About 20 teachers and parents walked into a Cupertino Union School District board meeting Oct. 10, armed with signs that read, “Keep LGBTQ students and teachers safe at CUSD.” Another group of about eight people clutched signs that read, “Advanced gender topics don’t belong in TK.” Both groups were there for one reason — to battle over LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum.
The flare up surrounds a Cupertino Union School District transitional kindergarten teacher, who identifies as nonbinary and queer, and has been put on leave after a poster in their classroom including the pronouns he, she, they, ze, tree and me sparked community outrage at Dilworth Elementary School in August. San José Spotlight is not naming the individual over safety concerns.
The classroom also had a book showing boys wearing skirts. The district is investigating the teacher after community members formed Curriculum Integrity — a group concerned the teacher went beyond district-approved curriculum that is age-appropriate for young children.
The teacher, who can’t comment during the ongoing investigation, could be reinstated after the investigation concludes, but it’s uncertain how long that will take.
The situation has spurred a rift between Curriculum Integrity and those supporting the teacher, which includes the Cupertino Education Association. Both camps want clearer guidelines on curriculum and instruction from a district that doesn’t have comprehensive policies on LGBTQ+ curriculum except for its sexual education unit.
Advocates said the issue could have a greater impact on how local districts countywide apply LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum policy.
Jeffie Khalsa, the teacher’s close friend for about four years, said she’s disappointed the district didn’t completely denounce transphobic and homophobic rhetoric early.
“Everyone is watching this kind of situation from both sides, so how the district handles it really has big implications for LGBTQ+ students and staff feeling safe at other schools,” she told San José Spotlight.
An Oct. 10 statement from the school district, which serves approximately 13,500 students in Cupertino, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Saratoga, Los Altos and Santa Clara, said CUSD supports a welcoming environment for all identities. The district’s school board will meet Oct. 17 to discuss potentially implementing Board Policy 6144, which sets guidelines for discussing controversial topics.
Phyllis Vogel, board president, said teachers shouldn’t step outside of the curriculum, but added it won’t be clear if this teacher did that until the investigation is finished.
“The district values the diversity of its community, students, and teachers, and expects an inclusive environment for all,” the district statement said. “Used in combination with the district-approved curriculum, instructional materials and methods that reflect this diversity play an important part in developing the whole student.”
A district divided
Curriculum Integrity members said they’re not anti-LGBTQ+, but don’t think gender identity topics are appropriate for 4-year-olds and don’t want activism in the classroom. They started a petition to ask the board to adopt BP 6144, implement opt-out procedures and establish an appeal process for curriculum that members said has gained more than 450 signatures. School board candidate Long Jiao supports the group and said the best way to be inclusive is to avoid mentioning different identities unless the teacher can cover everything and not leave students out.
Wayne Chen, a parent of a Dilworth Elementary School kindergartener and Curriculum Integrity member, said he tells his son to respect people’s pronouns, but said the teacher went too far.
“What the teacher (did), we think crosses the line,” he told San José Spotlight. “Everything the teacher said here, it makes sense only when the child chooses (to express) that.”
The Cupertino Education Association stands strong behind its support of the teacher. The union, in a statement to San José Spotlight, urged the district to “communicate to our school communities about the value of inclusive classrooms, as well as the laws… that mandate and enforce the creation of these safe working and learning conditions.”
The statement also said union members will continue attending board meetings to advocate for inclusivity for LGBTQ+ students, such as Robb Zimmerman’s child who identifies as nonbinary.
Zimmerman, a parent in the district, said his child is at their third school in the district because of administrators’ inconsistent support after his child faced bullying and harassment. He said it’s insulting to say young children can’t understand or shouldn’t be taught gender identity because his child knew they were different when they were young. He wants the teacher reinstated.
“There’s a lot of good things about CUSD, but I’m also pretty disappointed that it’s taken them this long to catch up,” he told San José Spotlight.
Similar situations have happened in other school districts countywide, including last year, when Franklin-McKinley School District censured a board member after a conservative community group bombarded a meeting with comments against LGBTQ+ topics.
Khalsa said she wants the district to become more inclusive after the investigation’s resolution.
“I hope that the district will see their role as being defenders of LGBTQ students and staff and come out much more strongly than they have to show. That they have LGBTQ students’ and teachers’ backs and that they’re not going to allow them to be harassed or maligned,” she told San José Spotlight. “I hope that the whole community will come to realize that inclusiveness and mutual respect is a value we do want to pass on to (our) kids.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at annalise@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.
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