(Stacey Tinsley, Specht Newspapers)
District 9 State Representative Dodie Horton (R – Haughton) has filed a bill that would ban any discussion of sexual identity and related topics for students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
House Bill 837 states:
No teacher, school employee, or other presenter shall cover the topics of sexual orientation or gender identity in any classroom discussion or instruction in kindergarten through grade eight.
No teacher, school employee, or other presenter shall discuss his own sexual orientation or gender identity with students in kindergarten through grade twelve.
Horton states nothing in the proposed legislation refers to any particular group or lifestyle choice.
“Simply put, my bill is an attempt to protect our most innocent from indoctrination of any kind. Sex education, according to current law cannot be taught in LA public schools until the 7th grade. This is a fact that seems to be left out of many reports. Our educators are tasked with teaching an approved state standard and classroom time is very limited. So, to veer off the approved and properly vetted curriculum is a distraction most educators do not wish to address. My bill seeks to protect our children from undue influences and personal preferences or ideologies. Parents should also be confident that only the approved curriculum is being taught to their children,” Horton said.
“Secondly, our teachers should always refrain from sharing their own sexual preference or sharing their sexual
orientation. Again, they are to teach the approved state standard that has been vetted and voted on by our educational professionals. For example, if a student in a math class asked a question about Christianity to their Muslim teacher, we would expect that teacher to NOT address that issue and to get the class focused back on math. However, if that teacher chose to turn math class into a philosophy class, debating the merits of Christianity vs. Islam, that teacher should be disciplined according to that school board’s policy. Regardless of the topic, no teacher should use their position to push their own personal beliefs or ideology on the impressionable minds of their students,” she concluded.
