Special Meeting For Superior 5th Grade Gender Identity Curriculum Scheduled By School Board
It was placed on the calendar without much warning, but the Superior School Board has arranged a special board meeting to readdress the complaint over the 5th Grade gender identity curriculum. The meeting will happen Thursday, August 25 at the Superior Middle School Cafeteria, starting at 5:00 PM.
The special board meeting follows the decision at the regular meeting on August 8 to delay any sort of a decision on the matter to allow for further public commentary and input from parents, students, staff, and the general community. That decision arose in part due to the unexpectedly large attendance that night - that many observers noted to be the "biggest crowd" anyone could remember.
This special board meeting will continue the process.
At issue is the unit on gender identity that is taught to Superior 5th Graders as part of the subject matter in Human Growth and Development. According to an article in the Superior Telegram [paywall], the Superior School District was at the receiving end of a complaint by parents during the past school year and that's when the review process began:
"The complaint was lodged by parents at five of the District's elementary schools this spring. The Curriculum Review Committee met twice in June and received input from both the complainants and District officials. The Committee unanimously approved the curriculum material regarding gender identity pronouns."
Armed with that decision, Superior School District Superintendent/Administrator Amy Starzecki "made the decision to continue teaching the curriculum."
The parents that had lodged the original complaints about the 5th Grade subject matter appealed. That appeal led to the need for review and action by the Superior School Board.