D7 LGBTQ+ Education

Update: The district has satisfactorily addressed this issue, read the update here.

District 7 Sneaks LGBTQ+ curriculum into Black History Month

On January 13th, the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of Spartanburg School District 7 sent an email to the teachers of District 7 schools about Black History Month 2021. The email stated:

Please peruse the attachments, which provide an array of lesson plans, activities, and general information to enhance the commemoration of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Black History Month, National Mentoring Month, and unsung LGBTQ+ pioneers.

Carlotta Redish, D7 Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

This brings up the first concern, as we wonder what LGBTQ+ pioneers have to do with Black History Month, and why they should replace or even be introduced to our students during a time set aside to honor black history.

The email continues:

I sincerely hope these resources will be helpful to you as you educate and empower our students.

Carlotta Redish, D7 Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Our District 7 administration wishes that our child’s teachers will educate and empower our kids with the information that was distributed on “LGBTQ+ pioneers.” The resources in reference have been attached below for your own consideration.

There are three PowerPoints which were distributed with the email sent above about Black History month.

• One is a lesson on Unity Month, which is in October and is not about black history. The other two are about “Unsung Heroes & Heroines” which are the “LGBTQ+ pioneers” the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer mentioned.

• The first unsung heroine is a white woman who started PFLAG which describes itself as “the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies.” Again, this has nothing to do with black history.

• The second unsung heroine is Pauli, which the PowerPoint describes as an “either transgender or gender non-conforming” person who was denied sex-change treatment. She later became a priest.

School districts across the country have been quickly implementing sexually inappropriate LGBTQ+ education across school curriculum including outside of what our school district already has set aside during sex ed in middle school, including history and social science classes, and as early as second grade. Since the material District 7 disseminated does not appear to be a history resource and not sex ed related, we can only assume this is the also goal of the District 7 administration. Superintendent Jeff Stevens clarified to the teachers days later that this was not the case for now. He states:

District 7 parents are provided detailed information outlining what will be taught in these classes at the beginning of each class and are asked to opt in or out for each unit based on their personal preferences.

Jeff Stevens, D7 Superintendent

Since parents have already made the opt in or out choice for this school year, these materials can not be used FOR NOW. But it is clear the intention is to use these materials at some point soon, as he states “It includes a lot of great information for possible use by our teachers.”

It appears teachers are to blame for being confused by the first email distributing the information.

As parents of Spartanburg District 7 students we are not okay with the administration, led by Jeff Stevens, implementing LGBTQ+ curriculum in our schools whether it is sex ed or elsewhere. We must take action and stop its implementation now. Parents in other states and schools have already lost this battle, which is a battle for health of our young loved ones minds.

Again, I have been assured these materials will not be used this year. But it begs one to ask the questions:

1. Why was it distributed to teachers under the guise of Black History Month 2021 information?
2. Why was it distributed to teachers if the intention was for them not to use it?
3. What does “great information for possible use by our teachers” actually mean?
4. What is Jeff Stevens’ intention in regards to LGBTQ+ curriculum?

If we do not take action now, this material will be implemented in our school district and it will be too late to take action. Please take two seconds to sign the petition and share it with everyone you can!

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