"A Tale of a First Grade Classroom (or "Don't Say Gay in Florida!")
Last edited Tue Apr 19, 2022, 03:04 AM - Edit history (1)

When Mrs. Sue Mahoney, Happy Valley Elementary’s first grade teacher,
checked the list of her new parents, three sets of names had set off
alarm bells: London and Mark Vargas. Terry Hornstra and Linda Field.
Jess and Pat Lee. But on the first day of school, she breathed a sigh of relief. All three couples included a Mommy and a Daddy. Then Isabel
walked in with her parents, Ted and Maria.

Great. Two mommies. Now what?

Somehow, Sue got through a whole week of school without breaking
Florida’s law, which bans the discussion of sexual orientation in grades
1-3. But then it was time for Show and Tell -- and after the first few
kids had shared, Isabel was the only one left with her hand up. Sue
sighed. She couldn’t avoid calling on Isabel forever.

Sue: “Isabel, what would you like to share today?”
Isabel: “My mommies took me to the zoo this weekend, and then we went--" Ellie shoots up her hand. “She said her ‘mommies!’” Ellie giggles.
Sue: “Don’t interrupt, Ellie. Go ahead, Isabel.”
Isabel: “We saw the lions and the butterflies and then my mommies took
me to get ice cream.”
Marco: “But she said ‘mommies.’ She can’t have two mommies. Can she, Mrs. Mahoney?”
Isabel: “I can too! I do have two mommies! Don’t I, Mrs. Mahoney?”

Sue Mahoney’s thoughts are racing. She'd read the letter from the
Principal about the new law. She'd attended the Faculty meeting. She
knows that classroom discussions of sexual orientation are prohibited in
a first grade classroom -- and that a parent could sue the school for
breaking this law. Even if the parent lost the lawsuit, the school would
still be stuck paying for the defense bills. And Sue was a newer
teacher, still on probation. She couldn’t risk drawing the school into a lawsuit. So she answers in the only way she can.

Sue: “You should both ask your parents about that. You, too, Katie. And anyone else with that question. Thank you, Isabel. Who else has
something to share?”

Marco to Isabel: “See? I told you so!”

One month later, a notice arrives at Happy Valley Elementary. The Lees
have filed a complaint against the school, alleging that a discussion
about sexual orientation occurred in their daughter’s class. Sue knows
she shut that discussion down, so the school will probably win this
time. But it will still be stuck with the costs of an investigation, and
the legal bills. She hopes her job isn’t at risk.

Maybe she should have majored in accounting after all. And maybe she
needs to hire a lawyer."

In case no one else noticed talking about hetero couples is also a discussion of sexual orientation.

TB

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