Parents Take Action Against LGBTQ Book in Illinois Classroom
A recent controversy has come out of an Illinois school district after a teacher introduced an inappropriate LGBTQ book to her middle school class.
Sarah Bonner, a middle school teacher of 20 years, frequently offers her students a collection of books that she calls “book tasting.” But parents of Bonner’s students quickly learned that this collection included the top-selling book, “This Book is Gay.” The book is practically an “instruction manual” for students that may feel like they are coming out as gay or lesbian.
Now, parents have filed a police report after the teacher introduced this book to students without parental consent. While Bonner claims the book was introduced to create a safer and more inclusive environment, she failed to respect the opinions and values of the community of parents.
Bonner was exposed for introducing this material when a student in her class took a photo of the book being promoted during the class’s “book tasting” session. After the student’s parents saw the photos, they quickly took action.
In a statement to Today, Bonner explained what followed:
“By Wednesday, I received notice that parents had gotten a hold of pictures from that book that their child had taken in class. By Friday, I was told that parents had filed a police report against me for child endangerment. The notion that I was putting children in danger because of books — I didn’t feel safe. I knew I couldn’t go back.”
Sarah Bonner in an Interview with Today
After the police report was filed, Bonner was put on administrative leave. Shortly after, Bonner submitted her letter of resignation to the school.
The incident has sparked a broader discussion about the boundaries of education and what topics should be off-limits for teachers to speak to students about. Bonner is just one of many teachers that have been exposed for giving students overtly-sexual material in classrooms.
By filing a police report, these concerned parents were not wrong in taking measures to intervene and protect their children. It is far too common that curriculum is passed in classroom’s without the appropriate consent of parents.
There is a serious crisis happening where educators, teachers, and professors are more concerned with promoting their lifestyles to their students rather than teaching them the necessary educational material that parents expect. Because teachers play such an integral role in the upbringing of children, parents should do everything they can to stay informed on what is being taught in their child’s classrooms.
