“It is the first fact of civilization,” says lesbian activist and author Patricia Nell Warren.  “Whoever captures the kids, owns the future.”

That’s an agenda the Kanawha County Board of Education (KCBOE) appears to appreciate.  Out for public comment now is a proposal – proudly endorsed by Del. Carrie Webster – that would add “sexual orientation” to the KCBOE’s “cultural diversity” policy.  The policy would require the KCBOE to actively recruit teachers based upon their sexual orientation and require its faculty and staff to annually undergo required training about sexual orientation.

One can’t help wondering what exactly is meant by “sexual orientation.”  Presumably, the KCBOE knows, but its members do not appear to be telling.  Perhaps they would like to identify which one – of the more than 25 different sexual orientations that have been suggested in the DSM to date – they have in mind.  Homosexual, bisexual, and transgender behaviors are certain to be included; polyamorous, asexual, or pansexual behavior may be as well.

While we await that clarification, what can KCBOE teachers and principals expect if this measure becomes school policy?

Well, for one thing, those teachers who object to the forced indoctrination that is “cultural diversity education” can expect not to be paid.  Of course, on paper, citizens employed by West Virginia’s public education system shouldn’t be penalized or discriminated against for abiding by their beliefs.  But in this case, the Board of Education has threatened to hold the paychecks hostage and force its employees to complete diversity training that endorses homosexual behavior – even between minors.

Forcing teachers to participate in such indoctrination even if it violates their deeply-held religious convictions is unconstitutional. Under this policy, teachers will be forbidden to respond to students who have unwanted feelings of same-sex attraction and are being bullied for wanting to embrace their heterosexuality; on the other hand, they must learn to be sensitive to students who feel compelled to engage in anal, oral, or manual sex with members of their own gender, just to fit in with their peers.  What’s more, principals will be required to encourage boys to pretend to be girls, and faculty will be forced to remain silent when bisexual faculty are given alone time with children.

Call me old-fashioned, but I believe the KCBOE should concentrate its collective efforts on improving reading, writing, and arithmetic, instead of promoting, protecting, and propagating behavior that is unhealthy, unwise and unravels the moral fabric of the family.

Parents – not professional educators – have the fundamental right and final responsibility for directing their children’s education … including their sexual education.  This new policy, though, will force teachers to endorse behavior that in most cases directly contradicts what is being taught in the home.  It places the best interest of politicians over what’s best for students —  especially for those young people dealing with feelings of same-sex attraction.

The classroom is not the appropriate venue for this politically-charged debate.  Del. Webster herself admitted in a letter to the KCBOE that this policy will accomplish in the schools what her political agenda has not been able to accomplish through the Legislature.

Worst of all, though, students shouldn’t have their sexual identity forced on them by either school administrations or the government.  Where is the concern for students who have unwanted feelings of same-sex attraction?  Students struggling with their sexual feelings can’t be expected to make good, well-informed decisions if they’re only hearing one side of the issue.  Rather than provide that kind of balance, however, the board is pushing through a deeply-biased policy that will deliberately recruit bisexual teachers to fill roles like P.E. teacher and coach (positions that supervise class settings in which students are especially physically vulnerable and self-conscious).  And the policy prompts these sexually-focused teachers to encourage students to embrace behavior that has been statistically shown to increase the risk of suicide among teens.

The Family Policy Council of West Virginia has offered – at its own expense – to provide local, state, and national experts who will provide an informed and thoughtful opposing viewpoint to this proposal so that the KCBOE can make a fully informed decision on this policy.  Yet, the KCBOE has repeatedly refused this offer, choosing instead to rely upon junk science and political special interests to achieve what are clearly its politically-correct, rather than child-sensitive, goals.

Whatever the deaf ear the KCBOE turns to the rest of the world, we hope it will still listen to the parents and taxpayers of Kanawha County.  We, therefore, urge you to contact James Withrow, the General Counsel of the KCBOE, by calling him directly at 304-348-7798 or emailing him at jwithrow@kcs.kana.k12.wv.us.  Politely, but firmly, express your opposition to the proposed “cultural diversity” policy.

You have until July 1 to express your concern that the KCBOE is working to capture our children – and change our future for the worse.

Jeremiah G. Dys, Esq., is president and general counsel of The Family Policy Council of West Virginia, www.familypolicywv.com.

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

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