Defending Schoolchildren from the Homosexual Legal Agenda

• By Alan Sears
• Posted Jul 11, 2012
• No Comments »

Make no mistake – those who would undermine the moral foundations of America are targeting our children. In many parts of our country, the frontline of the battle for our nation’s future is found not in courtrooms, but in classrooms. That’s why Alliance Defending Freedom is vigilant about watching what our legal opponents are doing in our schools, and working to defend our youngsters from the insidious inroads these groups would make on their minds and souls.

In Farmington, Utah, the parents of a kindergartner at Windridge Elementary were stunned when their son brought home a school library book entitled “In Our Mothers’ House,” which extols the purported virtues of same-sex parenting and adoption. The boy’s parents quickly circulated a petition (which was signed by a number of other parents) asking Davis School District officials to require signed permission from a parent before a child is allowed to check out the book. District administrators agreed, and stipulated that policy with all of their school libraries.

Hearing of that, the American Civil Liberties Union contacted the district, too, demanding that it disregard the parents’ request. In response, Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter on June 22 supporting the district’s original decision.

“Public schools should not surrender to ACLU intimidation when it asks them to expose children to sexual content without parental knowledge,” says Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “Parents, not the ACLU, should decide whether young children have access to this type of propaganda, which is obviously aimed at re-educating children regarding the nature of the family. The law clearly upholds the right and duty of schools to protect children and respect the role of their parents.

“Children in elementary schools are not mentally or emotionally prepared to deal with topics involving human sexuality without careful guidance from their parents,” Tedesco adds. “We hope that the district will continue to act in the best educational interests of its youngest students and not concede to the ACLU’s unreasonable demands.”

Tedesco joined Jeremy Ramsey, one of more than 2,200 attorneys in the Alliance Defending Freedom alliance, in writing a similar legal memo on June 29 to Illinois’ Erie Community Unit School District, supporting its decision to discontinue the use of curriculum produced by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network for elementary school students. Last fall, the district’s Materials Review Committee approved the use of GLSEN’s “Ready, Set, Respect!” curriculum program, which promotes homosexual behavior. After reading one of the books in the curriculum, several parents voiced concerns. In May, the board voted to drop the GLSEN materials from elementary schools, finding the materials inappropriate and a poor reflection of the community’s values.

GLSEN pressed the school board to reverse that decision by launching a national campaign that falsely accused the board of banning books. The board, however, has stood by its decision.

“Schools are supposed to serve as institutions of learning, not propaganda,” Tedesco says. “The school board was right to listen to parents’ concerns and abandon the GLSEN materials.”

Please be in prayer for our attorneys nationwide, as they continue to intercede on behalf of children and their families, defending religious freedom and deflecting the onslaughts of those pressing the homosexual legal agenda.