Eau Claire North High School staff member displays LGBTQ poster that states “I’m your mom now”

A staff member at Eau Claire North High School put up a LGBTQ poster featuring bears in rainbow colors with a message that targets parents, according to the news outlet Wisconsin Right Now. The staff member’s poster appears to state that she will be the “mom” of students who identify as LGBTQ. The poster states:

If your parents aren’t accepting of your identity, I’m your mom now. #freemomhugs

Wisconsin Right Now reported that other parents have found more teachers also added the poster to their doors in the school. The news outlet reached out to the high school’s principal about the poster and reportedly received the following statement:

The District is looking into concerns over this poster. Because the District’s inquiry may involve the actions of a particular employee, Wisconsin law prevents the District from commenting further on an open personnel matter.

In late February 2022, teachers at Eau Claire Area School District were reportedly told that parents did not not need to know about their children choosing to change their gender identities. The news outlet Wisconsin Spotlight reported that teachers in the school district were participating in training on “Safe Spaces” when a slide in the presentation featured the comment. The presentation stated:

Remember, parents are not entitled to know their kids’ identities. That knowledge must be earned. Teachers are often straddling this complex situation. In ECASD, our priority is supporting the student.