'Indoctrination': Council member, parents blast Pride video shown to students, decry 'activist teachers' after dissenting students threatened with punishment
A Huntington Beach, California, city council member and some parents took time during a local school board meeting earlier this week to blast a Pride video recently shown to students.
A clip that's been circulating on social media shows students purportedly in an Edison High School math class watching the Pride video and reacting with jeers and boos.
The teacher gives an initial warning for unruly students to "stop!" But when the negative reactions continue, the teacher adds, "Hey, I'm warning you guys now, if you're gonna be inappropriate, I will have supervision down and give all of you a Saturday school for next year. So knock it off."
What was said at the school board meeting?
“At no time was the teacher concerned with the student’s visceral reactions as they watched the video clips of couples in intimate positions and poses," Councilwoman Gracey Van Der Mark said during Tuesday's Huntington Beach Union High School District board meeting, according to Voice of OC. "In my opinion, it was not the students who were being inappropriate in that video."
Van Der Mark added that she's received emails demanding that she apologize for calling on parents to speak out against the teacher and the video shown in the class, the outlet noted.
“I will never apologize for encouraging parents to express their concerns any time they are worried about their child’s safety or well-being. Never,” she said, according to Voice of OC.
The outlet said some parents spoke out, too.
The Daily Pilot reported that one parent described the Pride video as “indoctrination,” which drew cheers from some in the crowd. The parent also accused “activist teachers” of trying to push their values on his children, the Pilot added.
What else?
While many have reacted harshly toward the teacher in question as if airing the clip was her idea, conservative commentator Robby Starbuck — who posted the clip on Twitter — noted in a subsequent tweet that "some 10th grade students came forward to tell me that this video was played in ALL classes that day, not just math class. They’re upset about it and want the school to refrain from playing videos like this."
Another Twitter user — @inminivanhell — made a similar claim on Twitter, saying the clip was shown in all classes and actually is from the student news channel. The Daily Pilot added that it was from an episode of a student-produced show called "Bolt TV."
That Twitter user added, "In an effort to control the class, the teacher can be heard warning the students if they can’t behave they will receive Saturday school. This teacher is now dealing with her picture & name being posted all over the Internet — because she asked them to behave in class."
That same Twitter user also noted the following: "Further context: the student news video was 10 mins long, it shared graduation information, interviews with students, sports recap, and videos reflecting on their school year. This video clip about Pride was a 1-min segment during the episode."
Another Twitter account posted what it claimed is the Pride clip shown at Edison High School:
\u201cHere is the video that was shown at Edison High. It\u2019s a simple explanation of #Pride month and does not show two women kissing, just their heads together. \nThe message of this video is to love and accept everyone on campus. That is all. \n#BoltTV @EdisonChargers\u201d— Exposing_Huntington_Beach (@Exposing_Huntington_Beach) 1686545269
The Huntington Beach Union High School District on Monday didn't immediately respond to TheBlaze's request for comment on the initial story.
Anything else?
The Daily Pilot also reported that residents about a mile away from Edison High School found anti-LGBTQ, anti-Jewish flyers the morning after the school board meeting.
Councilwoman Natalie Moser told Voice of OC that a resident sent her a photo of the flyer.
The flyers feature a pentagram, star of David, and the words “The LGBTQ+ movement is Jewish” in a rainbow-colored font, the Daily Pilot said, adding that Mayor Tony Strickland said their distribution was limited to a small, “isolated” area.
Van Der Mark told the Voice of OC that the flyers don't have anything to do with the Pride video, and she also issued a statement against the flyers.
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