School District of Belleville drafting new “Human Growth and Development Curriculum” that introduces second grade students to the concept of “gender identity”; also included are lessons about racism, “reproductive justice” and “intersectionality”

A concerned community member reached out to Parents Defending Education and explained that the School District of Belleville is drafting a new “Human Growth and Development Curriculum” for students. The concerned community member also provided PDE with a draft in progress. The draft curriculum has an entire section titled “Gender Identity and Expression.” The curriculum is intended to teach students about the “concepts of gender, gender identity, and self expression” by the end of second grade. By the end of twelfth grade, an objective is for students to advocate for LGBTQ issues. The following are teaching objectives for the curriculum:

• By the End of 2nd Grade:
  • Introduce concepts of gender, gender identity, and self expression without stereotyping
  • Demonstrate ways to treat all people with dignity and respect
• By the End of 5th Grade:
  • Distinguish between sex assigned at birth and gender identity and explain how they may or may not differ
  • Define and explain differences between cisgender, transgender, gender nonbinary, gender expansive, gender identity, etc
  • Explain that gender expression and gender identity exist along a spectrum
  • Describe gender-role stereotypes and their potential impact on self and others
  • Identify trusted adults, including parents and caregivers, whom students can ask questions about gender, gender-role stereotypes, gender identity, and gender expression
  • Demonstrate ways to promote dignity and respect for people of all genders, gender expressions, and gender identities, including other students, their family members, and members of the school community
• By the End of 8th Grade:
  • Analyze how peers, family, and a person’s intersecting identities can influence attitudes, beliefs, and expectations about gender, gender identity, gender roles, and gender expression
  • Access medically accurate sources of information about gender, gender identity, and gender expression
  • Demonstrate ways to communicate respectfully with and about people of all gender identities
  • Develop a plan for the school to promote dignity and respect for people of all genders, gender identities, and gender expressions in the school community
• By the End of 9th Grade:
  • Differentiate between sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender expression
  • Analyze how media, society, culture, and a person’s intersecting identities can influence attitudes, beliefs, and expectations about gender, gender identity, gender roles, and gender expression
• By the End of 12th Grade:
  • Explain how support from peers, families, schools, and communities can improve a person’s health and wellbeing as it relates to gender identity and gender expression*
  • Advocate for school and community policies and programs that promote dignity and respect for people of all genders, gender expressions, and gender identities

The draft curriculum also has a section titled “Sexual Orientation and Identity.” The draft does not have the grade levels marked for objectives yet. However, the following objectives are still listed for students in the district:

• Define sexual orientation
• Differentiate between sexual orientation and gender identity
• Identify trusted adults, including parents and caregivers, whom students can ask questions about sexual orientation
• Demonstrate ways to promote dignity and respect for people of all sexual orientations, including other students, their family members, and members of the school community
• Recall the definition of sexual orientation and explain that most people have a sexual orientation
• Define sexual identity and explain a range of identities related to sexual orientation (e.g., heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, gay, queer, two-spirit, asexual, pansexual)
• Analyze how peers, media, family, society, culture, and a person’s intersecting identities can influence attitudes, beliefs, and expectations about sexual orientation
• Access credible sources of information about sexual orientation
• Demonstrate ways to communicate respectfully with and about people of all sexual orientations
• Develop a plan for the school to promote dignity and respect for people of all sexual orientations in the school community
• Differentiate between sexual orientation, sexual behavior, and sexual identity
• Analyze how peers, media, family, society, culture, and a person’s intersecting identities can influence attitudes, beliefs, and expectations about sexual orientation and sexual identity
• Access credible sources of information about sexual orientation
• Explain how support from peers, families, schools, and communities can improve a person’s health and wellbeing as it relates to sexual orientation and sexual identity*
• Advocate for school and community policies and programs that promote dignity and respect for people of all sexual orientations*

Another section of the curriculum is titled “Sexual Health.” One objective for students is to “define vaginal, oral, and anal sex.” Students will also learn about “abortion” as a pregnancy option. As part of the “Sexual Health” section, students will learn to “define racism and intersectionality and describe their impacts on sexual health.” Students will additionally learn to “define reproductive justice and explain its history and how it relates to sexual health.” The idea of “reproductive justice” often includes abortion as a focal point.

The curriculum also has a glossary with terms such as “anal sex,” “cisgender,” “culturally responsive,” “gender identity,” “gender nonbinary,” “gender nonconforming,” “genderqueer,” “homophobia,” “induced abortion,” “oral sex,” “pansexual,” “privilege,” “racial justice,” “reproductive justice,” “sex positive,” “social justice,” “spontaneous abortion,” and “transphobia.”