A lot can happen without your knowledge in the many hours your kids are away from you at school.

As parents, we're not only ultimately responsible for our children's education, we're also accountable to God for how we direct the education of the children entrusted to us. It is absolutely critical for parents to be proactive when it comes to the education of their children. 

As your kids head back to school this year, we hope you'll find these resources helpful as you prayerfully guard your children's hearts and minds. While this update is troubling, let's first and foremost remember that we all fall short of God's best for us. Students, adults and others dealing with sexual identity issues are made in His image as we are. They deserve our love and grace with the truth we are called to stand strong for. 1 Corinthians 16:13

Transgender Activism in Schools 

Are you aware of the Anchorage School District's "Transgender and Gender Nonconforming" Administrative Guidelines ? Click HERE to read it and prepare to be shocked.  Alaska Family Action is looking through the entire piece with legal experts and others to determine our next course of action. The best thing you can do right now is let School Superintendent Ed Graff know how disappointed you are with this policy. You can reach him at [email protected] or at 742-4312. Click HERE for a list of Anchorage School Board members.  If you know of similar policies/guidelines at other school districts, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected] and we'll look into it.

The entire document is disturbing but here are a few parts worth reading now. Bathrooms/Locker rooms - "Schools may maintain separate restrooms and locker rooms for male and female students/employees. Access should be allowed based on the gender identity consistently expressed by the student or employee." Translation - a male adult employee "identifying" as a girl can use the same locker room or bathroom as your daughter. Let that settle in. 

Parental Notification - "Generally, notification of a student's parent about his or her gender identity, expression or transition is unnecessary, as they are already aware and may be supportive. In some cases, however, notifying parents carries risk for the student if the family does not support the student's desire to transition.  Prior to any notification of any parent or guardian regarding the transition process, school staff should work closely with the student to assess the degree to which, if any, the parent/guardian will be involved in the process, considering at all times, the health, well-being, and safety of the transitioning student." Translation - if you've been identified by the school as a parent with natural, traditional, Biblical views on sexuality, you are not invited to this party. It's between your child and those with more "advanced", "evolved" views. Your right to know stops at the school door.

This is the world we live in today. It is frustrating but we are called to be salt and light in a fallen culture. That happens, partly, by educating yourself. Click HERE for a great resource from Focus on the Family on talking with your kids about transgenderism. 

Another way to stay engaged is to ask your child's school to make sure bathrooms & locker rooms continue to be separated based on biological sex. Talk with school officials about how they plan to handle requests from transgender students to use the facilities of the opposite biological sex. Although the Anchorage School District has distributed these guidelines to teachers and administrators, policies are set by the School Board. 

Urge your local school board to pass Alliance Defending Freedom's "Student Physical Privacy Policy" to protect your child's privacy rights. Get other parents to join with you in talking to your school board!  Download & print a copy of the Student Physical Privacy Policy!

Protecting Your Child's Religious Freedom in School
Do you know what your child's religious freedom rights are in school?  What about yours as a parent?  Our allied attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom have created a Guide to Religious Freedom in Public Schools. Students don't have to leave their faith at home when they head back to the classroom!  Check out the Student Religious Freedom Guide HERE.