PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — The following letter comes from Mariam Canning of Huntingtown, Maryland, regarding the upcoming election of the Calvert County Board of Education.
If there is anything positive that came out of virtual learning it would have to be the great awakening of parents. Prior to the pandemic I’m not sure I ever heard anyone accuse educators of “indoctrination”—at least not in K-12. Now many of us are wondering how we got here.
A place where all roads lead to racism and provocative drag shows are marketed as “family friendly.”
Midterms are upon us with two seats open for Board of Education and now, more than ever, it’s imperative that qualified individuals are elected on November 8th. Jana Post and Lisa Grenis have exhibited the leadership and common sense necessary to “right the ship” in Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS). Between our incredibly flawed “antiracism” policy and an almost constant barrage of LGBTQ messaging, it’s clear public education is failing our children, leaving them deeply confused and unprepared for real life.
A recent Gallup poll indicated that 1 out of every 6 Generation Z adults consider themselves to be LGBTQ+. This isn’t solely based on cultural changes or we would also see significant increases in older generations who may have waited their entire lives for the level of acceptance seen today. No, this is certainly more than a shift in social mores. The Ethic & Religious Liberty Commission applied the work of moral philosopher Linda Zagzebski to propose their own theory;
“Young adults have been conditioned to see those in the LGBT movement as “heroes”—people who exhibit great courage in “living out their truth.” The reality, of course, is that it takes almost no courage for a young person to identify as LGBT in modern America, especially in urban areas or on college campuses. Indeed, as the promotion of Pride Month by corporations and the White House reveals, in many parts of our nation being LGBT is awarded a higher status than being heterosexual.”
Children are led to believe that by standing with LGBTQ causes/ideals they are the freedom fighters of the day, when in reality they are merely adopting a status quo mentality that costs them nothing to participate and everything should they go off script. Accepting the LGB (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual) status of an individual is quite different than the T (Trans), in that it does not ask others to alter their own perception of reality.
Faculty have already confirmed that CCPS students are allowed to socially transition without parental knowledge or consent. If you’re unfamiliar with the term it means you can change your name, clothing, and pronouns and it will be kept from your parent or guardian.
According to the Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), children who socially transition are more likely to progress toward irreversible medical interventions such as beginning cross sex hormones and/or surgically altering their appearance;
“As the practice of early social gender transition becomes more common, it is reasonable to expect that many more gender-variant youth will persist in their trans identity. This in turn will likely significantly increase the number of young people seeking hormonal and surgical transition, which is of concern because of the poor state of medical knowledge: the longest available set of outcomes of individuals who medically transition in adolescence and young adulthood tracks patients only to an average of age 21, and the best evidence is rated as “low” or “very low” quality.”
Traditionally children who suffered from gender dysphoria had their biological sex affirmed through various forms of psychotherapy with over 80% of youth aging out of the discomfort, never resorting to the surgical removal of otherwise healthy body parts. In case you’re wondering who would “affirm” the assertions of children to the point of sterility and castration, well it’s several degenerates of academia who help to inform the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH). WPATH recently removed the age requirements for “gender affirming care” and added “Eunich” to the ever expanding list of identities, even as European countries move towards a more evidence-based approach.
Individuals with gender incongruence typically exhibit symptoms since early childhood until recently where we’ve seen a sharp increase in “rapid onset” gender dysphoria around adolescence, particularly in girls. Abigail Shrier, investigative journalist, Harvard Law grad, and author or Irreversible Damage refers to this uptick as a “social contagion” and warns of activists exploiting these issues in order to invade women’s protected spaces—something we’re already seeing in bathrooms, athletic competitions, and even women’s prisons.
In June 2022, CCPS adopted an LGBTQ Resolution which allows for biological boys to use restrooms based on their self-declared identity.
We also allow biological boys to compete against girls in athletic competitions following MPSSAA guidelines. Each county has an MPSSAA representative, why didn’t we take a stand against this obvious assault on women’s sports?
As we watch public schools go completely off the rails we find ourselves in desperate need of leadership. Other counties have already started to push back, Carroll County Public Schools adopted a flag policy in an attempt to curb political messaging, limiting what can be displayed in classrooms to just a few neutral and school related options.
The Board of Education and Superintendents of at least two other counties have met with concerned parents with reference to delaying and/or opting out of certain sections of Maryland’s Comprehensive Sex Ed framework. Local leadership can interpret guidelines through a more conservative lens thereby better representing their constituents.
The reverse is also true, Montgomery County Public Schools have become so immersed in gender ideology that students identifying as “non-binary” jumped 582% in just a two year period.
The social culture in K-12 has significant influence on our children. The current focus is to turn children into social justice warriors in lieu of an actual education. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that our National Report Card was abysmal with nearly 2/3rds of Maryland students below proficiency in math and reading. We cannot continue to dedicate valuable classroom time to the implementation of critical race theory, queer theory, or various social justice movements. Our day to day operations ought to focus on core subjects, not political messaging—especially considering the failures at our most basic functions.
To clarify, when I speak of “failures” I’m in no way placing blame on faculty and support staff who are just as much the victims of bad policy as the rest of us. We need people with courage who will speak out against absurd woke policies degrading our institutions and sowing confusion amongst our youth. This is an important election, particularly for Board of Education and we need to send a clear message.
Challenge parental rights and you will be replaced!
Vote for Jana Post and Lisa Grenis if you’ve had enough of the lunacy, it’s time to take back our schools!
Mariam Canning was part of the Save Calvert Schools group of parents who sued Calvert County Public Schools. That lawsuit has since been dismissed.
Idiot.
Ok groomer
Post and Grenis FTW. This liberal mindset must be stopped.