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An education advocacy organization has revealed what it describes as the “extreme” and “inappropriate” sexual education curriculum of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), which reportedly avoids using the terms male and female for elementary students while promoting abortion as a choice for high school students facing pregnancy.
Erika Sanzi, the Senior Director of Communications for the education defense organization Defending Education, told The Center Square that the lessons provided by the DCPS “aren’t just inappropriate for children but they reveal that DCPS has embraced an ideology so extreme that it avoids using words like male and female and man and woman when teaching about reproduction and sexual anatomy.”
The District of Columbia has mandated that “Sexual Safety Lessons” be taught in schools, stating that these lessons are a legal requirement. Officials have clarified that students are not permitted to opt out of this instructional content during its presentation. With that in mind, Sanzi remarked, “The fact that students can’t be opted out of this madness just adds insult to injury.”
The curriculum for the “Sexual Health Education and Sexual Safety Lessons” implemented by DCPS introduces terminology such as “Person with a Penis” or “Uterus” to elementary students in reference to male and female reproductive systems.
Additionally, the curriculum advocates for the option of abortion in discussions surrounding pregnancy and promotes the use of resources from organizations including Planned Parenthood and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance initiative.
According to Defending Education, DCPS has implemented the Rights, Respect, Responsibility (3Rs) curriculum developed by Advocates for Youth, which frequently collaborates with Planned Parenthood on various education programs and initiatives like the Future of Sex Education (FoSE). This initiative is supported by substantial funding from prominent organizations including the Ford Foundation, New Venture Fund, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.
With lesson plans provided, the organization’s website highlights several important insights, emphasizing:
A fifth-grade lesson on “Sexual and Reproductive Anatomy” instructs students to describe the male reproductive system as a “Person with a Penis” or “Body with Penis and Testicles,” while the female reproductive system is referred to as a “Person with a Uterus” or “Body with a Vulva.”
In a “NOTE TO THE TEACHER,” the lesson plan indicates:
It is likely that students will see the body parts and refer to this as the “boy” or “male” system, and the system of a person with a uterus as the “girl” or “female” system. Ideally, you should point out that you know that each person’s body can be different than the gender they know they are.
Additionally, a sixth-grade lesson emphasizes the importance of not assuming students’ gender identities align with their sexual anatomy, advocating for the use of terms like “a person with a vulva” to foster inclusivity.
For seventh graders, “this lesson refers to ‘male’ and ‘female’ anatomy, explaining:
We use these terms for clarity’s sake to refer to biological sex or the sex a person was assigned at birth based on their anatomy (for example, a baby born with a vulva is likely to be called a “girl”). At the same time, however, it is important to avoid assuming that all of your students’ gender identities will match their sexual anatomy (emphasis mine). Referring to people with particular body parts (such as “a person with a vulva”) will create a more inclusive classroom than “female anatomy.”
Furthermore, a ninth-grade course titled “What if…?” addresses pregnancy and outlines various options, including giving birth, adoption, or abortion, with a homework assignment directing students to explore Planned Parenthood’s website for information.
The abortion pill is highlighted in the curriculum, with students informed that a “pregnant person” can terminate a pregnancy “by taking medication” within “up to 49 days or 7 weeks.” According to the lesson, “After 49 days or 7 weeks, they need to go to a doctor or clinician.” Students are also assigned homework that involves exploring information on Planned Parenthood websites.
The implementation of such a curriculum not only raises significant concerns regarding the appropriateness of introducing explicit terminology and complex concepts about sexual health to elementary students, but also about the Leftist mantra.
Mandating such lessons without the option for parental opt-out infringes upon family rights and values, while the emphasis on organizations with specific agendas, like Planned Parenthood, can lead to biases in the education system.
Ultimately, it is crucial to prioritize age-appropriate education that respects the innocence of childhood and allows families to guide their children through these sensitive topics in a manner that aligns with their beliefs and values, rather than those of a perverse, woke culture.
The post D.C. Public Schools: Not All Students’ Gender Identities Will Match Their Sexual Anatomy appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.