Essex Westford School District provides teachers with resources to implement LGBTQ issues into lessons taught to students as young as pre-kindergarten

The Essex Westford School District has a page online titled “Resources for Teachers/Professional Staff.” Multiple resources offered to teachers are to help implement LGBTQ issues into lesson plans for students. One resource is titled “LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Educator Resources and Lesson Plans” and provides material for children as young as pre-kindergarten and elementary school.

Material for teachers in the “Pre-K & Elementary Resources” section include lessons titled “They, She, He easy as ABC: Understanding Names, Pronouns and Gender Expression,” “When Aidan Became a Brother (book discussion guide),” “Let’s Get it Right: Using Correct Pronouns and Names,” and “The Names We Want To Be Called.”

Another resource for teachers is titled “Choices Program – LGBTQIA+ Resources for Teachers and Schools (Brown University).” The resource links to a page titled “Resource Guide: Transgender Identities and Rights.” This page has lessons for teachers to use in classrooms titled “WontBeErased: Source Analysis from Choices Program,” “Talking About Transgender Athletes,” and “How Some States Are Moving to Restrict Transgender Women in Sports.”

The description for the lesson “Talking About Transgender Issues” states that it “introduces students to a number of transgender athletes who share their experiences seeking to compete in sports according to their gender identity.” The description for the lesson “How Some States Are Moving to Restrict Transgender Women in Sports” states: “This lesson plan from the New York Times asks students to engage in discussion about proposed legislation in the United States that seeks to prevent transgender students from participating in sports in ways that align with their gender identity.”