The ideological groomers in Big Education are revealing themselves.

The wailing and gnashing of teeth over much-needed and reasonable laws passed in the recent legislative session would be amusing to witness if it weren’t so disconcerting to realize how many child predator apologists reside in our state.

The latest misrepresentation regarding these new laws continue with Jim Shaw’s recent column applauding Superintendent Rupak Gandhi for unapologetically declaring that his administration will continue to hide important information about students from parents regardless of what the law requires.  Vocal opponents of HB 1522 and related bills count on the probability that most people won’t take the time to actually read the bills in question, so they feel quite comfortable publicly manipulating the facts to suit their political bent while using the most dramatic rhetoric possible.

So what does the "horrific" House Bill 1522 actually accomplish?  It protects government employees from being required to use preferred pronouns.  In other words, it protects against compelled speech.  Is the use of preferred pronouns forbidden?  No, because the law also states that employees may not be prohibited from using preferred pronouns.  The only caveat is when minors are involved.  School employees may use a student’s preferred pronoun as long as parents are notified and approve.  This is only a problem for activists who are desperate for unfettered access to the minds of children and teens.  Public schools are becoming increasingly populated with adults who believe that children belong primarily to the state. Sure, Leftist educators want parents to do the hard work of feeding, clothing, and housing children, but these activists want to be the ones to mold students’ morals and worldviews without the annoying and backward input from parents.

Also contrary to Shaw’s claims, the new law does not “prevent transgender children from using appropriate bathrooms”. The law actually requires schools to establish, with approval of the parent, a separate accommodation for children who identify as transgender.  This is only a problem for those who have no concern for the sex-specific privacy and safety concerns of children and teens, particularly for female students.

If a teacher or administrator is concerned about a student being suicidal, the only responsible action is to inform the parent and let them take it from there.  Teachers are not mental health professionals and it is not their job to solve or even help with the complex mental health problems of their students.  It is not their job to protect their students from parents.  If abuse is suspected, then the only option is to report it and let the proper authorities handle it.

The public support for Gandhi’s anti-parental rights stance is fortunately shining a much needed light on the many other ideological groomers in Big Education and beyond.  Parents, take note.