Under new law, KY district removes sexual orientation test question from health class
A Kentucky school district this week announced it removed a health test question about sexual orientation from its virtual learning platform following passage of a new anti-LGBTQ law.
Grayson County Superintendent Doug Robinson confirmed Wednesday that the question from a virtual learning platform, which went viral on Twitter earlier in the week, said: ”Julie is a girl that is sexually attracted to other girls. She was assigned male at birth and Julie’s pronouns are she/her. Which gender does Julie best identify with: cisgender, intersex, transgender, asexual?”
Robinson provided the Herald-Leader with a statement on the district’s website that explained the decision to remove the test question.
“Earlier today, a screenshot of an online High School health test question was posted by a third party on Twitter. The screenshot referenced is NOT from a class being taught in our district by one of our teachers. It is from the Edgenuity software program, a virtual learning platform used for credit recovery and early graduation, both within our district and by districts throughout the state and country,” the post said.
“We quickly researched and found this particular question on our version, and while our district is accepting of all individuals, we have removed the question which does not align with standards. We are already conducting a complete review of the Edgenuity platform and will take further action if necessary to ensure alignment with state and district standards,” it said.
Senate Bill 150, passed in the 2023 General Assembly, was one of the most extreme and controversial pieces of legislation in recent Kentucky history.
In addition to banning puberty-blockers, hormones and surgeries for kids under 18, SB 150 also bans lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation, prevents transgender students from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity and stops school districts from requiring teachers use a student’s pronouns if they don’t align with their sex assigned at birth.
A new course was released for Kentucky students that aligns with SB 150, Edgenuity said in a statement posted by the Grayson County school district Thursday.
Edgenuity, the largest digital curriculum provider in the US, offers several courses to meet state and district requirements for high school health education across the country, the statement said.
“The screenshot in question is from our national high school Contemporary Health course, which covers more sensitive topics. The company also offers Healthy Living, which does not address those topics,” said the statement.
“As of this morning the new Healthy Living Kentucky course has been provided for all our Kentucky Imagine Edgenuity libraries. It is tailored to the Kentucky standards specifically, and also fully aligns with the new provisions in SB 150,” the statement said.
School districts are now required under the law to ensure any child, regardless of grade level, enrolled in the district does not receive any instruction or presentation that has a purpose of students studying or exploring gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.
Districts will need to review current courses, programming, instructional resources and learning experiences to ensure they comply, the new guidance said.
Districts will have to review health education curriculum, Advanced Placement courses, dual credit courses and extracurricular activities to make sure that students aren’t getting instruction on gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.
