A group of parents in the Elk Grove Unified School District will keep students home from district schools Friday in protest of campus clubs for LGBTQ students.
“We are urging parents to consider pulling their children from school on Friday, March 29, 2024, as a means of expressing support for parental rights and to demonstrate the importance of transparency and openness in school activities,” parents wrote in an Instagram post for the group “Informed Parents of EGUSD.”
Parents learned in January that a teacher at Pleasant Grove Elementary School was hosting a “UBU” club for all elementary school students, emphasizing that it was a safe place for “boys who crush on boys,” or “girls who crush on girls,” but that all were welcome. Upon learning about the clubs, about 50 EGUSD parents complained at a school board meeting this month, lamenting that they weren’t informed, and calling that a violation of their parental rights.
Christian conservative groups such as the California Family Council got involved, and the story made its way to conservative host Jesse Waters’ Fox News program. The National Center for Law & Policy, a Christian conservative nonprofit law firm based in Escondido, sent the school district a cease and desist letter last week, threatening legal action if the schools do not discontinue the clubs.
“EGUSD’s recent rollout of these clubs focusing on human sexuality, including, but not limited to, affirming sexual orientation and gender identity, has been truly egregious,” wrote Dean Broyles, Chief Counsel and President of the NCLP, in the March 21 letter.
“The entire process has demonstrated a complete lack of integrity, transparency, accountability and even the most basic safeguards to protect minor children and their families.”
What are ‘Rainbow Clubs’?
Five other schools in the district also have Rainbow Clubs, which are elementary school equivalents of Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) clubs, where students play board games at lunch and spread an anti-bullying message. Recent studies show that schools with these clubs show fewer instances of bullying and harassment not just of LGBTQ students, but the student body overall.
Posters for the club at Markofer Elementary in Elk Grove show a rainbow with the school mascot. The club is “a safe, healthy, anti-bully space for all children” in 5th and 6th grades. The poster promises “fun, games, and learning with friends.”
Concerned parents, and the NCLP, say the school was actively hiding the clubs from parents, and “enticing” students to join.
That’s not the case at all, said EGUSD board member Michael Vargas, who was elected in 2022.
“These clubs are not a secret,” he said. “They’ve never been a secret.”
Stone Lake Elementary School, also in Elk Grove, started a Rainbow Club last year, and a story about it was featured in the school’s newspaper, the Stone Lake Gazette.
“Members eat lunch together and talk about ways they can improve our school,” according to the story, published in Nov. 2023.
“Members are expected to be kind to everyone and be welcoming to diversity. They spread anti-bullying messages, and they talk about growth-mindset and ways to handle stress.”
One project the Stone Lake Rainbow Club undertook was raising money for a “buddy bench” at the school.
“What happens at those lunchtime club meetings is that kids play games,” said Vargas. “They play board games, they eat their lunch, they sit and talk ... Different schools take a different tack on how to inform students and the community about these clubs, but they are not new, and we are not hiding them.”
EGUSD encompasses more than 20 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and 14 high schools, and the district has different policies for elementary schools and secondary schools. School clubs, for example, are listed on secondary school websites. But because elementary students often start lunch clubs on a whim, schools don’t routinely update the community about what those clubs are.
“It wouldn’t make a lot of sense administratively to send an email to parents every time a new club popped up,” Vargas said.
But that doesn’t mean the district doesn’t want parents to be informed.
“We want to make sure parents have all the available information about what opportunities their students have access to,” he said. “That facilitates conversations between students and parents. We don’t want to just inform them, but facilitate those conversations (at home), because those conversations lead to better outcomes.”
Are kids too young to talk about LGBTQ issues?
One major complaint among parents and conservative groups is that the clubs “target” young kids. The Pleasant Grove UBU Club was for students as young as 3rd grade.
“These clubs are too much, too soon for young children,” said Elk Grove parent Mary Congdon, in a statement from the California Family Council. Many parents who spoke at the board meeting in early March shared similar sentiments.
California’s Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act, which former Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law in 2011, requires that elementary school students learn about LGBTQ history and important historical figures. The EDUSD updated its K-8 social studies curriculum in 2019 to include more history of LGBTQ and disability rights.
“When you look at 3rd grade curriculum, the FAIR (Education) Act kicks in, and we start incorporating stories about LGBTQ leaders and their stories,” Vargas said.
“We want to create an opportunity for them outside of the classroom, on campus, to engage in these conversations and ask questions. If they are a student who might align with those identities, we want them to have a place. We also want that to be available for non-LGBTQ students who want to learn more about this.”
District will ‘review its policies’ but stands with LGBTQ kids
In the face of calls for Friday’s walkout, district leadership is encouraging families to send their children to school.
“Walkouts are especially challenging for schools as we have to balance student safety and required school attendance with the rights of students to express themselves,” the district said in a statement.
“The District has policies and procedures in place to support and protect students and staff in situations that relate to freedom of speech, civic engagement, and controversial issues where we encourage lawful, orderly, and civil discourse, provide appropriate supervision, and discourage unsafe or disruptive behavior.”
District leadership said it was “reviewing its policies on how information regarding student clubs is shared on campus, and how parents are notified in the process,” in a March 22 statement, and reiterated its commitment to that in Thursday’s comments.
“The District is analyzing all aspects of school activities/clubs including start-ups, communications, and operations. A policy and regulation review is an important aspect of this work and parents/guardians, students and staff will have an opportunity to provide feedback on both drafts. The District believes in providing opportunities for students that enhance school spirit and students’ sense of belonging.”
Vargas said the board is also taking a look at these policies.
“Right now we’re looking at those rules, and how can we streamline them across elementary and secondary schools to make sure everyone’s informed,” he said.
“But I want to reinforce that we’re a district that supports our LGBTQ students, period. My colleagues and I differ on policies sometimes, but our support of LGBTQ students is absolute.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2024 12:44 PM.
