Columbus City Schools (CCS) handed over a chunky $24,000 of taxpayers’ money to a consulting firm. This firm guided the staff on introducing radical thoughts about gender in classrooms, and it was all done quietly, without parents knowing. This was discovered when Parents Defending Education looked closely at some public records.
The consulting firm, Q-inclusion, now named “Hey Wes,” held two training days in September 2022. The firm, led by a woman living as a man, is proud of working with schools, clinics, businesses, and communities to build a friendly space for people who identify as queer or transgender.
Before this training, CCS had rules that let students use different names and pronouns. They could use these on any school documents as long as it didn’t harm them. Some students were even allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms that matched their gender identity.
Staff members like speech therapists, school psychologists, and counselors learned about strategies and tools in training. For example, they were shown “gender support plan” sheets. These could be used to introduce students to LGBT topics quietly, without telling parents.
New hires at CCS were told precisely what to do when students were open about their identity to the staff but not their family. They were also taught how to manage parents’ concerns and objections. All while having these very grown-up conversations with the kids.
According to a handout from Q-inclusion, transgender and nonbinary students have a right to keep their details private, even from their parents. This includes details like their gender identity, birth name, sex at birth, and health records.
The training even included statements like “Children are never too young to discuss or understand their gender.” It suggested that “gender expansiveness” could be talked about with very young kids.
The training also used a bunch of excellent graphics. For example, they showed the “gingerbread person,” “the gender unicorn,” and the “wheel of power and privilege.” This wheel suggested that a healthy, wealthy, white, straight, educated man is the most privileged in society.
The training quoted some questionable statistics from the Trevor Project. This organization supports gender transitions in children and has been accused of enabling inappropriate online chats about adult topics between adults and children.
Staff members who had personal or religious beliefs that disagreed with the training content were given guidance on handling such conflicts.
Q-inclusion had several ideas for promoting LGBT inclusion in schools. This included displaying pride flags, wearing pins that showed their pronouns, and using gender-neutral terms to address students.
They also suggested that CCS staff make books available that dealt explicitly with adult themes.
Parents Defending Education’s President, Nicole Neily, expressed her shock. She thought that when teachers attended professional development, they were learning how to be better educators. Instead, money was spent encouraging school officials to treat students differently based on specific characteristics, withhold information from parents, and discuss adult content with young students. She found it alarming that CCS was spending its limited resources on a consultant promoting such controversial content to teachers, especially since fewer than half of the students in the district were proficient in reading and math.
