- Requiring descriptive parental permission slips per club is the simplest, most effective way to stop GSA in its tracks
- Placing stronger requirements on non-curriculum-related clubs is also highly effective
- Several schools around the nation have already had success with these strategies
- Follow 5 easy steps below to start fighting for your children
We ended our second post by giving you the weapons you need to protect your children: parental permission slips and strong requirements on non-curriculum clubs. Several schools across the nation have already adopted one or both of these measures, thereby placing control of what children are exposed to back in the hands of their parents. At the moment, Lee County only requires blanket permission for all clubs. Parents are presented with this during the annual online registration for their children. What clubs they sign up for after registration is at the discretion of the children, and their parents may never know.
Lee County only requires blanket permission for all clubs…what clubs children join is at the child’s discretion, and parents may never know.
Permission Slips
Permission slips may seem like a half-measure but be assured they are not. It forces our schools to reflect the community in which they reside. The will of the parents would manifest itself through these simple forms. You can allow your child to attend club meetings if you believe in the GSA and its teachings. If you do not, you can shield your child from their influence. So long as Lee County remains broadly conservative and traditional, so will its clubs because only those with adequate participation will survive.
Some students told us they were required to get permission from parents to attend Lee County School clubs. Other students said they were not. Further, we could find no formal policies or information published on any school website about this. We believe there should be a system-wide policy requiring per-club parental approval for student participation in clubs. We also believe it should be posted where parents can find that policy and that parents should be able to amend their permissions any time online.
Franklin County, Tennessee, took this step more than 6 years ago when GSA first set up shop there. The Daily News Journal describes the county’s policy as follows:
The new opt-in policy would likely require major efforts and paperwork to enforce the policy in the county, said Chris Sanders, the executive director of Tennessee Equality Project, which has been following the debate.
State law allows parents to opt their children out of extracurricular activities. The Franklin County rules would require a signed and dated form from a parent or guardian before the student could become a member of the club or organization.
Chris Guess, a Franklin County parent, stated a personal philosophy that will resonate with many of our readers:
For my children, myself and what I truly believe is the majority of residents in Franklin County, I will not be browbeaten, threatened or bullied into compromising my values or belief system.
A year ago, Rockbridge County, Virginia Public Schools took similar measures to protect its student body. Students in those schools must now provide signed parental permission slips to participate in any school clubs. Morgan McCown, a former teacher and then-candidate for school board, stated:
I certainly understand that there are cases where students have home environments that are not supportive of their lifestyle or their religious views, but I think those are case-by-case issues. Ultimately, parents are raising the kids. So they do deserve to be in the loop.
While the form below is an improvement over Lee County’s parental permission (which simply approves children’s involvement in all clubs), it is still lacking. Lee County needs a form like the one below that also includes a description of the club, its activities, and a disclosure of outside organizations supporting it. Additionally, the form should be online and available for amendments at any time.
Distinguishing Between Curriculum-Related and Non-Curriculum-Related Clubs
Rockbridge County went a step further and divided clubs into curriculum-related (direct extensions of school courses) and non-curriculum-related (other clubs). Non-curriculum-related clubs must reapply for establishment on an annual basis. Brianna Hatch, the author, writes, “Meetings for NCR clubs can not occur without sponsors present, and while they are allowed to participate in activities with students, they can not be ‘leading, guiding, or directing in nature,’ the school board clarified.”
Lee County High School allows all clubs (including non-curriculum-related clubs and the GSA) to meet during school hours twice monthly. NCR clubs should not be allowed to meet during instruction time.
What can you do? 5 easy steps!
The two school systems above provide excellent examples of how Lee County parents can combat the leftist conspiracy coming for their children. Here are the first steps to taking action:
- Warn your children about the dangers of GSA’s teachings
- Understand the proposed strategy:
- Require parental permission slips on a per-club basis that describe the clubs activities and disclose support from outside organizations
- Categorize clubs as either curriculum-related or non-curriculum-related
- Require non-curriculum-related clubs to apply for establishment on an annual basis
- Prohibit non-curriculum-related clubs from meeting during school hours
- Require sponsors be present at all meetings of non-curriculum-related clubs and prohibit them from leading, guiding, or directing the meetings
- Understand the dangers of the GSA and similar clubs:
- They are not a support group for gender-confused or homosexual youth. It is, first and foremost, an anti-American activism organization pushing progressive, communist values.
- They have a history of hiding student involvement from parents.
- They promote teachings and ideas antithetical to most Lee County parents’ beliefs.
- Petition your school board representative
- Contact your school board representative and demand policies be changed to require parental permission on a per club basis for participation
- If you don’t know who your school board representative is…
- Identify your county district here: http://www.lee.ga.us/government/boards/files/elections/voting_precinct_lq.pdf
- Then, find your representative and their e-mail here: https://www.lee.k12.ga.us/content/boe
- Speak to the school board and demand change.
- Contact Dr. Jason Miller’s secretary, Mrs. Jennifer Goode, at goodeje@lee.k12.ga.us
- She can help you get on the schedule to speak at the next school board meeting
- The school board meeting schedule can be found here
In conclusion, The Trojan Way has made you aware of what is happening in our schools. Now, it is your turn. A parental permission slip requirement is the key to fighting back. The 5 steps above are the path to getting that requirement. TAKE ACTION!
Resources and Support
If you have questions, need help, or want to connect with other like-minded parents, here are some resources:
- Protect Student Health Georgia
- A group led by Georgia’s own Noelle Kahaian
- It provides the Parent Toolkit with many forms you can complete and submit to your child’s principal to protect them
- Moms for Liberty
- A conservative group devoted to helping parents protect their children from progressivism
- They, too, have great parent toolkits to get you started
- No Left Turn
- A group fighting to reinstate traditional American and family values in the public school curriculum
- Provide example letters and petitions