Mother upset about sexual 'identify definitions' quiz at school
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A controversial sixth-grade homework assignment on sexuality has some parents pushing back against the DeKalb County School District.
It is still unclear if this sixth-grade homework assignment on “identify definitions” is part of a district approve curriculum, but Octavia Parks has a lot of questions.
"Why are they teaching that in school? What does that have to do with life?" Parks said.
Parks said she was shocked when her 12-year-old daughter came home with an assignment on sexuality from a health class at Lithonia middle school on Wednesday.
It has ten questions, asking sixth graders to identify various sexual preferences or identifies like gay, lesbian and transgender.
"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," said Parks.
Parks said she signed a consent form and returned it to the teacher, opting her daughter out of the health class where the quiz was passed out.
"We had a brief conversation and she assured me that this sort of thing would not happen none the less it is happening," said Ms. Parks.
Eva McClain, whose daughter just move from Lithonia Middle School, said the sexual orientation quiz was not part of the curriculum when her daughter took the same health class from the same teacher.
"If a kid wants to know about the gender or know about the sex preference it should come from the parents not from the school," said McClain.
In a written statement, a spokesman with the DeKalb County School District remarked:
“DCSD 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.”
"I will be removing her from that class and I'm also going to take it to the board of education to see what they have to say about it as well," said Ms. Parks.
The school district is out on fall break right now, but Parks said first thing Tuesday morning, when school reopens, she'll be at district headquarters with her concerns.