Published 10/16/06

Should second grade teachers discuss their sexual orientation with students? That question has come up in Minneapolis. For some, it's a very emotional issue. I think it deserves attention around the state.

Recently, a teacher in the (public) Interdistrict Downtown School was reading a book with students that discussed various forms of families. According to principal Laura Bloomberg, "our school wants students to know that everyone is valued. This is very important to us." Bloomberg says that as the students read, the teacher mentioned that he was gay, and that he and his partner hoped to have a child someday.

Here are several reactions to this, followed by my own suggestions.

Fred Storti, Executive Director of the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association, told me, "I don't think it's appropriate for a second grade teacher to be discussing his sexual orientation - whatever it is - with students." Storti also believes discussions about sex should be geared to students' age and developmental level.

Education Minnesota (teacher union) president Judy Schaubach says, "it's not a clear yes or no" as to what the teacher did is ok. Shaubach recalled that when she began teaching, female teachers were expected to resign when they became pregnant: "We've made a lot of progress." She thinks a teacher's professional judgment is important, and that classroom discussions of human sexuality depend on the students' age, and the context in which they take place.

After talking with others at the Minnesota School Boards Association Jan Rhode, Director of Board Development at MSBA responded via email: "¿ subject to the Minnesota Human rights Act and any other relevant employment law and policy, any response by a district would be determined by local control."

Laura Bloomberg, principal at the school reports that parent and student reaction at the K-12 school is overwhelmingly supportive, although some parents strongly disagree. She also noted that another elementary principal's wife recently had a baby, and that students were notified when he left school to be with her. "If it's ok to tell students about this, why isn't it ok to tell students about other kinds of families?" she asked.

Three reactions to this. First, Minnesota legislators wisely gave parents the right to be notified about classroom discussion of controversial issues, and the right to have an alternative lesson if they object to it. While this can be somewhat unwieldy, it makes sense. When issues like human sexuality are discussed, the law needs to be followed.

Second, as Storti and Schaubach suggest, it is important to think about the age of students. A discussion may be very appropriate for high school students, but not right for second graders. Finally, I think the sexual orientation of teachers is a private matter. I recall another educator at a school where I taught told students that he and his wife sometimes had sex with other couples. Some parents objected, and many teachers agreed. A teachers' sexual activity is not an appropriate topic for discussion with students.