EDITOR’S NOTE | The following is a letter that Biddeford parent Kelly Burt sent to Biddeford School Superintendent Jeremy Ray. It has been shared on social media and is republished here with permission. The Gazette will be publishing a response from Mr. Ray.
By KELLY BURT | Biddeford
I’m reaching out regarding something I recently learned about the classroom environment in [her] art class. I understand that an LGBTQ pride flag is displayed in the classroom, and I want to express my concerns as a parent.
First, I want to make clear that I have tremendous respect for the teachers and staff at the school. We have had very positive experiences over the years, and I have always felt that my daughter’s classrooms have been safe, welcoming and thoughtfully designed for young children. I genuinely appreciate the work that goes into creating that environment.
That is why I was particularly concerned to learn that a PRIDE flag is being displayed in an elementary classroom.
My concern is not about judging or disrespecting any individual or group. It is about what I believe is appropriate for an elementary school environment and, more importantly, where the responsibility lies for introducing certain subjects to young children.
My daughter is eight years old. Topics involving sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity and related social issues are matters that I believe should be introduced and discussed by parents at home—not by teachers or through displays in an elementary school classroom.
These are personal and sensitive conversations, and parents should have the ability to determine when their child is ready for them and how they should be explained based on their family’s values.
I do not believe it is the school’s place to initiate these conversations with children who are this young.
Even if a teacher does not intend to start a discussion, placing a pride flag in a classroom inevitably creates the possibility that a child will ask what it means. At that point, the teacher is put in the position of introducing or explaining a subject that I believe belongs at home and should be addressed by a child’s parents.
Topics involving sexuality, sexual
orientation, gender identity
and related social issues are
matters that I believe should
be introduced and discussed by
parents at home—not by teachers
or through displays in an
elementary school classroom.
I also believe there is an important distinction between making every student feel welcome and supported and actively displaying symbols associated with particular social, cultural, or ideological viewpoints.
My daughter should absolutely be taught to be kind, respectful and accepting of others. I fully support that. But those values do not require the school to introduce or promote particular perspectives on sexuality or gender.
For that reason, I respectfully but firmly ask that the PRIDE flag be removed from [the art] classroom.
If there are other PRIDE flags or similar displays elsewhere in the school, I ask that those be removed as well. I believe this should be a consistent standard throughout the school and should apply regardless of the classroom, teacher or particular symbol involved.
I would also like clarification regarding the school’s policy on classroom displays. Specifically, what guidelines determine which flags, symbols, or other displays teachers are permitted to have in their classrooms?
If there is a written policy addressing personal, political, social, ideological, or identity-related displays, I would appreciate being provided with a copy or directed to where I can review it.
I am not asking the school to treat anyone differently, nor am I suggesting that students should not be taught to treat others with dignity and respect.
I am asking that the school recognize the appropriate boundary between providing a welcoming educational environment and introducing sensitive subjects that should be left to parents to discuss with their children.
I appreciate you taking the time to consider my concerns. I look forward to your response and to understanding how the school intends to address this matter.
Thank You, Kelly Burt
NOTE: Biddeford School Superintendent Jeremy Ray offers a response to the concerns outlined above | GO HERE
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Positively not. Shouldn’t education be structured to prepare students for experience they will need for a happy, content and prosperous life? Not to sway them to something that should be their own decision and theirs alone.This is going too far.
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