Parents to meet with school leaders over controversial pride video
By Dylan Fearon and Marcy Jones
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GRANBY, Connecticut (WFSB) — Parents in Granby will get a chance to voice concerns about a controversial gender identity video that was shown to students.
Wednesday night in Granby, they plan to speak with school leaders from the Wells Road Intermediate School.
Parents argued that they should have been told that their children were going to see it.
They said the video discussed Pride Month.
The students who watched the video were in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.
The outspoken parents said they were unhappy for a couple of reasons.
First, they said they were never told the video was going to be shown.
Some parents felt their children were too young to learn about the topic and. They said it should be on them to have discussions about gender identity, not the school.
The video showed children describing what pride meant to them.
“Pride means you should be able to be free. All my life I never really felt like a boy and I don’t really feel like a girl. So I’d rather be both,” a participant in the video said.
The video had a few examples with preferred pronouns by the kids’ names.
After school the day the video was show, parents said the kids got home and told them about it.
One parent also sent Channel 3 pictures of what they called a puberty kit with which that students were sent home.
That same parent claimed her son came home with pantiliners and maxi pads.
“When I saw the video I was extremely disturbed,” said Kyle Reyes of Granby.
Reyes said he has four children under the age of 9, and he decided to pull his kids out of the Granby School District.
One parent also sent Channel 3 pictures of what they called a puberty kit with which that students were sent home.
That same parent claimed her son came home with pantiliners and maxi pads.
“When I saw the video I was extremely disturbed,” said Kyle Reyes of Granby.
Reyes said he has four children under the age of 9, and he decided to pull his kids out of the Granby School District.
“There was nothing warning us,” Davis said. “They don’t have to worry about being an adult when they’re 8 years old.
The superintendent’s office said it is handling concerns from parents internally. It said the video was designed for 2-to-12-year-old students.
Channel 3 obtained a letter the Wells Road principal sent to parents.
“It certainly was not intended to alienate or disturb any child. In context, we were trying to remind students that it is ok to be who you are and still be treated with respect dignity, and kindness.”
– Principal Pauline Greer, Wells Road Intermediate School
“Parents are starting to come out of the woodwork and it’s time to start fighting back,” Reyes said.
Many parents said they had concerns and said they will be attending the meeting with officials on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
They said they plan to speak up about their concerns and discuss how to handle sensitive conversations in the future.
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