cars and picking up their kids from a government school.
Garden State Equality Chairman Steven Goldstein has recently succeeded in intimidating the Newark Superintendent of Schools into apologizing for having a photo of two males kissing removed from the Newark graduating class’s yearbook.
******
Goldstein backs Clinton
By Editor - June 14, 2007 - 11:37am
Tags: Hillary Clinton, Steven Goldstein,
The leader of New Jersey’s largest gay rights organization has endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. Steven Goldstein, the Chairman of Garden State Equality, said that Clinton is his personal choice, and that his organization will not make an endorsement before the February 5, 2008 New Jersey primary.
“I wish all the presidential candidates with a realistic shot to win the nomination were pro-marriage equality. None are. Within that context, Senator Clinton’s support for the LGBTI community is as strong as any of the other candidates who have the most realistic shot to win,” said Goldstein, who managed Jon Corzine’s 2000 U.S. Senate campaign.
Rags and fags. I like that. Rags and fags will be the downfall of Western Civilization. You heard it here first on FR.
I have to agree with you. I never would have believed it would get to this point.
No problem. I wish more people would understand this just isn’t just about public schools. My children don’t attend the public elementary or middle schools in this district. I’m an educator/parent/taxpayer. What happens there affects us all. Not everyone can afford to pull their kids out to homeschool or private school. It’s a struggle keeping my two little ones in catholic school and paying the kind of property taxes we pay here. Most of the parents at the catholic school aren’t interested because it doesn’t have anything to do with their kids. They don’t see how it matters to every one of us regardless of where our kids attend school.
I know a few parents who have pulled their kids out of the elementary schools because of this issue. Public schools will eventually feel it if more do it but it will only make our taxes go up anyway. My kids have to attend public high school. There’s no way we could afford a $40-80,000 high school education for all 4 of our kids.
What many of us are fighting is the fact that political indoctrination is occurring younger each year. We don’t want it in K-5 and we don’t want this video or any like it in K-5. Those children are too easily influenced, especially by teachers. It’s already in the middle and high schools at a more intense level. The middle and high schools have the DOS in April. The high school has the g-s alliance club. My one daughter has two lesbians in her Band class. They’re extremely affectionate and PDAs aren’t allowed but no teacher will say anything to them while they will say it to the boy/girl making out sessions. My teens are more than aware of what goes on in the world and in school but they laugh it off. They’re not influenced by their peers or their teachers. They’ll come home asking why the morning announcements are honoring the gay historian of the day, etc. and anything positive about God is taboo. They have to write papers promoting the homo agenda or the liberal agenda in English and History class. They have a solid foundation, imo, and it’s preparing them for most of their college classes.
I called the high school about the DOS and was assured that none of my two daughters teachers would be participating (none of the teachers would be participating). They had to respect the students who were but the teachers had to speak.
Both of my teens belong to the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). However, last year the name had to be changed. It can’t only be a club for Athletes. Fine. But it wouldn’t surprise me if soon they’ll have to drop the *Christian* part of the name. On the bright side, my teens have told me that many of their teachers do not agree with the homosexual agenda but keep their mouths shut. They’ll make little comments or direct the discussion in a different direction.
We object to sex ed being taught in 3rd grade. It’s not necessary. The mission statement of Womens Media makes it clear what they’re trying to do. They even say middle school is too late which is why That’s a Family video was made. We’re concerned about the opt-out being taken away and we realize this is a possibility here. We’re upset about how this video content was kept from the parents until after it was shown at one school.
Garden State Equality and the ACLU has already threatened to sue our district/twp. The Courier Post has the latest article. We know a few of the BOE members only voted the way they did because they’re up for re-election. One was especially nasty when addressing the more than 200 in the audience.
I’m optimistic only because of how quickly this vocal majority (called a vocal minority of religious fanatics)was formed and how diligent so many parents have been throughout this ordeal. Some have removed their kids from the district schools but continue to fight.
Please keep us in your prayers because this really is just the beginning for this town. And thanks for the good wishes - we need all the help we can get.
Sorry, I forgot to add that we expect a full out assault with these *activist* groups at our Sept. 27th BOE meeting. The media was notified by them.
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