UPDATE TO THIS STORY: The person who filed the complaint against the LGBTQ-inclusive school curriculum withdrew their complaint, so the hearing below has been canceled.
The Arlington, Mass. Rainbow Commission [had called] on the LGBTQ+ community to attend a meeting of the Arlington School Committee scheduled for Thursday, April 13. The Commission [had urged] everyone to come and and express support for the updated curriculum, which brings Arlington’s health and wellness curriculum in line with recommended national standards.
Here’s the original message from the Rainbow Commission:
On Thursday, April 13, the Arlington School Committee will hold a hearing on the district’s Grade 4 & 5 Human Growth & Development curriculum in response to a formal complaint by an Arlington parent objecting to the fact that the curriculum is inclusive of transgender and gender diverse youth.
PLEASE JOIN US in attending that meeting to express support for the updated curriculum, which brings Arlington’s health and wellness curriculum in line with recommended national standards.
MUCH OF THE MEDIA ATTENTION to anti-LGBTQIA+ activism focuses on what is happening elsewhere in the country, but Massachusetts is not immune to bigotry cloaked as “parental concern.” More often than not, this anti-LGBTQIA+ activism is closely linked with efforts to disrupt racial equity work in schools and municipalities.
Just last week, over 300 residents of Newton turned out to urge their School Committee to reject attempts by a small but incredibly vocal group of Newton residents who sought to roll back Newton schools’ racial equity work. Meanwhile, librarians in cities and towns throughout Massachusetts are being confronted by aggressive protests from people who are angry that LGBTQIA+- and BIPOC-affirming materials and programming are available to students and residents.
IT IS CRUCIAL that we have a strong presence of LGBTQIA+ community members and allies at the hearing to demonstrate strong support for the updated curriculum and our commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive school environment for transgender and gender diverse youth.
YOUR PRESENCE AND YOUR VOICE MATTER, and we need you now more than ever.
Please register with us if you intend to attend, so we know that we can count on you.
THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETS IN PERSON AND ONLINE. We are encouraging as many people as possible to attend in person to show support for Arlington’s transgender and gender diverse youth. The meeting will be held in the Arlington High School Discourse Lab (a larger space than the usual meeting location). Enter the main entrance of Arlington High School at 869 Mass Ave (next to CVS) and someone will be there to direct you to the School Committee room. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.
If you cannot attend in person, please attend via Zoom at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86956181807
UPDATE [Editor’s note: also now cancelled]:
The Arlington School Committee has published additional information about Thursday’s hearing pertaining to a challenge on updates to the Grade 4 & 5 Human Growth & Development curriculum. The challenge was made by an APS parent and takes issue with changes in the curriculum making it inclusive of all genders.
You can read a copy of the challenge that has been made to the curriculum here.
PLEASE NOTE: The School Committee has moved the meeting to the Arlington High School Discourse Lab, which is a larger space than the room in which the School Committee typically meets.
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