An elementary school in the suburbs of New York City is facing criticism for offering a gender identity class to kindergartners, as a copy of the course material started circulating on social media.
Hillside Elementary School, which is part of the Hastings-on-Hudson Union Free District, has implemented a “gender curriculum” for its elementary-level students. The aim of this curriculum is to foster inclusivity within the school community. This information was obtained from a course description that was reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The course involves using photos of other children to introduce vocabulary that describes characters with different identities. This includes teaching kindergarten students about the terms “cisgender, transgender, and non-binary.” A message to parents regarding the curriculum informed them about these teaching methods.
“Our gender curriculum centers around Hillside’s core value of respect and aims to foster discussions on gender identity. The students will explore and engage in conversations about the understanding that appearances alone do not reveal everything about a person,” states the course description for the kindergarten level curriculum.
BREAKING: Parents of Hillside Elementary School (@hohschools) in NY were sent an email informing them that they are implementing a new Gender Identity curriculum for KINDERGARTENERS.
Children will be taught about gender identity, pronouns, and other gender ideology vocabulary… pic.twitter.com/Bjtv1C6yky
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 22, 2024
“The students will look at pictures of children and talk about what they notice and what they think they know about the children just from the pictures. Using their observations, we will then take the opportunity to introduce vocabulary to describe characters of different identities,” the school writes.
The “identity” being taught to children includes discussing “gender and the pronouns that you use” and that “as we learn and grow, the words we use to describe our gender identity can grow too,” according to the school.
When Fox News Digital inquired about the curriculum, the Hastings-on-Hudson Union Free District communications team said that the teachings have been in place for several years and are based on “Hillside’s core values of respect and fostering dignity for all students.”
“One 30-minute gender lesson is taught in each class one time per year. The classes are led by a certified educator, following a specific set of lessons designed to help students value the full diversity of their classmates,” Superintendent William S. McKersie said in a message to faculty and parents. “The lessons have been created in alignment with the NYS Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework,” he wrote. The school noted that the lessons do not address sex education or sexuality.
The school district has removed the gender lesson description from their publicly available online courses due to its viral spread.
The social media account LibsofTikTok, popular for its content that criticizes the far-left, recently shared a message addressed to parents. The post quickly gained millions of views.
“Our children lack basic literacy skills and a fundamental knowledge of history, while the indoctrination of gender communism in kindergartners persists without any hindrance,” expressed New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino as she shared the curriculum. She firmly believes that this trend will only come to a halt when individuals responsible face tangible repercussions.”
Kemberlee Kaye, the managing editor of Critical Race Training in Education, urged parents to “get your kids out of government schools.” She is responsible for overseeing a database that provides information on schools that have implemented critical race theory teachings.
