A Georgia-based middle school is facing backlash from parents after a teacher assigned a quiz where students had to correctly identify the definitions of different "sexual identities."
Last week, parents at Lithonia Middle School learned from their children that a teacher who taught a health course at the school had given them a controversial assignment about identities. For example, a question on the quiz asked, "A man who is attracted to a man" and students had to answer "gay" in the space provided. There were similar definitions for terms like lesbian, queer, and female.
Several parents thought it was inappropriate for the school to have such a curriculum and felt that information should come from them. "Why are they teaching that in school? What does that have to do with life?" one parents, Octavia Parks, told FOX 5. "We're talking about a sixth grader who still watches Nickelodeon. I'm not ready to explain what these words are nor what they mean." Another parent explained to FOX 5 that she had an older child who took the same health class in the past with the same instructor, and the quiz wasn't included.
Reaction to the news online was split. "I suppose it's best to know the proper terminology for everything. It's not like they're going to become gay just by understanding what gay is," one person wrote on a Facebook post with the story. "I feel there is absolutely nothing wrong with this assignment. There may be something wrong with a few people who get their undies in a bunch about everything and also people who think that 6th graders don't understand anything about sex or homosexuality."
Others disagreed. "Kids aren't allowed to be kids anymore and our society is creating dysfunctional adults. This is not an appropriate topic for school which should focus on academics..." another commenter said.
As for the school, administrators released a statement to FOX 5 saying that they're looking into the incident and whether or not the curriculum was approved. “[DeKalb County School District] has been made aware of this alleged event, and is working to verify its authenticity. We will investigate this event and take action, as appropriate, once that investigation is completed," they explained.
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