I have no idea how much it's worth: I have a (dutch) bachelor of education, as a primary school teacher. Maybe education in the States is very different, but for me one of the key elements as a teacher, is the social function a school has.
Any school is a (partial) reflection of society itself and social themes, as they are in big part of life but therefore also impossible to ignore. A school is possible the most important place where (young) kids get to meet and interact with other peers, learning social structure, morals and social skills. That includes sex.
Because for as long as sex and reproduction are a part of our everyday life, it will finds it's way into the schools.
Life happens, society happens and kids will notice that, regardless of age. They are very curious and have tons of questions. Small questions and big questions, even the little ones. They see small brothers and sisters being born. Little animals in the spring. How does that work? Keep in mind that you have a class full and all they do it share experiences and stories with each other.
Apart from that, they will notice that girls and boys have different bathrooms (and they don't always understand why), they will notice their bodies aren't the same (because they will compare). They will also experience their own bodies. There are a lot of different examples of very young kids somehow finding about a way to stimulate themselves, like rubbing their lower bodies over a chair, without any sexual intent because they simply have no idea what they are doing, but their body is having a natural response of pleasure. And at that age, pleasure = good = doing that again. They will learn and understand what is and isn't the standard. Not all of this happens at schools, but school is by far their biggest social network and biggest group of peers.
Sex (in the form of reproduction) will always finds it way into a school, you can't ban that. It doesn't even have to happen in or around the school, because a kid can come to school with the questions or just their stories that triggers questions from others.
But this works both ways: kids, even the youngest ones, will have questions about gender and sexual identify, regardless of what a teacher does and can or cannot do.
Prohibiting a school to be a guide in the views and morals of that topic is very dangerous, because it limits the views kids are exposed to and prevents the kids from forming their own view and it limits their respect for views on this topic other then their own.
There are a ton of very difficult social issues. The daily news, like the war in Ukraine. Covid. Death of a classmate. The classmate with no lunch and smelly clothes. The classmates who's parents are having a terrible break-up so he starts crying in the middle of the class. The list is endless and you cannot ignore them as a teacher. Instead of just teaching facts, you have a different role to deal with this.
I see it as the teachers job to provide neutral answers and be guide in the conversations about social themes. It's not my job to form their opinion, but to create the environment in which they can do so themselves. Educate and help these kids understand society and social themes, yet not enforce my own opinion. I was told, and I fully believe in that, that it is the job of teacher to be a neutral host for that. Not influence them, but to ensure there's an open and transparant environment where each one can choose their own opinion while having respect for the opinion of others. This also happens regularly at a very young age, but in the context and way that's relevant for them. In my own experience, this is even a bigger part of teaching younger kids than the older ones. It happens, a lot. For so many big and small themes. Teachers deal with it all the time.
And that's why I find this bill so extremely hurting. It's not only an direct blow to the LGBT+ rights and community but it also shows an statewide and enormous disrespect to schools and teachers in their social functions, a sudden distrust that the teachers of (small) children aren't capable of handling this particular subject with the care and tact needed for younger kids, while they do it for all the other themes all of the time.
For those giving the argument that parent wanting a say in how their kid it raised: where are the bills to limit education about social themes in general? About death and mourning? About politics? About wealth and poverty? About black lives matter? About sex ? About Santa Claus? (Believe me, this can be a big thing for some parents aswell ... I'm not joking)
Parents seem to be okay that the teachers can talk with their kids about all the social themes expect this subject. How is that not bigotry?
I don't believe that parents raise a kid. It's the combination of parents, family, friends, school, jobs and other people involved, each having their own role and own influence. That should be balanced. Even by limiting the schools at one particular theme, it extremely disturbs that balance because it opens the way for a social-themed censured school system.
