Heightened security will in place at Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood Friday as some parents protest a Pride Month recognition at the campus, sparking complaints that the topic is one that should be left for parents to teach rather than having it imposed on kids at school.
Parents opposed to the Pride event created an Instagram page to express displeasure with the move, and calling for parents to keep their kids home from school on Friday. Some parents plan to gather outside the school Friday morning and pass out leaflets to others about the issue.
Renato Lira, director of the San Fernando Valley LGBTQ Center, told the Daily News that volunteers with the organization also plan to be at the campus Friday in a show of support for LGBTQ teachers and parents at the school.
The concerns expressed by protesting parents has led to accusations of bigotry and intolerance. The tensions intensified this week with news that a small Pride flag that was on display outside a campus classroom was burned sometime during the weekend of May 20-21, prompting a hate crime investigation by police.
Organizers of the parent protest have vehemently denied any involvement with the flag-burning. They have also insisted that the protest is not founded in intolerance or bigotry — rather in the belief that parents should have the right to decide when to discuss the topic of LGBTQ pride with their children.
“We stand with (the) LGBTQ community in solidarity,” a message posted on the organizers’ Instagram page proclaimed Thursday. “Our protest is against LAUSD. In elementary schools, kids should learn math, English, science.”
“We want to reiterate that our protest is in no way an attack on the LGBTQ community,” according to a statement on the page. “We recognize the importance of promoting equality and acceptance for all individuals. Our intention is to raise the parents voices in wanting a say in when this topic is discussed with our kids.”
The organizers also posted repeated messages calling on protesters to be peaceful, calm and respectful.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, however, indicated that security will be beefed up around the campus Friday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Los Angeles School Police Department will be providing additional patrols around the campus,” according to the district. “The safety of our students and our staff remains our top priority.”
The district insisted it “remains committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for all students. We are also committed to ensuring diversity and inclusivity, in accordance with California’s nondiscrimination laws, so that all students feel empowered to realize their greatest potential. This includes the recognition of the diverse communities that we serve.”
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho issued a statement Wednesday saying the district is “vigorously investigating this unacceptable act that serves nothing more than to diminish our school community.”
“We take the safety and security of our students and our campuses very seriously,” he said. “We are committed to creating a safe and inclusive learning environment that embraces the diversity of the communities we serve. There is no place for hate or intolerance in Los Angeles Unified.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the burned flag had been outside the classroom of a teacher who is a transgender man, and who has since been removed from the school due to safety concerns. Photos of the teacher, however, were posted on conservative Instagram pages used by some parents opposing the planned Friday Pride assembly, the paper reported.
United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing LAUSD teachers, issued a statement Wednesday saying it “condemns the egregious behavior by bigoted protesters that outed the gender identity of a teacher at Saticoy Elementary.”
“At a time of unprecedented threats against the LGBTQIA+ community and anti-trans legislation, this unwarranted response is a blatant attempt to create a hostile environment, not just for visibly transgender people, but for anyone who does not fit neatly into strict male or female gender presentations,” according to UTLA.
“Whether North Carolina or California, public schools should be considered safe havens for our students, communities, and the educators who serve them. No educator, regardless of whether or not they conform to gender stereotypes, should have to go to work and fear any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening disruptive behavior may occur against them.”
The union called actions at Saticoy “another brazen attempt perpetrated by the intolerant minority to divide our communities and demean educators. … We can either teach students that people and families come in all shapes and sizes, or we can choose to teach fear-mongering and hate.”
The planned Pride assembly on Friday is expected to include a reading of a book called “The Great Big Book of Families,” which highlights diversity. Parents can request that their children not attend the program, according to the district.
The protesting parents insisted that they simply do not believe such a Pride event is appropriate for kids who are in elementary school.
“We are parents of elementary school children, who have the right to introduce sexually explicit topics at our discretion,” according to the organizers’ Instagram page. “Yes any topic that is related to LGBTQ is sexually explicit. Why? Our children are innocent and have no idea what is out there. We as parents have the right to introduce these topics at our discretion. Instead we are being forced into talking about topics that should not burden our children for many years to come.”
The site includes phone numbers and email addresses of select school and district officials, urging parents to contact them to register complaints about the Pride assembly. The site also notes that the school has “a large population of Armenian & Hispanic families many who are Christian and/or share conservative values (and) don’t feel this material is appropriate to teach to the children and believe it’s a parent’s right to choose.”