She said one teacher has stickers from the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network on a window, and some classrooms are reading books on gender identity.

“Will our elementary schools turn into a propaganda playground?” she asked.

She said anti-bullying campaigns can be taught on the principles of kindness, compassion and cooperation, without using materials on which there will never be 100 percent agreement.

Nate Habel, who is a bus mechanic for LPS, said he thinks the materials allow a teacher with “radical views” to challenge his children on their views that gender is binary, not a spectrum.

Some parents also said they were concerned that highlights of the last board meeting didn’t reflect any of their comments. Communications Director Mary Kay Roth said the highlights are intended to reflect the district’s point of view and typically reflect what was on the agenda and the action the board took. After getting complaints that the highlights included only comments supportive of the gender identity training, they were removed, and no comments were included in the version on the website.

Joel said he appreciated all the comments and acknowledged that some cultural proficiency topics are sensitive.

“While we would never expect any member of our staff to alter their personal belief or values," Joel said, "we do expect that they will create welcoming classrooms -- always.”

Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.

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