This letter is a reply to this previous letter from Avram Baskin.
I have the utmost respect for parents that stand up for their kids. It takes a beautiful soul to stand up for the kids, our future. I am thrilled to hear that Mr. Baskin’s kids are making friends, what a blessing it is to see kids form friendships and grow towards adulthood.
Mr. Baskin is right that I have serious questions about Serious Talks. Teaching that talks about respect and compassion for others and for their personal choices is not only good in my book, It is excellent! I choose to believe that “We all belong” whether you are atheist, religious, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, American, European, Asian, African or whatever label that can be affixed to a person. If you live in Lexington, you belong in the public school system. The issues I have with Serious Talks are: 1. Parents do not know the content. Messages from the school such as: “we will not tell you what we tell the kids” are not acceptable. 2. The appropriate age with regards to content. Two weeks ago, I met a mother of a first grader who came home crying. The reason for her being upset was that the entire class was forced to state their gender identity. Now, If anyone in the US would interview a person for a job opening, it is illegal to ask about sexual preferences. But here in Lexington it is OK to force first graders to state their gender identity in front of a whole class?
When it comes to true democracy and elections, there are free elections by informed voters. My goal is to have transparency of what is actually being taught in schools such that we can have a truly diverse school population without forcing parents to seek very expensive private schools. Lexington Voters, use your privilege and vote on March 5th.
Mr. Lindborg,
I noticed in your statement of identities that should feel welcome and like they belong, you did include gay or straight or pansexual, nor cis, trans, or nonbinary. Do you intend to include queer identities in your statement? I mean this with genuine curiosity, as a voter here in town.
I cannot help but feel you are, at this point, purposefully uninformed. I am the parent of a first grader, and I receive regular updates about the content of Serious Talks. The school has met the calls for transparency with openness and a sincere goal of educating parents. If your anecdote of an upset first grader is accurate, I am sure the school administration and counseling team are eager to support the student and the parents.
I also am increasingly frustrated by the conflation of gender and sexuality. I am unclear about why you bring up sexuality in your second point. You are either doing so in bad faith, or out of misunderstanding. If it is the latter, I can understand that – not everyone is well versed in these facets of identity. If you’d like to discuss it, I will offer as I have in the past – an invitation to reach out to me and we can talk. I’d love to discuss this further.
I feel so lucky to live in a town like Lexington, where freedom, liberty, democracy, and the first amendment are respected. That’s why two people who have polar opposite views of the Serious Talks curriculum, like Mr. Lindborg and myself, can respectfully express our opinions in this public forum.
I don’t have special connections to the School Committee or the School Department. I’m just a parent of a daughter who went through the Lexington Public Schools from Kindergarten through LHS graduation in 2022.
One of Mr. Lindborg’s main objections to Serious Talks is that there is a lack of transparency into the content of the curriculum. If there is lack of transparency, how is it that when my daughter was at Bowman from 2010 to 2015, the period when Serious Talks was developed, my wife and I were fully aware of what was being taught to our daughter and of the messaging about respect and inclusion that was being conveyed throughout the school day? If there is a lack of transparency, how is it that I have a folder full of information about Serious Talks that goes back to 2017? If there is a lack of transparency, how is it that the following information is publicly available online:
Dr. Hackett’s powerpoint explaining the history, current context, and next steps for serious talks – https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Q_WEjPgj_QfvsAtkfP-dkj-Q5YRZYlC5g5c-FdAbhmo/edit#slide=id.g4cfafcb7fa_0_1275
School Committee Meeting, August 30th, 2023, Serious Talks discussion, presentation begins at 1:24:19, examples of two Serious Talks lessons at 2:01:09 – https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/c0gKv9ZUF0uiidDafFfESDZA5EkkJp7L/media/820583?autostart=false&showtabssearch=true&fullscreen=false
Serious Talks public report from Dr. Hackett to the School Committee, includes links to additional documentation -https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_M_oFr2wevUW_IH6qt8-BHhI7Gn1gGLwZWHv2Oo8TEg/edit
Example presentation of Serious Talks to elementary school parents – https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VzrSvfB-9R1Oye7-R6hVRRzSQkFLwt0M/edit#slide=id.p1
Transparency does not equate to access within 48 hours to any content about Serious Talks a parent decides to ask for. That’s micromanagement, not transparency. When a majority of Lexington voters elected the current School Committee, the voters indicated their trust in the candidates and empowered the School Committee to act on behalf of parents and children. That’s how democracy works. Not everyone can have the School Committee they like or a curriculum they fully approve of.
No matter the results of the School Committee election, I encourage Mr. Lindborg and his supporters to continue to express their views about the Serious Talks curriculum to the residents of Lexington. That is their first amendment right. Mr. Lindborg and his supporters also have the right to make decisions they believe are in the best interest of their own children. They do not have the right to make decisions on behalf of everyone’s children and they do not have the right to force everyone’s children into a box that conforms with their personal beliefs and biases.
We will know after the polls close on March 6th which opinion about Serious Talks reflects the views of a majority of Lexington residents.
How bizarre that kids are being compelled to say their gender identity. In fact, it’s bizarre when adults are forced to do it as well. First, it assumes we all believe in gender identities, a concept I can’t get a clear definition of that isn’t based on cultural stereotypes. But more so, it forces kids who feel trans or non-binary to out themselves and declare an identity! How is that welcoming or inclusive?! Common sense seems to be in short supply, which is a big reason why so many people are suspicious of programs like Serious Talks.
I don’t believe this is an accurate characterization of what is happening in our schools. Likewise, Mr. Lindborg’s oft-repeated refrain that the schools won’t tell us what they are teaching is inaccurate. LPS has told us a lot about the Serious Talks curriculum and how they approach it. I’m concerned that at candidate forums Mr. Lindborg has not displayed much knowledge about our schools, has not given substantive answers to most questions (even when given questions in advance about topics that are in the public domain), and has not offered clear, practical solutions. Complaining isn’t enough. We need candidates who will do the hard work to learn about our schools and suggest constructive ideas for paths forward.