Special to The Journal

When an Ellsworth Middle School student informed her parent that she had viewed the video, “The Most Dangerous Year,” which begins with a disclaimer: “This video may be inappropriate for some users,” it didn’t go over well.

Last Thursday, Ellsworth Middle School teacher Billie Jo Johnson, decided to show seventh grade Readings Foundations class a video promoting transgenderism that stirred up a Facebook frenzy.

Parental reaction was quick. Thia Rewolinski, a mother of three is very concerned.

“I understand that this is a pretty big concern in our world, but I want to be the person talking to my children about these issues and not someone else,” Rewolinski said.

Middle School Principle Jon Dodge wrote a letter of response to Ellsworth Middle School parents that he had received multiple communications about the lesson that had been taught. He explained the nine-week course, Foundations, is designed as an extension to learning. The classes are discussionbased and exploratory. He noted that teachers and students have “really built relationships.” The letter explains that the Foundations class gives students a place to find their passions and share their voice. It gives a place to discuss their feelings, a place to seek understanding and speak to things that may confuse or concern them.”

The age-restricted video is a mother’s story of her 5-year-old transgender son who now identifies as her daughter. The film presents as a cross-section of delightful scenes of her child coloring pictures and blowing bubbles. YouTube notes it may not be appropriate for viewers under 18.

“We want parents to understand what’s happening in the school. That is our goal at all times and we will review what has been done,” said District Superintendent Barry Cain.

“The Foundations class is designed to expand knowledge of different topics including diversity,” he said.

The topic of diversity is deeper than that according to community member, James Jean.

“I feel it unsettling that the school finds it necessary that they even need to address these things,” said Jean. “It’s not the place of a school system to try to influence or be involved in the training of kid’s understanding of alternate sexuality.”

The administration explained students have questions when classmates who identify as transgender in middle school use the bathroom of the gender they identify with.

The State of Wisconsin has a ruling that such needs are to be addressed by access to bathrooms. He said the district further meets this need by having a unisex private bathroom available.

“This teaching is not even necessary in school. If the issue is bullying, address the bullying. Kids can be taught to be kind to others,” said Jean. “It’s not the place of a public school to systematically influence the kid’s understandings of sexuality.” It appears that the Ellsworth School Board, parents, and concerned members of the district may need to grapple with three basic concerns. First, the concern that the transgender information and the classroom plan of discussion was not provided prior to the exposure in the classroom.

The Ellsworth School District website notes the following in their policy manual: Guidelines for Matters Regarding Instructional Material The District Administrator shall inform students and parents each year regarding their right to inspect instructional materials used as part of the educational curriculum and the procedure for completing such an inspection. No challenged material may be removed from the curriculum or from a collection of resource materials except by action of the Board, and no challenged material may be removed solely because it presents ideas that may be unpopular or offensive to some. Any Board action to remove material will be accompanied by the Board's statement of its reasons for the removal.

Second, does the information shared in the classroom about sexuality/gender and student’s human development, and the format of sharing feelings in the classroom, actually identify as Human Growth and Development and therefore fall under the guidelines the State of Wisconsin says must be handled specifically? See the following which can be found at https://docs.legls.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statut ues/118/019 State of Wisconsin Human Growth and Development educational system requirements Distribution of curriculum to parents. Each school board that provides an instructional program in human growth and development shall annually provide the parents or guardians of each pupil enrolled in the school district with_an outline of the human growth and development curriculum used in the pupil's grade level, information regarding how the parent or guardian may inspect the complete curriculum and instructional materials, an explanation of the exemption under sub._(4), and a statement that pupils exempted from instruction under this section will still receive instruction in the subjects under s._118.01 (2) (d) 2. c., unless exempted, and s._118.01 (2) (d) 8._The school board shall make the complete human growth and development curriculum and all instructional materials available for inspection by a parent or guardian upon his or her request at any time, including prior to their use in the classroom.

(4) _Exemption for individual pupils._No pupil may be required to take instruction in human growth and development or in the specific subjects under subs._(2)_and_(2m)_if the pupil's parent or guardian files with the teacher or school principal a written request that the pupil be exempted.

(5) _Advisory committee._In any school district that offers a human growth and development curriculum, the school board shall appoint an ad hoc advisory committee whose role is to advise the school board on the design and implementation of the human growth and development curriculum and to review the curriculum. Parents, teachers, school administrators, pupils, health care professionals, members of the clergy, and other residents of the school district shall comprise the committee. No one category of member shall constitute more than one-fifth of the membership of the committee, except that parents may comprise more than one-fifth of the membership of the committee. No more than one quarter of the members of the committee may be made up of employees of the school district or their spouses or members of the school board or their spouses.

And finally, is the school overstepping its obligation to educate or not?

“They’ve gone far away from teaching the core subjects,” said Jean.

The middle school principal’s letter to parents offers a form of remediation specifically addressing better cross-communication between parents and teachers and noted that the documentary, “The Most Dangerous Year” will not be used anymore this year.