In Iowa, upset parents want school district to scrub lessons with LGBTQ, 'critical race ideology'

VAN METER – This largely white Iowa town where baseball legend Bob Feller learned his fastball has become the latest battlefront in America's culture war over race and sexual identity.

Armed with a new Iowa law aimed at giving families more control over what their children are learning in public schools, more than 130 townspeople have signed a petition seeking to have the Van Meter Community School District remove lesson plans they say promote a liberal political agenda.

Their "Back to Basics: Preserving The Integrity of Van Meter Schools" petition accuses teachers and administrators of using a social-emotional learning curriculum laced with "gender ideology" and "divisive critical race ideology." And it calls for their children to receive a "nonpolitical" education devoid of sexual and sexually graphic content.

They cite examples they say cross the line, such as sixth-graders having the option to read the book “Melissa," about a transgender student, and a math problem taken from a San Francisco school curriculum that refers to a man and his husband.

They also criticize Van Meter's use of a widely used social-emotional learning curriculum and materials from the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning or CASEL, a clearinghouse for SEL lessons used worldwide, including by the Iowa Department of Education.

“We see some of the affiliations that they have, and it's obvious that they're trying to pump out activists and that's not what we're interested in,” Jesse Lindsey, one of the petition's authors and a father of four, said during a special school board meeting Nov. 2 that attracted more than 90 people. “That's not what anyone here is interested in.”

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The petition drive has prompted pushback from some Van Meter families, teachers and administrators who say the lessons come from a curriculum vetted by researchers and is used to help create a nurturing school environment where all students feel included and respected.

And they argue it's misguided and harmful to portray the lessons as indoctrinating students or to conflate the coursework with critical race theory, the study of systemic racism's continuing effect on U.S. institutions.

"I believe that if their parents refuse to teach their children about diversity ― which we all know our community lacks ― or tough situations with an individual you may not agree with, then it is the job of the school to introduce every student to what they may come across in the real world," parent Julia Bult said at the same Nov. 2 board meeting.

Cultural debates roil school districts across Iowa, the nation

The Van Meter debate reflects the cultural conflict playing out in school districts across the nation where conservative parents have accused school officials of injecting a liberal agenda into their children's public education.

Over the past year, parents, many of them in largely white school districts, have packed school board meetings to air grievances ranging from mandatory masks in classrooms during the pandemic, to fears that teachers were grooming students with leftist ideology, to the belief that lessons about racism will make children ashamed of being white.

Those battles have also played out in Iowa, where challenges have risen in the Ankeny Community School District and with the Vinton Public Library board surrounding whether children should have access to books with LGBTQ or social justice themes.

In August, a Linn-Mar Community School District mother was banned for a year from school board meetings after police removed her for allegedly disrupting the meeting to voice concerns about the district's social-emotional learning curriculum.

The ongoing debate helped fuel the passage of House File 868 by Iowa's Republican-controlled state government, which allows residents of any Iowa public school district to force their school board to put a proposal on a meeting agenda.

The bill, which went into effect June 8, was part of a package of legislation that also indirectly attacked critical race theory by banning the teaching of certain concepts related to racism and sexism, including any insinuation that America or Iowa is systemically racist or sexist.

Iowa education advocates believe the Van Meter School Board's Nov. 2 special session is the first time House File 868 has been used.

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Concerns arise over a book called 'Melissa'

Lindsey, who ran for the school board in 2021 and has a daughter in sixth grade, became concerned about Van Meter's curriculum after he learned middle-schoolers had the option to read a book titled “Melissa,” which tells the story of a young student named George who identifies as a girl.

The book was not assigned, but it was one of several that middle school students could choose for an assignment on identifying bullying and harassment, Van Meter Superintendent Deron Durflinger said.

Lindsey argued it contained subject matter that was inappropriate for students his daughter's age.

"We don't think that young kids are quite capable of putting all of that information together properly (and) that it's not really the school's place to put that information in front of them at such a young age," he told the Register in an interview.

It wasn't the only example of what he and other petitioning parents said was inappropriate educational material. Families at the predominantly white and affluent school district also complained about the math problem that referenced a gay married couple.

And they protested the district's social-emotional learning curriculum, which is designed to help students regulate their behavior, solve problems and build life skills but has been intermingled into discussions of critical race theory and other topics related to diversity and equity that conservatives have found objectionable.

Though the Van Meter petition specifically calls for "the removal of gender ideology, and of divisive critical race ideology," school district officials insist critical race theory is not part of the school curriculum.

"We're not teaching that," Durflinger said. "I can promise you that."

'I'm not here because I'm a homophobe,' parent says

It all came to a head Nov. 2, when school board members heard from irate parents demanding that the district change its curriculum to remove any evidence of potential liberal indoctrination.

Over nearly three hours, the Van Meter School Board heard from more than 25 people on topics ranging from the need for less politics in school to making sure students feel supported, including those who are LGBTQ.

After petitioners made their initial points, parents such as Bult defended the need to teach students about appropriately interacting with LGBTQ people in and out of school.

"In order to prepare our young men and women for the greater world outside of Van Meter, they should be exposed to all types of people in all types of situations," Bult said.

