Parents have expressed concerns after Gilbert Public Schools (GPS) teachers performed a same-sex “wedding” in front of all their kindergarteners.
Val Vista Lakes Elementary School reportedly posted images of the event on their Facebook page, and GPS liked them. It appears the photos have since been deleted.
Teachers Makayla Krinsky, Suzanne Lunt, and Tina Selles, along with Principal Patrick Miller, were pictured participating in the event. The “wedding” is a popular lesson plan among educators to teach kindergarteners about how the letter “u” always follows the letter “q” in English spelling. Traditionally, the lesson plan focuses on the union of a bride and groom; however, the GPS teachers opted to have two women play the roles.
Miller walked Lunt, wearing a white dress and veil with the letter “Q,” down an “aisle” of white paper. Krinsky served as an “officiant” wearing the letter “O,” with Selles wearing a black top and pants with the letter “U” awaiting Lunt. In the background, the traditional “Bridal Chorus” song played on a screen.
Lunt was a Republican candidate for Arizona House District 14 last year; she lost in the primary. She received endorsements from Jenn Daniels, former Gilbert Mayor; Greg Tilque, president of Gilbert Sister Cities; Julie Spillsbury, Mesa City council member; Joan Kruger, Larry Morrison, and Linda Abbott, former Gilbert Town council members; Reed Carr, former Gilbert School Board president; Bob Worsely, former state senator; Save Our Schools Arizona; Stand for Children Arizona; and the Arizona Nurses Association.
Krinsky, Lunt, and Selles all graduated from ASU.
As shared by Not in Our Schools, a parent posted their concerns in a private Facebook page for GPS parents and community members.
“How would you go about addressing it with both the sNot chool and school board. I can accept the fact that sometimes the letters “Q” and “U” go together or are ‘married’ in some words,” said the parent. “However, I feel like this is completely unnecessary. Honestly believe that marriage should not be spoken about in school at all, let alone should they be pushing the valve off same sex marriage.”
In a separate post, Arizona Women of Action (AWOA) issued a similar concern that a mock same-sex wedding could be problematic for young, impressionable minds.
“This @GPS_District “mock same sex wedding” may have been benign in design, but parents must address these kinds of unacceptable issues at each turn,” said AWOA. “They are confusing and damaging to our children. The more their minds are stressed with these experiences, the more problems will accrue.”
AWOA encouraged community members to contact the school board, as well as the Arizona Department of Education Empower Hotline about the classroom event.
This @GPS_District "mock same sex wedding" may have been benign in design, but parents must address these kinds of unacceptable issues at each turn. They are confusing and damaging to our children. The more their minds are stressed with these experiences, the more problems will… pic.twitter.com/g1bJ4c5Avm
Gilbert Public Schools (GPS) students are coming home with more than what they learned at school today – some are coming home with exposure to gender theory.
GPS students are reporting that teachers are surveying students about their “preferred pronouns.” If a female student doesn’t want to go by feminine pronouns, or a male student doesn’t want to go by male pronouns, then they may choose to identify themselves by “nonbinary pronouns” or “neopronouns.”
One GPS parent reported that her student witnessed a fight between certain students and “furries” – people with an interest in anthropomorphic animals, sometimes dressing like them – over a handout asking about preferred pronouns. The furries were concerned that their preferred pronouns weren’t options on the handout.
Preferred pronouns may disregard proper grammar entirely – such as the nonbinary pronouns “they/them.” Neopronouns can be anything, even “animal-themed” like “coyoteself.” It’s up to an individual to determine their pronouns. According to those who subscribe to or support alternative pronouns, their preferred pronouns can change by the day – even by the minute.
Beyond the traditional pronouns for males and females, popularized preferred pronouns include ze (or, zie, sie, xie, and xe, pronounced “zee”) and hir (pronounced “heer”).
Below is an example of one of the handouts from a GPS teacher:
Somehow, they didn’t see it coming. Last week, Gilbert Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in Arizona, notified 152 certified staff members that they would be without jobs for the 2021-2022 school year. And the announcement sent shockwaves throughout Arizona’s public school districts.
But why?
Parents certainly tried to warn them. They pleaded with their school districts to find safe ways to offer in-person learning. And they threatened to leave for charter schools, private schools, or homeschool if they didn’t.
The Gilbert Public School District’s recent notice that 152 teachers, school counselors and nurses, and administrators will be without jobs for the 2021-2022 school year may have upset the staff, but issues with the district’s falling enrollment and worsening financial situation is nothing new.
In a letter sent last week to all staff, Superintendent Dr. Shane McCord noted “it is imperative that student needs remain at the center of our decision-making, and that we remain fiscally responsible to ensure the long-term success of our students, our employees, our schools, and our district as a whole.”
Earlier this month the Arizona Auditor General issued a District Spending Report which noted Gilbert Schools had a projected student enrollment of 33,360 at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year across 39 schools in Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa. That enrollment represented a six percent decrease from five years before, even though population within the district’s boundaries has grown.
But in December, the district’s governing board was informed that the 2020-2021 budget -based on 33,360 students- had to be revised for an actual enrollment of less than 29,000. In fact, the nearly 3,900 fewer students resulted in a revenue reduction of $26 million, Assistant Superintendent Bonnie Betz said at the time.
“Statewide, there’s been a 40,000-student loss across the state,” Betz said. “The pandemic has had a significant impact on enrollment statewide.”
Some former Gilbert Schools students went to other districts or charter schools between July 2020 and December 2020, but even the larger Mesa Public Schools announced 3,500 fewer enrolled students during that same period. And the Arizona Department of Education recently announced that statewide enrollment for preschoolers and kindergarteners dropped off more than 40 percent over the last year.
Such decreases are expected to continue, contrary to hopeful claims by some within Gilbert Schools who believe enrollment will recover in the upcoming school year through an increase in primary grade students.
“While some parents of kindergarten and first grade students delayed the enrollment of their children this year in order to spare them the uncertainty created by the pandemic, the Gilbert district’s last minute decision-making has created an atmosphere of distrust that sent parents looking elsewhere,” one parent told AZ Free News.
It appears a majority of those students went into homeschool programs, which became popular -and in many instances necessary- for parents in response to districts kept changing their educational offerings during the pandemic.
Reaction from some teachers and legislators to McCord’s decision has pointed to the fact that the Gilbert Schools could have decreased class sizes instead of laying off teachers, even though the Arizona Auditor General report shows the district’s student to teacher ratio currently stands at 17.5 to 1, below the state average.
Voters in the Gilbert District approved a $100 million bond in 2019 to help build two new schools. There was also a 15 percent property tax override approved to help reduce class size and attract / retain teachers.
That doesn’t count the $2.3 million in federal funds passed along by the state to Gilbert Schools under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund covered by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Or the $9.7 million of ESSER II funds awarded to the district under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act in late 2020.
But with fewer enrolled students the district is not getting as much of that money as expected, which has been further exasperated by state education officials who decided to fund distance learners at a lower rate than in-person students.
If enrollment numbers rebound for the next school year then those who were not offered positions will be able to reapply.
“Gilbert Public Schools, along with many other school districts, faces a reduced number of students going into the next school year following the global pandemic. Decisions like this are not easily made, and as a school district, we greatly value all of our employees and their contributions. We continue to make every effort to increase enrollment for next year and it is our hope that many students lost during this pandemic will return to our schools over the next year.” – Gilbert Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Shane McCord
