This week’s news from Austin, Texas, greatly angers me. The sex-ed curriculum adopted by the Austin Independent School District is not education, it is indoctrination of the most horrible variety. Reports and draft curriculum reveal that children as young as 8 or 9 years of age will be exposed to attacks on the family and instructed to avoid “non-inclusive” language like “mother” and “father.” Fifth grade students will discuss sexual orientation and HIV, sixth graders will be told that gender is a spectrum, and seventh and eighth graders will be taught how to use condoms. Other graphic details have emerged that are not appropriate to even describe.

But I’m not only outraged, I’m also deeply saddened. Government entities like the Austin Independent School District are failing our children through this harmful indoctrination. But they are only empowered to do so because we as parents and citizens have failed to accept our familial and civic responsibilities.

There was a time when parents universally embraced their God-given role to guide their children from childhood to adulthood. The developmental process is not an easy one; I recall many difficult or awkward conversations with my own son and daughter, particularly during early adolescence. But raising our children is not an elective endeavor, it is a sacred charge. Parents should never abdicate their role or seek to transfer that blessed burden to another.

There was also a time when parents on the school board would have unanimously rejected this vile curriculum. Where are those parents now? We all face great demands on our time as our world spins faster, obligations pile higher, and opportunities for rest and recreation become increasingly elusive. But parental responsibilities must not be abandoned or sacrificed.

I implore parents and concerned citizens to create the solution to this nightmare. Support candidates who will protect children and parental rights. Join your school board and get involved to make sure no other district adopts such shameful curriculum. And, in the short term, opt out your children from sex indoctrination programs and teach them about human sexuality in a developmentally appropriate manner that is consistent with biblical truth. At the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, we are here to help you in these important tasks.

If you’d like to express your opposition to this outrageous curriculum adopted by a unanimous vote of the Austin Independent School District board of trustees, please utilize the contact form at https://www.austinisd.org/contact-us. Their names are listed below. You should also feel free to contact Michele Rusnak, supervisor of Health & Physical Education, and Superintendent Paul Cruz.

• Geronimo M. Rodriguez Jr., District 6, President
• Cindy Anderson, At-Large Position 8, Vice President
• Amber Elenz, District 5, Secretary
• LaTisha Anderson, District 1
• Jayme Mathias, District 2
• Ann Teich, District 3
• Kristin Ashy, District 4
• Yasmin Wagner, District 7
• Arati Singh, At-Large Position 9

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