School Board Shenanigans

IWN Fairfax is focused on fixing the Fairfax County School Board, which is a hot mess. Like many school boards across the country, FCPS board members try to pass policies and procedures that run counter to the interests of a vast majority of the district’s parents. Their overarching objective is political indoctrination.

As one of many examples, FCPS convened a Family Life Education (FLE) committee composed of transgender rights activists to propose changes to the district’s sex education curriculum. In 2022, the committee proposed that:

• All FLE instruction from 4th grade and up should be co-ed.
• The words “boys” and “girls” should be replaced with “assigned male/female at birth”.
• Gender identity should be introduced into curriculum, which includes this video, beginning in 4th grade.

FCPS released a survey to the community requesting feedback on the changes. Overwhelmingly, parents, students and teachers opposed those changes. Despite attempts from the FLE committee members and FCPS board members to hide the survey results, the data surfaced and Fairfax County Parents Association, a nonpartisan organization, made it public.

FCPS Board members have a long history of voting on controversial topics during the summer months when families are on vacation. While they might punt the FLE curriculum vote along, I’ve heard that the proposed FLE changes are up for consideration at the next board meeting on March 30, 2023.

At last night’s regular meeting, I shared my views on the proposed FLE changes, as well as their methods and tactics, in this speech.

Your game plan is to stack the deck – the committees, the moderators, the student participants, the survey questions. If that doesn’t work, you proceed the way you want, “Equity at all costs”, and hope parents don’t notice. Just an FYI, we are noticing.”

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, FCPS Regular Board Meeting, March 9, 2023

I concluded with common ground, that we are united in our deep and pressing concerns about fentanyl in our schools. They cut my mic, not even allowing me an extra three seconds to finish my sentence. It shows their pettiness and frankly, is salt in the wound after I had to listen to their platitudes and political grand-standing for over an hour.

All FCPS board members’ seats are up in the November 2023 election. I sincerely hope we elect candidates who recognize the foundational importance of parental rights.