Furious parents of a school district in California planned a walkout after discovering that an LGBTQ+ club was created without their input at an elementary school.
The controversy erupted after parents said that a third-grade teacher started a lunchtime group at the Pleasant Grove Elementary School in the Elk Grove Unified District.
The group was called “UBU,” which stands for “You Be You,” and was also called the Rainbow Club.
“These little minds, they just can’t wrap their head around what these types of things mean to them,” said Pamela Davila, a parent of a student at the elementary school, to KOVR-TV.
“I don’t think any of us have an issue with that topic,” she added. “It’s just that they did that without notifying the parents.”
Elk Grove Unified parent Brittani Cortina also opposed the club.
“Deal with the bullying. Don’t keep secrets from parents,” said Cortina. “Take that issue with the parents don’t take that issue with the students in the school.”
The protesting parents made it clear that they didn’t have an issue necessarily with LGBTQ+ clubs in higher grades, but were upset that they were being held in grade schools without their notification.
Dean Broyles, president of the National Center for Law and Policy, worked with the parents to send the school a cease-and-desist letter over the clubs.
“It is really a matter of do parents have the fundamental right to raise, educate and train their children, or does the state have the right to replace parents?” said Broyles.
“If they want to have a club like this, it should be after school, it should be with full parental knowledge and consent,” he added.
The school has placed a pause on school clubs while it investigates the matter.
Others defended the LGBTQ clubs in grade schools, saying they were beneficial to students who didn’t have support of their parents to express their interest in LGBTQ.
“Schools are the safety net,” said Elk Grove Unified parent Tiffany Woods. “Having that extra support and that validation to help them through the day is crucial.”
Pamela Dixon, another parent in the district, argued that other clubs, like a gardening club, required a permission slip from parents, but this controversial club was hidden from them.
“This club was not, did not require any parent permission, and was just started without us knowing,” said Dixon to KXTV-TV.
Here’s a video about the controversy:
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