Parent group angry that 3rd-graders sat outside in freezing temps while teacher read to them. But district defends 'snack and mask break.'



A Virginia parent group is angry that elementary school students were spotted sitting on the ground in below-freezing temperatures Tuesday while a teacher read to them, WUSA-TV reported.

What are the details?

The Fairfax County Parents Association tweet said "young children are having story time on the cold concrete" outside Waynewood Elementary School in Alexandria and included a photo. WUSA said temperatures in Fairfax County were below freezing Tuesday.

"This is the result of poor leadership and confusing guidance to teachers," the tweet continued. "Get these little ones inside!" A second tweet from the group included video of the students sitting outside.

Video of the elementary school kids sitting in 24 degrees (that's Fahrenheit, below freezing) at @waynewoodes today. This is Virginia, where kids don't routinely wear down and wool. @Karen4Schools @FCPSSupt @fcpsnewspic.twitter.com/6scCWizHEy
— Fairfax County Parents Association (@Fairfax County Parents Association) 1641923937

How did folks react to the tweets?

A number of commenters were aghast at the sight of children sitting on the ground in sub-freezing temperatures:

  • "If you forced your own child to sit outside to eat lunch, let's say as a punishment for bad table manners or something, and a neighbor saw it, I bet $100 you'd be getting a visit from child protection services... and you'd likely end up in court at risk of losing your children," one commenter reacted.
  • "We treat animals better than this," another user declared.
  • "Parents have got to do something. That’s cruel. I could not send a child there. I hope whoever made this decision loses their job," another commenter said. "Just outright cruel to put children out there."

But not everybody saw it as a negative — and one commenter shot back at the parents' association: "Shame on you for posting this amateur video without all the facts and exposing children to the Internet without parental permission. Shame on the woman who took this video. We support our teachers at Waynewood. Crazy...but we also support a few minutes of fresh air when needed."

Others who supported the idea of students being outside even in freezing temperatures, such as during recess, were countered by those who said students typically are moving and running around and not sitting on the ground.

What did the school district have to say?

Fairfax County Public Schools defended what was seen in the video as a "snack and mask break," WUSA reported.

“This morning on Twitter, an anonymous parent group posted a video that was taken outside of Waynewood Elementary School in Alexandria," the school district said in a statement to the station. "In the video, a group of third-grade students are taking a snack and mask break in front of the school."

The district added to WUSA that the students were outside for less than seven minutes and that the weather conditions were monitored. In addition, the district told the station the teacher was reading to the students to keep them entertained.

Elementary school sends students to gay bar for field trip; district says parents signed permission slips



A Florida public elementary school sent students to a gay bar for a field trip, and the school district on Thursday told TheBlaze that parents were aware of the destination and signed permission slips.

What are the details?

Sarah Leonardi — a board member for Broward County Public Schools, which notes it's the sixth-largest school district in America — said Wednesday she was a chaperone on the field trip to Rosie's Bar & Grill involving Wilton Manors Elementary students:

I was SO honored to be invited to chaperone @WiltonManorsES's field trip to the incredible Rosie's! The students an… https://t.co/qYjOfroCQt
— School Board Member Sarah Leonardi (@bcpsleonardi) 1635375197.0

"I was SO honored to be invited to chaperone @WiltonManorsES's field trip to the incredible Rosie's! The students and I had a fun walk over and learned a lot about our community! A huge thank you to @RosiesBnG for hosting this special field trip every year," Leonardi's post read.

It isn't clear who else accompanied the school children to Rosie's, but one of the photos in Leonardi's tweet documenting the trip shows 18 students seated outside of Rosie's along with three adults wearing lanyards. It also appears based on the language in Leonardi's tweet that Rosie's has been an ongoing destination for the field trips.

What do we know about Rosie's?

Rosie's is a well-known gay bar, the Shore News Network reported. The establishment welcomes everybody "whether you are LBGTQ+ or an ally," its website proclaims.

Its menus feature some items with double-entendre names like Motha' Cluckers, Pisa Envy, Sweaty Lovin' (and not to be outdone, Naked Sweaty Lovin') as well as the Ivana Hooker Big Girl burger, the Miley Highclub, and the Young Ranch Hand sandwich.

What did the school district have to say?

TheBlaze on Thursday reached out by email to the district for comment and asked if teachers or staff members also accompanied the students to Rosie's, how many years the trips have been happening, why Rosie's was chosen, and if the trip was connected to educating students about LGBTQ issues.

Later Thursday, TheBlaze spoke to an individual in the district's communications office who confirmed only that parents knew about the field trip to Rosie's and signed permission slips for it. The individual added that the district was preparing a statement on the issue.

Another image in Leonardi's tweet shows students sitting at tables inside the bar and grill apparently listening to people speak in front of them. TheBlaze also asked the district if Rosie's employees spoke to the students as part of the field trip.

What did observers have to say?

Commenters on Leonardi's post were divided in their opinions. Some didn't see any issue with the field trip, such as Twitter user "Gay Lumberjack," who wrote, "People on Twitter clearly have no idea Wilton Manors is the second gayest town in the country after Provincetown. Of all the culture war stuff going on, this is extremely mild."

Another user offered that "people are acting like the manager served the kids a round of stiff mojitos and then talked about gay sex. This is ridiculous."

But others seemed pretty adamant that taking elementary school students to Rosie's wasn't the wisest idea:

  • "This is called grooming," one commenter said. "Everyone involved needs to be charged as a sexual predator."
  • "Hey why not take kids to a strip club because sex workers shouldn't be stigmatized, am I right?" another user asked. "Where does this logically end? Some things are not for children, period. Gay bars are one of them. And that's very obvious."
  • "While Rosie's is a great bar for adults, it is inappropriate for elementary school children, unaccompanied by a parent to guide them, to attend this obviously agendas-filled outing," another commenter said. "At the very least, your judgment is flawed."
  • "What in the actual f***? You should be in jail for contributing to the delinquency of minors! Taking kids to a bar? And you're proud of it? AND you're a school board member?" another user wondered. "Bizarro world..."

Here's a video review of Rosie's:

Rosie's Bar & Grillyoutu.be