Linn-Mar High School holds “Trans Week” in November; school district offers “Social Justice Resources for K-12 Teachers”

The Iowa Standard reported in November 2021 that Linn-Mar High School hosted a “Trans Week” and allowed material promoting gender dysphoria to be shown throughout the school. Posters appeared to say that the comment “children aren’t old enough to know their gender identity” is a “myth” and that preferred pronouns should be used. Teachers were also asked to support the transgender movement on campus. “The first [email] says that members of Spectrum invite all Linn-Mar staff to wear blue, white and pink to celebrate Transgender Awareness week,” the news outlet reported. Spectrum was the LGBT school group that planned the “Trans Week.”

The Iowa Standard then reported in December 2021 that two female students appeared to have “made out in front of others” in the Linn-Mar High School auditorium during “Trans Week” in school hours. While the news outlet reported that one of the school district’s board members disagreed with what happened, another board member reportedly said that “our kids will and should be exposed to things that will challenge their thinking and make them uncomfortable at times when ideas and people do not align with their personal views.” Another board member reportedly told a parent that what occurred “appears to be of normal and healthy age-appropriate behavior between teenagers.”

The Linn-Mar Community School District established a “Diversity and Equity Committee” for the 2021-2022 school year to “focus on equity for all students.” The school district also publishes a monthly “Diversity Newsletter.” The September 2021 newsletter had a list of strategies for teachers, including “calling out inequitable behaviors/actions when they are done/said instead of staying silent.” The October 2021 newsletter included a section titled “Social Justice Resources for K-12 Teachers” that linked to resources on a University of Iowa website. Resources on the website include “Teaching Mathematics with a Social Justice Focus,” “Social Justice Activities for the Social Sciences,” and “Teaching Social Justice Through Grammar.”

The December 2021 “Diversity Newsletter” included a “Linn-Mar Board of Education Statement on Equity and Inclusion.” The Board of Education said in the statement that they “also recognize that events surrounding social justice, race relations, and income disparity have long plagued our society.” The district’s Board of Education also stated in the letter that they “are committed as a district to a path of continuous improvement efforts in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

The Linn-Mar Community School District also provides “Community Resources” on its “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” page. One resource links to the Marion Alliance for Racial Equity website. The organization states on its website that it was created “as a result of a growing urgency for our community to address racial inequities and injustices in our community.” A flyer from the organization states that education is an area of focus for activism and that the group “is focused on advocating for inclusive, equitable, safe, and anti-racist learning environments in our schools.”