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COLUMBUS — What are your children learning in public schools? While divisive SOGI laws have had considerable opposition throughout Ohio, one school administrator is using children as political pawns to promote her political agenda. Students at her Columbus suburb school are being taught to be LGTBQ activists.
This week Kristen Clausen, a Vice Principal at Hilliard City Schools, sent an email to staff this week ordering all teachers to have students send letters to the Hilliard City Council urging them to pass a controversial and dangerous ordinance that would make “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” a special class of people.
The email obtained by Center for Christian Virtue (formerly Citizens for Community Values), instructs teachers to read a script to students supporting a so-called “anti-discrimination” ordinance. This is in direct violation of school policy pertaining to political issues.
As Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of its neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
Some of the harmful effects of SOGI ordinances observed in other states include the requirement that homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters have to allow men to bathe and bunk with women. They have also required businesses and schools to allow men in women’s locker rooms or showers. Opponents point out the ordinances dictate how people should think and are in direct conflict with First Amendment protected speech.
This past legislative session a state SOGI bill failed to pass after receiving strong opposition from the faith community and womens’ rights advocates.
“This is an unprecedented violation of the public trust. For Hilliard public schools to turn students into lobbyists is bad enough. But to pressure students to lobby for something as dangerous and controversial as a Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Bill is wholly unacceptable.”
Aaron Baer, Center for Christian Virtue President
Presently Hilliard City ordinances have the same protections for all people. According to the Human Rights Campaign data, eighty-nine percent of the 247 municipalities in Ohio presently do not have SOGI laws.
Clausen’s order goes on to have teachers encourage students write letters to the Hilliard City Council, and to drop the letters in the school’s “main office” for delivery. The teachers were also directed to play a video for all students on how to lobby City Council in support of the “anti-discrimination” ordinance. The video gave no examples of discrimination in the Hilliard community.
“This is an unprecedented violation of the public trust,” said Aaron Baer, President of Center for Christian Virtue. “For Hilliard public schools to turn students into lobbyists is bad enough. But to pressure students to lobby for something as dangerous and controversial as a Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Bill is wholly unacceptable.
“What’s worse, to order teachers to endorse legislation as harmful as a Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity law is incredibly unethical. The employees of the state come from diverse backgrounds, and should not be coerced to back such partisan and divisive legislation.”
Baer commented, “The Hilliard School Board should retract this email immediately and issue an apology to all students and teachers. They must also take all necessary steps to hold administrators responsible and ensure this unbelievable breach of the parents’ trust never happens again.”
Director of Communications for Hilliard City Schools, Stacie Raterman, agreed the email by Clausen was not appropriate. According to Raterman, “The board policy sets clear expectations that literature promoting or opposing political figures, candidates or issues not be distributed in the school setting.”
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“He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…” John 10: 12-14
