Centennial School District 12 provides teachers and parents with resources in equity and gender ideology; promotes an organization that helps transgender individuals acquire free “chest binders”

Centennial School District 12 promotes a page on its website labeled “Equity and Inclusion Resources.” In one of the page’s categories titled “Community Resources,” the website links to the Minnesota Department of Education’s website. Several resources from known political organizations are promoted on this page by the Minnesota Department of Education. These organizations include Teaching Tolerance – which is now known as Learning for Justice – and the Center for Racial Justice in Education.

Learning for Justice is an organization known for pushing its “Social Justice Standards” to be adopted in schools throughout the country. The document for these standards includes goals to achieve for students. One goal is that “students will develop language and historical and cultural knowledge that affirm and accurately describe their membership in multiple identity groups.” Another goal appears to outright state that the purpose of the “Social Justice Standards” is to turn students into political activists: “Students will make principled decisions about when and how to take a stand against bias and injustice in their everyday lives and will do so despite negative peer or group pressure.”

The Center for Racial Justice in Education is an organization that openly advocates pushing racial politics into schools throughout the country. The organization’s website explains that its mission “is to train and empower educators to dismantle patterns of racism and injustice in our schools and communities.” The Center for Racial Justice in Education also “demands for the creation of new institutions and relationships that honor the humanity and liberation of all peoples.” The Minnesota Department of Education links to a page from the organization that promotes resources that encourage educators and adults to teach children about “police violence,” “discrimination,” and “racial justice.” Additional resources promote segregated affinity groups, including resources titled “Why a White Space?” and “Right-wing delusions about anti-white propaganda.”

Another resource category on the school district’s equity page is titled “Local Events Celebrating our Diversity.” One of the resources on this page is titled “Local Events Celebrating LGBTQ+ Culture/History.” An organization with local “LGBTQ+” events promoted on the website is OutFront Minnesota. The organization has an “Educational Equity Department” that pushes “to decrease intersectional inequity and increase LGBTQ+ inclusivity in classrooms, schools, districts, and youth organizations.” OutFront Minnesota also has resources available to help transgender individuals acquire free “chest binders.”

Another resource category on the school district’s equity page is titled “2021 Workplace Diversity and Inclusivity D&I Calendar.” This resource links to another website that promotes dates and events including “World Day of Social Justice,” “Ethnic Equality Month,” “International Transgender Day of Visibility,” “International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia,” “Pride Month (LGBTQIAA+),” “LGBTQ History Month,” and “National Coming Out Day (LGBTQIAA+).”

The school district also has an article on its website titled “Talking with Your Student About Race and Equity.” The article states: “We recognize the death of George Floyd has been incredibly difficult for students, parents and staff and reminds us of the importance of the work Centennial needs to do to support and promote equity for all.” The article then links to a document from the school district titled “How to Talk with Kids About Race and Equity.”

Resources on this document are titled “How to Respond to Coronavirus Racism,” “How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism,” “Your Kids Aren’t Too Young To Talk About Race: Resource Roundup,” “How to Teach Kids to Talk about Taboo Topics,” “14 Antiracist Books for Kids and Teens Recommended by BIPOC Teachers and Librarians,” “31 Children’s Book To Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance,” and “National Queer and Trans therapists of color network.”

The school district has a “Strategic Roadmap” that mentions goals for the district to achieve. One goal for students is that “my race and preferences are respected, acknowledged, and accepted.” A goal for parents is that “my student’s school is welcoming, safe, and inclusive.”

The school district has a website that features the sports and clubs of the district’s schools. This website features a “GSA” club. This club is part of the GSA Network that helps students create similar clubs in America’s schools. The GSA Network is an organization that uses children to push LGBTQ political issues in schools throughout the country. The organization promotes and sponsors “GSA clubs” for students in schools that are used as “vehicles for deep social change related to racial, gender, and educational justice.” GSA Network outright states that it “trains queer, trans and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize, and mobilize an intersectional movement.”

The school district has also appeared to update its policies recently to include “gender identity.” On January 24, 2022, the school district updated its “Equal Educational Opportunity” policy. The policy now states: “The school district does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, parental status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, sexual orientation, including gender identity and expression, or age.”

On January 24, 2022, the school district also updated its “Equal Employment Opportunity” policy. The policy now states: “The school district does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, sexual orientation, including gender identity or expression, age, family care leave status, or veteran status.”