Several of those supporting the petition pushed back against the notion that asking for change meant they opposed diversity.

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“I'm not here because I'm a homophobe,” said Jenny Bruins, a parent who signed the petition and ran unsuccessfully for school board in 2021. She stressed she learned acceptance, particularly toward gay and lesbian family members and friends, from her family.

“I'm also not here to try and get my own morals and values pushed on the curriculum. I believe public schools should have a basic approach to learning. With the varying, different backgrounds and families, we need to stick with a neutral approach.”

Others came to the defense of the social-emotional learning coursework, saying it was important to ensure students have a place to feel safe.

“I am one of the third-grade teachers that gave the math problem” that referenced the gay couple, Amy Garrison said to applause and whistles. “And I will continue to give the math problem until somebody tells me otherwise.”

Not a single child raised any questions or concerns about the problem, she said.

At the meeting's end, school board member Tony Bradley offered his support for those teaching the lessons.

“I trust our staff, I trust our teachers and I trust our administrators to do what I think, and I think what we think, is in the best interest of our kids (to) prepare them for the world outside of these doors,” he said.

'We wanted to be in front' of the issue

Supporters say social-emotional learning helps students learn how to navigate cultural and emotional differences and develop strong character traits.

A school could not function without it, said Maurice Elias, a psychology professor at Rutgers University and director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab.

"A school where kids had no self-management skills?" he said. "I mean, you've got chaos. Imagine a school where kids had no empathy for anybody else."

But Lindsey said his problem with the curriculum is what could come next.

"We see, just like so many people that are watching the news, all of the issues that are popping up nationwide with a variety of activist movements, social justice movements," he said, "and we wanted to be in front of that and see if we can put a more neutral platform forward."

The alternative he and other parents are pushing is a curriculum from the Positivity Project they say is more politically neutral. The Positivity Project began as a Facebook page in 2015 started by friends Jeff Bryan and Mike Erwin, who created a curriculum that is now used in more than 800 schools across the country.

“We started the Positivity Project with the viewpoint that this is something that all Americans can agree upon,” said Bryan, “that things like bravery and kindness and perseverance are good qualities to have in individuals.”

Neither Bryan nor Erwin has a background in child development or education, although Erwin said he has studied the field of positive psychology.

Several social-emotional learning experts that the Register interviewed had not heard of the Positivity Project but knew of Van Meter's current social-emotional learning curriculum, with Elias calling it “the most widely used curriculum in the entire world.”

“It's used in multiple countries with various political ideologies,” he said.

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The outcry at Van Meter does not surprise him, because people across the country are being fed misinformation about social-emotional learning from political sources with an agenda.

“Which is so ironic, because the parents are objecting to the curriculum because it has a political agenda,” he said.

'All kids have to feel valued'

Exactly what will happen next at Van Meter remains to be seen.

On Wednesday, board members listened to a presentation on the Positivity Project. School administrators said they were in the middle of an existing curriculum evaluation.

The board updated the district's objection policy to create a committee to hear concerns. But district officials have given no indication they are ready to change their current social-emotional curriculum.

Advocates touted the importance of the lessons in building stronger schools.

“All kids have to feel valued, heard, respected, motivated in their school buildings," said Justina Schlund, senior director of content and field learning at CASEL. "And, I think, a big part of that is being able to see themselves and their families reflected in the curricula."

That gives students the opportunity to build authentic relationships, she said. Additionally, it can help students accept diversity within the community and beyond.

Simply not acknowledging LGBTQ people and their families' experiences in school is not a solution, said Becky Tayler, executive director of Iowa Safe Schools, which offers support for bullied students.

"It's really disheartening to see this movement of not only just excluding LGBTQ students, but in an effect trying to erase them from any sort of content related to their education," Tayler said.

Research shows students who see themselves in their schools and lessons do better academically and are more engaged in school overall, she said.

"What's happening here is really at the end of the day … doing a major disservice to our students," Tayler said.

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

Important terms to understand

• Critical race theory or CRT: The theory of how slavery's legacy continues to influence American society. It has become a catchall term for those who object to equity, inclusion and diversity initiatives in schools, colleges and universities, and the workplace.

• Iowa House File 868: The new law, passed in 2021, gives community members the ability to petition their local school board to add items to meeting agendas. It was part of a larger Republican push to give families more control over their children’s education. Democrats criticized it as micromanaging school districts.

• Social-emotional learning or SEL: Also known as emotional intelligence, the lessons are designed to help students build life skills, regulate behavior and learn how to problem solve.

• Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning or CASEL: A nonprofit curriculum clearinghouse that vets social-emotional learning lessons from around the world. The Iowa Department of Education adopted CASEL’s social-emotional learning definition and framework.

• Positivity Project or P2: Began as a Facebook page in 2015 founded by military veterans Jeff Bryan and Mike Erwin, who eventually turned it into a positive psychology curriculum incorporating 24-character strengths, including bravery, kindness and perseverance. The curriculum is used at more than 800 U.S. schools.

• Positive psychology: A branch of psychology focusing on character strengths and behaviors needed “to build a life of meaning and purpose,” according to Psychology Today.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iowa school district under fire for alleged political, LGBTQ lessons