On June 27, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that parents do have rights when it comes to their children’s education. In a 6–3 vote, the Justices sided with a group of Maryland parents who wanted their children to opt out of lessons containing LGBT themes that conflict with their religious convictions.
Accusations from far-left activists were hurled fast. “Students pay the price when books are censored and educators are silenced,” said National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle. The Justices “have discounted and ignored the expertise of trained educational professionals,” she crowed.
When educators are silenced? How about when parents are silenced? How about when parents are told they have no right to opt out of school lessons they deem harmful for their kindergarten- and elementary-aged children? The so-called “trained educational professionals” have shoved LGBT ideology down children’s throats without parental consent—ideology that encourages children to question their biological gender and to doubt the biological differences between males and females.
Even far-left American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten said, “We have to respect all children and all families. … Parents must have a say about their own kids, they are our partners in education.”
More and more research indicates that pushing children toward so-called “gender-affirming care” is harmful. As Dr. Ryan T. Anderson notes, “The world’s largest dataset on patients who have undergone sex-reassignment procedures reveals that these procedures do not bring mental health benefits.” A documentary recently released by The Heritage Foundation, “Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender” includes conversations of detransitioners and their families. Their accounts highlight the damage done when vulnerable children, teens, and parents buy into the LGBT activist ideology.
So what can concerned parents and grandparents do to protect their children from harmful public school curriculum? First, find out what is being taught in your school district. Attend back-to-school nights. Talk to your child’s teacher about the books that will be read in class. Visit your child’s school library to see what books are being promoted and used. Attend school board meetings. Consider running for a position on the school board.
Most of all, teach your children the truth at home. Affirm their God-given identity as a boy or girl created in His image for His glory. You may want to help them memorize verses such as Psalm 139:13–14: “You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother’s body. How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that” (NIVR). Pray for your kids aloud at bedtime and mealtime, praising God for their skills, talents, attributes—all the things that make them unique. Teach them to thank God in their own prayers for the abilities and attributes He has given them.
The Supreme Court Justices affirmed your right as a parent to oversee and regulate your child’s education, but God gave you that right when He blessed you with a child. Use your parent privileges to guide your child into healthy self-esteem and gender identity.