First-graders given ‘gender identity’ homework in Washington state

At Edmonds Online Academy, a remote learning school that was created due to Covid, first grade students were given a lesson plan titled "Gender Identity" which asked students to make a "snowperson" based on how they "identify."

The instructions stated, "Think about what we talked about in class about gender identity. Make your own snowperson to tell me how you identify yourself."

The assignment provided a "gender" diagram, teaching six and seven-year-olds that they can either identify as a boy, girl, both or nothing at all. The students that don't identify as a girl or boy are told to use "they/them" pronouns.

"My sons first grade assignment from yesterday. Edmonds School District, WA state. I'm so sick of this," a concerned parent posted to Twitter with a screenshot of the assignment.

The students were also instructed to read a book titled, Jamie and Bubbie: A Book About People’s Pronouns (Jamie Is Jamie). The book features a young child teaching their great-grandmother the importance of not assuming one's gender.

According to the author, the book "...introduces children, through an accessible fictional narrative, to the nonbinary experience, the use of gender-neutral pronouns, and how to respectfully use personal pronouns. They will learn the importance of using the correct pronouns, and that sometimes a person's name and pronouns can change."

In an email sent to the Edmonds School District obtained by The Post Millennial, the parent expressed concerns surrounding the age-inappropriate curriculum, mentioning that parents were not warned beforehand.

"Our child is 7 years old and in the first grade! This material is completely inappropriate for children this age and is the reason the state of Florida is looking to legislate this issue. We were not given any type of prior notice that this was to be taught and had we been informed we would have denied consent and requested our child be excused from the lesson," the parent said in the email.

When asked about the material, the Edmonds School District told The National Desk that it "is required to teach state standards" and cited documents from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction detailing the standards.

The district told the outlet that the lessons are comply with state education standards, even though many parents are upset that the concepts of gender identity are being taught to children at such a young age.

The graphic standards were passed by the Washington State Legislature in 2020 via House Bill 2184 which required schools already providing Sex-Ed to include information about affirmative consent and bystander training and Senate Bill 5395 which implemented a requirement for statewide Sex-Ed in 2021.

Earlier this month, the state of Florida passed House Bill 1557, known as the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which bans gender identity indoctrination in Florida's pre-K through third-grade classrooms.

The legislature bans teachers in those grade levels from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill also allows parents to sue school districts if the policy is violated. Proponents of the pro-parental control law say the bill gives decision-making power back to the parents over their children's education.

The Bill, dubbed by radical left-wing activists as the "Don't Say Gay" Bill, has been the height of controversy the past few weeks. Although according to a recent poll, over 60 percent of Americans support DeSantis' anti-grooming law.

More than six in 10 Americans—at 64 percent—support banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-3 classrooms across the state that is "not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate." Meanwhile, only 21 percent of those polled oppose the bill.