Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Help local families fight for their kids

Excerpted from Legacy Network.
The Parkers and Wirthlins have just lost their case to protect their children from a pro-homosexual grade-school curriculum. The judge ruled that all children may receive pro-homosexual indoctrination beginning at age five, because it is good for society. Judge Wolf told the parents that their only other options are to put their children in a private school, home-school them, or elect a different school board.

[snip]
When they first approached The Estabrook School in Lexington, Massachusetts, the Parkers and Wirthlins had no idea of the firestorm they would unleash.

Disturbed by the blatantly pro-homosexual curriculum of the kindergarten and early grades, the Parker and Wirthlin families respectfully requested that their young children be exempted from further pro-homosexual indoctrination. Not surprisingly, they feel that five years old is a bit young to confront alternative lifestyles.

They didn’t seek to change the curriculum, nor did they seek to mandate what the school taught to other children. They merely wished to protect their kindergarten and grade-school children from teachings contrary to their moral and social views.

The Parkers and the Wirthlins naively thought that the law would protect them. Massachusetts General Law chapter 71, section 32A provides that parents must receive notice of teaching that “primarily involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues.”

Under Massachusetts law, if parents object to the sex-ed curriculum, the school must protect their children from such instruction.

Instead, because Massachusetts recognizes gay marriage, the school informed the families that homosexual teachings fell under the family curriculum. School officials refused to protect their children from gay-themed books such as Who’s in a Family, Molly’s Family, and King and King.

According to Robb Wirthlin: “We first asked for advance knowledge of these topics being introduced in the classroom so we could explain these situations to our children and provide them with some context. When the school refused that request, we asked the school to remove our children from these discussions. Again the school refused. After that, we didn't have any other options except to turn to the law for help.

The Wirthlins encountered such severe contempt, hostility, and even abuse that they ultimately withdrew their children from Estabrook. They have moved to another city, while still subsidizing the rent on their former home in Lexington.

The Parkers currently do not have the option of moving from Lexington. They experience daily isolation and public shunning. They have been the targets of organized protests. Many parents in the school community have created a hostile and unwelcoming environment. Their children parrot these negative sentiments to the Parker’s son. He has come home in tears from such harassment.

After exhausting their administrative options, the Parkers and Wirthlins sued Lexington for violating their First Amendment religious liberties by deliberately undermining their children’s moral framework. They also sought protection of their civil rights by requesting enforcement of the Massachusetts law providing for parental notification and their right to remove their children from sexual education.

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