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Dear John,
No child should be forced to speak a message that violates his or her religious convictions.
Yet, that is exactly what’s happening at La Costa Heights Elementary School in San Diego, California.
In May, a fifth grade teacher at the school read aloud the book My Shadow is Pink which urges children to question their own gender identity. The book features a boy who sees his shadow as pink, which the book describes as “your inner-most you.” He then wears a dress to school and his dad changes his beliefs and puts on a dress too.
After hearing the story, the fifth graders were forced to watch a read-aloud video of the book with their kindergartener “buddy” as part of the school’s mentoring program. Then they had to ask the kindergartner what color “represents” him and draw the kindergartener’s shadow in chalk.
After learning what their children went through at school, several fifth grade parents requested notice and opt-outs from similar teaching in the future. The school district denied their request.
In response to this, First Liberty filed a lawsuit on behalf of the parents urging the court to require Encinitas Union School District to provide notification and opt-outs to parents and students when promoting gender ideology.
Listen to First Liberty attorney Kayla Toney and our client Carlos Encinas discuss the case and the impact of this event on his son.
Encinitas Union School District is willfully disregarding and violating the First Amendment rights of its students and their parents.
The District is also ignoring state law that requires them to provide notification and opt-outs to parents and students when promoting gender ideology.
The state of California recognizes that it is the right of every parent to guide and direct the religious upbringing of their children.
For a school district to deny parents that right...that’s wrong and illegal.
That’s why First Liberty is fighting for the Encinas family.
And we won’t stop fighting until the school district follows the law and provides all parents with both advance notification and opt-outs from teaching that violates their faith.
Will you stand with the Encinas family?
Your support will make the difference in the fight to raise our children according to our beliefs.
Yes, I will make a gift today!
Grateful for you,
Kelly
Kelly Shackelford, Esq.
President, CEO & Chief Counsel
First Liberty Institute
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