Dozens of parents gathered at a California school board meeting to express concerns about a teacher recruiting young children for an LGBT club.
Parents said a third-grade teacher at Pleasant Grove Elementary School in the Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento County was allowed to personally invite all second- through- sixth-grade classes to their new LGBT club but told students not to tell their parents about the club.
The club, called the “UBU Club,” was for “boys who crush on boys” and “girls who crush on girls,” but the teacher said anyone could come, according to a parent who spoke during the March 5 meeting.
However, parents said there was no mention of the club in the school newsletter and there were no permission slips necessary for students to join, as is required for some of the school’s other clubs.
“[School] staff violated the trust of parents when they promoted a secret UBU club to students without notifying parents and without seeking permission,” said one parent at the meeting. “There would be special games to play at the ‘lunch time club’ that they couldn’t play anywhere else. One student reported to his mom that he wanted to go to the club to play the ‘secret cool games.’ [The teacher] also told students not to tell their parents.”
The parent said the district has not spoken on the matter when parents raised concerns, but it did send out an email that stated the district was “seeking legal counsel on the matter.”
“If you have to seek legal counsel, doesn’t that raise up even more red flags and validate parent concerns that lines were crossed?” the parent asked.
The parent continued, clarifying that “the topic of the club is not important.”
“What parents are rightfully upset about is your clear effort to keep secrets from them,” she said.
Another parent questioned the intent of the club, also noting that she heard that five to 10 other district elementary schools have similar UBU clubs on campus.
“What is the intent for schoolteachers to promote this club during school hours? Is it appropriate for schoolteachers to have secret conversations about students’ sexual preference without their parents?” the parent asked.
A spokesperson for the district was not immediately available for comment.
