A charter school kindergarten teacher staged a transgender “transition ceremony” at Rocklin Academy Gateway in California, and some parents are considering legal action.
Without informing parents beforehand, the teacher introduced a five-year-old student to the class as a boy, he went into the bathroom and came out dressed as a girl, and the teacher reintroduced “her” to the children, explaining “she” was now a “girl” with a girl’s name and was to be called that from now on.
The teacher then read from two books, “I am Jazz” and “The Red Crayon,” purporting to explain what it means to be transgender. “I am Jazz” begins with, “From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl’s brain in a boy’s body.”
Parents only learned of the event from their children, and after hearing from upset parents the school principal finally sent notice to parents via a letter that did not include the term “transgender.” School officials claim the teacher did not receive approval from administrators.
Upset parents have contacted the Pacific Justice Institute and the California Family Council to represent them.
“The majority of parents who had children in this kindergarten did not think that it would be age appropriate,” Pacific Justice Institute President Brad Dacus said.
The school board held a special meeting on July 31 on the matter after twice failing to address the issue. The district’s presentation claimed that not reading the books would put them at risk of discrimination and expose them to a potential lawsuit. District Superintendent Robin Stout said parents were not notified because the books did not fall under opt-out provisions because they weren’t sex education material.
The parents have a serious case for damages.
“Having an authority figure teach the myth that a child can be trapped in the wrong body will potentially lead to fear that they aren’t the sex their bodies clearly indicate,”
said American College of Pediatricians President Michelle Cretella.
Jonathan Keller of the California Family Council group that’s advising the parents, said
“There were several of the little girls that went to their parents and were crying and saying, ‘mommy or daddy, am I going to turn into a boy?’”
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