[1]
With about 24 hours notice and a Herculean effort from Stafford’s parents and grassroots, a group called Save Our Schools transformed a national debate last night, where the school board was forced to reverse it’s position on a 6-0 vote.
From Russ Moulton, the eyes on the ground and the hero of the day:
I’d estimate turnout was about 70-30% or better in our favor. We handed out 96 SOS lapel stickers last night. Not bad for such short notice. And those of you who spoke did a fantastic job!
Our fledgling group had just enough organization for a last minute turn-out operation, and our messaging overall excellent. We cut the right tone. Compassionate, respectful, but firm and clear in our demands. But we must now ramp up our efforts even stronger. We simply won the first skirmish in a what is longer, protracted war in Stafford to set county-wide policy on this issue.
The School Board will soon be holding a public hearing on a new County-Schools-wide policy RE the transgender issue, so we MUST keep growing our organization. We must stay vigilant – like minutemen during the Revolution – ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice for the next battle in this fight.
And Equality VA and their other left-allies will be back in bigger numbers. You saw last night how upset some of them were. And just like I warned you they would do, some outright lied about us in the public hearing – saying we were hateful, and claiming we called this poor Hartwood boy nasty names. All lies. But that’s the tactics of the left and the homosexual lobby.
But for now, let’s enjoy this victory. You earned it.
The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star can barely hide it’s contempt [2]… watching what it thought was a revolutionary policy get plowed under by an over 2-1 turnout from concerned parents:
“The issue isn’t as clear as anyone would like it to be, and I’m hoping at some point that we get some direction either from our legislators in Virginia or from VSBA [Virginia School Boards Association],” Superintendent Bruce Benson said.
The board chamber was nearly empty when the vote was taken, but earlier in the evening, the room was packed, and 20 speakers addressed the board—including a man who said he is the transgender student’s father.
“I have many of the exact same beliefs that many of you do,” Jonathon Adams said to those who opposed the school system’s initial action. “I was astonished. And then I watched my little girl grow up. I’m very proud to have a special little girl. I don’t mean just on the outside.”
He also said there needs to be open communication and transparency, but urged people to not trade misconceptions for hate.
As predicted, the old canard is trotted out [3]. Agree and you’re enlightened, disagree and you’re filled with hate and misconceptions.
You Will Be Made To Care (TM).
Stafford School Board member Scott Hirons issued the following statement:
This issue is going to continue to grow in Virginia and throughout the country. What is ironic is what we are attempting to avoid is bullying of children, but the tactic being used is the federal government bullying individual school districts with the actual effect of saying you will comply with our demand or we will take your lunch money. The Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights is where complaints of transgender students restricted bathroom use are filed. The OCR then makes demands of local school districts with the threat of reducing federal funding. One of the biggest line items of federal funding schools receive is student nutrition reimbursement. Hence the federal government is bullying the little guys for their lunch money.
…and there you have it. What makes sense in closed session when the issue is sprung? Doesn’t make sense to the public.
The fight isn’t over by a long shot. The effort to sexualize our classrooms is on in a big way, and Stafford County Public Schools intend to bring the issue back to establish a system-wide policy — and this time, rest assured that Equality VA and others will be seen and felt in force, and concerned parents will be Made To Care (TM).
This is one of the conundrums with a public education. It’s everyone’s public square… and when the focus slips and we use the public square as a legitimizing force rather than a place where ideas can be constructively discussed? That is precisely the problem we’ve seen over the last 10 years when it has come to redefinitions of marriage, family, and now sexuality.
When governments are abused rather than sticking to its core mission and remaining undisturbed, that is when we should be deeply concerned. Parents are the primary educators of their children, and when government is utilized as a weapon to force beliefs upon our children? It oversteps its boundaries.