By KELLY LACO, EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF POLITICS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Monday December 11, 2023
First Liberty Institute is representing six Somali-Muslim families who are asking to be notified before their children are instructed on LGBTQ identities, because they say it violates their religious beliefs.
Their children are all aged seven to nine years old, and the majority are in the third and fourth grades.
Attorneys sent a letter Thursday to the school district first obtained by DailyMail.com, saying the district has failed to ‘provide notice to parents before controversial issues are taught, or to give an opportunity for parents to review curriculum in advance.’
According to Minnesota state law, the school district must provide parents with notice before ‘sexualized topics’ will be covered in class. In addition, parents must be allowed to determine if the curriculum is ‘consistent’ with their religious beliefs, and if it is not, they can choose to exclude their kids from the curriculum.
Several books that the children have already been exposed to against the wishes of their Muslim parents includes: ‘My Shadow is Pink, Our Subway Baby, and Ho’onani: Hula Warrior.’
My Shadow is Pink is a rhyming story ‘that touches on the subjects of gender identity, self acceptance, equality and diversity,’ according to the book’s description on Amazon.
The boy realizes he likes activities and colors ‘not for boys’ as he explores his gender identity.
The children were already exposed to these texts without any notice or consent, the letter states.
‘And they have no way of knowing what books their children will be exposed to next.’
One mother, speaking at a recent school board meeting, brought up the book ‘Our Subway Baby’ that she says introduced her child to the concept of having two gay fathers.
‘We are troubled by the way these books are being presented to our children,’ stated.
‘This approach directly conflicts with our deeply held religious beliefs,’ she continued, saying the Constitution protects those rights.
She said that their ‘concerns are not rooted in animosity toward any group, including the LGBTQ community,’ and the families feel ‘grateful’ for the opportunity to live in a community that values ‘diversity and freedom.’
Their request is simply to be notified of the content of the materials first before it is presented to young children.
But lawyers for the families say that the school district is still failing to provide advance notice or ‘an opportunity to review curriculum’ before their children are exposed.
In addition, the district requires parents to describe their reasons for opting out – which they say is a ‘burdensome prerequisite.’
Furthermore, the families’ religious beliefs are therefore being invited to be ‘scrutinized.’
An attorney representing the families says they are dealing with severe stress and anxiety due to the school district’s silence.
DailyMail.com reached out to the school district for a response and spokesperson Rachel Hicks confirmed receipt of the letter.
Hicks said that the K-5 literacy curriculum ‘reflects storylines of LGBTQ+ students and families.’
In addition, the curriculum is ‘in alignment’ with the values held by the district.
‘We understand that families may have diverse perspectives and preferences when it comes to the curriculum, reading materials and literature topics covered in the classroom,’ she said in the statement.
‘We encourage parents and caregivers to engage in conversations directly with their teachers and principals if they have questions. We appreciate the partnership of families in creating an educational environment that respects the needs and humanity of each student.’
