Rhode Island’s North Kingstown School Department is under fire following a board member’s statement of desire to “never” inform parents if a child changes his or her so-called gender expression during school hours and activities. She expressed this belief during a Jan. 25 board meeting, during which transgender and non-binary policy was discussed.
The board member explained, “[M]y point would be that we never notify a parent with these issues.” She then doubled down, saying, “I don’t think we should notify parents on many issues that we notify them on.”
“I don’t think parents should be notified, simply because society assumes that every child has a well-meaning family culture that is accepting of this,” she stated. “Sometimes the worst thing you can do is involve a parent in some of these issues, based on their own beliefs and their own culture. And that would cause that student to commit suicide.”
These bold statements against parents rights led Judicial Watch to send a letter to the school department questioning the grounds of the comments and asking for the referenced public records to be provided.
Megan Reilly, the mother of three students in the district and a regular substitute teacher for the school system, objected strongly to the board member’s comments, labeling them “creepy” and “harmful.”
“What kind of a message are you sending the children when you say ‘don’t tell your parents?’” She continued, “I feel like they’re assuming that all families are bad until proven good.”
It is clear that the board member’s definition of “good” refers to those who enthusiastically affirm gender changes without question. Those beliefs and cultures that do not conform with her ideology are the problem.
“We already have mandatory reporting laws, so … any adult in those buildings is required to report anything that they think would be harmful to the child, or if for instance, they think that their home life is abusive in any way,” continued Reilly.
Reilly explained that, like many across the nation, the district is facing bigger problems, such as those relating to absenteeism, enrollment, and declining academic proficiency. With this in mind, she continued, “it is to me [ludicrous] that they are so focused on DEI.”
Proficiency in writing, reading, and math should be the priority in schools, and you’d think everyone would be in agreement on this. Instead, many districts are, as Reilly mentioned, focused on pronouns and the “spectrum of gender,” with the scores to prove the lack of focus. (RELATED: VIDEO: Proficiency in Math and Reading at 30-Year Low)
Reilly pointed out that the district has faced other incidents in the past that were made worse by the lack of transparency with parents. In 2021, North Kingstown High School basketball coach Aaron Thomas was investigated for the way in which he conducted “fat checks” in his office, as reported by the Providence Journal.
Following this scandal, parents and the community began paying closer attention to their children’s education and the schools’ programs, pushing for increased transparency from the district, Reilly explained.
The district, however, has opted to continue the pattern of non-transparency, doubling down on the policy that upholds omitting information from parents.
Watch the video to find out more!
A contributor for The American Spectator, Grace Reilly is a senior at Grove City College, where she is a marketing fellow at the Institute for Faith and Freedom. In her role as a fellow, she is the host of the Post-Roe America Conference Series and Meet the Scholars and co-host of the Liberty Mail podcast. Grace has appeared on Fox News, Newsmax, and America’s Voice News, in addition to a variety of podcasts, radio, print, and television in her home state of Connecticut. Follow her on Instagram @conservativegrace and on Twitter @conservgrace.
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