SOUTHINGTON — A Southington parental rights advocate said the town’s next school commissioner had been dissatisfied after a second-grade English teacher handed out vocabulary packets on “race, gender, equality, and inclusion” to students. I am preparing a protest ahead of the conference.

An “Educate, Not Indoctrinate” rally, led by the group Families for Freedom, is scheduled for Thursday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. outside the Southington Municipal Center at 200 North Main St.

“My hope is [to] Let school districts know that you’re paying attention and that you want them to teach the basics in an unbiased way,” said Susan Zabahonski, founder of Families for Freedom. rice field.

At the Southington Board of Education September 8 meeting, Zabahonski, along with several other parents and students at Southington High School, raised the issue of vocabulary packets distributed in a second grade English class.

Packet titled “Vocabulary for Conversations on Race, Gender, Equality, and Inclusion,” derived from content produced by the University of Arizona.

The list of 19 terms includes allies, cisgender, transgender, gender nonconforming, institutional/structural racism, and white privilege.

One excerpt reads, “Racism is a systemic problem. , can still know in their hearts that they contribute to their oppression.”

“While no individual is personally responsible for what white people have done or for the historic decisions of the American government, I am not sure if you are currently in favor of a system that values ​​white people above people of color. We take responsibility,” Puckett continues.

At the meeting, Director Colleen Clark announced that the district had begun a survey of the handouts.

Families for Freedom labeled this vocabulary packet as an important racial theory in a Facebook post. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund defines the CRT as “the academic and legal framework that demonstrates that systemic racism is a part of American society.” CRT in academia is graduate-level research.

Families for Freedom defended the discipline of the teachers who distributed the packets and “all teachers using harmful CRTs in their lesson plans.” The group called on school boards to establish policies that would prevent CRT instruction.

“We hope [the rally] I would like to draw your attention to the fact that when it comes to morality, sexuality, and some difficult topics, we want parents to be taught in a non-judgmental and fair way,” Zabohonski said.

When asked about the planned protest, Southington School Superintendent Stephen Madancy said, “The district emphasizes the importance of respectful and civil conversations that lead to optimal outcomes for all students and our families.” We welcome your involvement and your voice.”

“As for the indoctrination claim,” Madansey added. Some families insist that educators expose students to controversial issues, while others insist that those discussions be left to the family. I hope we can finally find some common ground as I am worried I am stressing my family. ”

Zabohonski believes that conversations about sexuality should take place between parents and children, but unless the teacher presents the term as a definition and it is not a deeper discussion, students are encouraged to identify themselves in health and science classes. He said he was not against learning the term for

Regarding classroom discussions about race, Zabohonski believes that concepts such as systemic racism and white privilege should be presented as theory rather than fact.

“The school system should try to produce citizens who can get jobs and have the ability to get out into the real world and advance themselves,” said Zabohonski. “I think that if you focus too much on these social issues, it will do you a disservice because if you focus on all of them, you will not be focusing on the fundamentals.”