Dawn Marie Maldonado
School Board Members and Administration, 7/28/2022
It has come to our family's attention that sometime during the school year my son was chastised by a teacher for using the pronoun he observed to address another student instead of the new pronoun his classmate now prefers. They were working on a group project when my son was recapping who held what responsibility. In referring to the other student he simply wanted to clarify what part of the project they would do. The student become upset at being referred to by the observed pronoun. The teacher then noticed and chastised my son for not knowing the newly preferred pronoun and using it. Needless to say, learning was derailed. To make matters worse my son did not tell us about the incident until the very end of the school year and asked that we not respond because he was afraid his grade would be affected if we did.
The push for pronoun reidentification is not appropriate pressure to put on children. Let’s work to make the schools be a safe place to learn for All students. It is the purview of the public schools to a focus on age-appropriate academics, music, art, and PE. Remember that the responsibility of the schools at this level is to facilitate learning on core topics. It is not to engage in social movements.
We ask that social movements and politics be left out of the schools. Their inclusion creates unnecessary stress and distraction. Would the board consider adding this topic to their action items for a near future discussion?
Thank you for your consideration,
Dawn Marie Maldonado
Thank you,
Dawn Marie Maldonado
Retail is for the less resourceful.