Stepping Away from the Ordinary: Elementary School in Virginia Hosts Surprising Year-End Celebration
Imagine attending your child’s annual fourth-grade event at an elementary school in Charlottesville, Virginia. What would you expect? Perhaps a delightful performance or a reading session? Prepare to be amazed as the students take a different path. Instead of conventional activities, the youngsters engage in a reading session centered around the book ‘ABC Pride’, making the event truly exciting.
An Unexpected Turn of Events
A charming young girl confidently approaches the microphone. She begins reciting the meaning of LGBTQ – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer. In a video obtained by the Daily Signal, a man, possibly the school’s assistant principal named John Kronstain, can be seen leading a child away by the hand. Another girl’s voice is filled with enthusiasm as she suggests, “How about having a book about pride month?”
The Heartwarming Reading Session
The moment for storytelling arrives! A couple of little girls take turns reading excerpts from ‘ABC Pride,’ a book that associates each letter of the alphabet with various gay pride concepts. They utter words like, “A is for acceptance, when you embrace yourself and others for who they are,” and “B is for belonging, when you feel you have found your place amongst things and individuals you adore.” The author of this book, Louie Stowell, is an openly cis queer woman over 40 who has expressed her belief on Twitter that children’s books cannot influence one’s sexual orientation. Even if they could, Stowell maintains, “so what?”
The Inside Scoop
Beth Cheuk, the community relations overseer at Charlottesville City Schools, sheds light on the event proceedings. She explains that the children were engaging with LGBTQ acceptance as part of their “monthly schoolwide morning meeting, celebrating the end of the academic year.” Teachers typically plan these morning programs every month, often involving their students. For June’s meeting, it was the fourth graders’ responsibility.
The School’s Perspective
Charlottesville City Schools wholeheartedly supports Johnson Elementary School’s administration in orchestrating these “essential” experiences for students, affirms Cheuk. However, it should be noted that parents were not informed about the event. Cheuk acknowledges this mistake, stating, “We have not consistently communicated with families about cultural observations during these morning meetings. Nevertheless, we will rectify this moving forward.”
Your Perspective Matters
What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you believe the school acted appropriately by involving the children in such an event? Or should parents have been informed beforehand? Share your thoughts and contribute to the discussion!
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