Monday’s meeting of the Capistrano Unified School District’s school board should offer more fireworks than usual.
At the meeting, Stan Wasbin, a father of four, plans to voice his complaint that local schools are becoming “re-education camps” because of an excessive focus on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues, reports the San Juan Capistrano Patch.
Wasbin, a resident of the seaside suburb of San Clemente, asked in a three-page letter that his concerns about the supposedly agenda-driven politicization of the school curriculum be placed on the official board agenda.
Both the curriculum and Wasbin’s missive come in response to a new California law obligating social science classes to include the historical role played by gay, lesbian, bisexuals and transgender people.
“In our public schools, we want our children to learn math, music, science, English, art, American history and a foreign language or two,” Wasbin wrote, according to Patch. “That’s a lot, and that’s enough.”
“If someone has made an important contribution – and that person happens to be classified as LGBT — then by all means, let’s teach our children about that person — but not because of that person’s sexual identity group,” Wasbin reportedly added.
Wasbin suggested that the politicization of public school curricula could ultimately lead to consequences that would be undesirable for LBGT leaders.
“Today, the state political winds blow from the left; but tomorrow, they could blow from the right, and then our children may be forced to learn about the role and contributions of other groups, such as gun owners, death-penalty proponents and anti-abortion advocates. Do we really want to politicize public education like this?” Wasbin said, according to Patch.
In addition, Wasbin wants school district officials to provide details about how schools will implement the new law. His solution, according to his letter, is to introduce a voluntary course of LGBT study that could take place before or after school.
California’s Capistrano Unified School District enrolls more than 51,000 students. It’s the second largest school district in Orange County, the 12th largest in California and the 82nd largest in the United States.