On Tuesday, March 9, school administrators were brought before the Iowa House Government Oversight Committee to answer questions about a district-wide “Black Lives Matter” program that included far more than a study of Black history, culture, and contemporary challenges.
As The FAMiLY Leader reported, the Ames Community School District’s Feb. 1-5 “Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action” affirmed the “13 guiding principles” of the Black Lives Matter, or BLM, movement, three of which urge students to commit to being “queer affirming,” “trans affirming,” and “committed to disrupting the Western prescribed nuclear family structure.”
TFL also revealed how multiple school districts around the state are publicizing their use of BLM resources, which include advocating for a variety of causes, such as the decriminalization of marijuana, advancing Marxism, bailing violent protesters out of jail, and denouncing politicians by name.
Many parents and educators, especially those in Ames, had contacted their legislators, prompting Tuesday’s hearing.
While the goal of the BLM program is purportedly to combat racism, multiple legislators at the hearing raised questions about the other objectives found within BLM materials.
“There are many reasons to be uncomfortable with the phrase, ‘Black Lives Matter’ and the organization associated with it that have nothing to do with racism,” said Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison. “Perhaps individuals are uncomfortable with the phrase because one of this organization’s objectives is to destroy or challenge ‘the Western prescribed nuclear family’ in America. … You ignore these facts just as you seem to ignore the concern of many parents who came forward and told you they were uncomfortable with what they regarded as the indoctrination of their children.”
School officials objected in the hearing to the materials being labeled as “indoctrination,” but multiple legislators disagreed.
“When you only present one side, you are creating an atmosphere of incredible bias,” said Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton. “It is in my definition the absolute definition of ‘indoctrination.’ We have seen this with K-12 schools; we’ve seen this with [Iowa’s public universities]; if it requires the Legislature making you provide both sides, I’m all for it.”
Rep. Holly Brink, R-Oskaloosa, read from a list of sexually explicit vocabulary words allegedly taught to 4th graders in Ames and reported a teacher who told Brink she was so uncomfortable with a video provided, that she refused to push the “play” button.
“Did you know that in your curriculum, there was a video of two males making out, smoking pot?” Brink asked. “We spent a lot of money to say, ‘Say no to drugs,’ for that to be in 6th grade curriculum.”
The following, four-minute video provides some brief highlights from the over two-hour hearing:
Video of the full hearing was filmed and posted on The Iowa Standard Facebook page.
“As important as it is for our nation to confront racism and correct injustices, ‘disrupting the nuclear family’ is not how you do it,” says Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader. “Children are blessed who grow up with both a mother and a father in God’s design for family. That shouldn’t be ‘disrupted,’ but encouraged.
“The additional elements shoehorned into this curriculum, and particularly the 13 Guiding Principles, reveal an agenda that extends way beyond justice and racial reconciliation,” Vander Plaats concludes. “This is just one of many examples of why parents need to be aware and involved and need to have the opportunity to make educational choices that are in the best interests of their children.”
