Parents demand to see LGBT videos school showed their kids

In an apparent effort to normalize homosexual behavior, a school in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, showed school children videos produced by LGBT activists.

Without telling parents.

The parents now have deployed a legal team to demand that school officials give them access to the material.

"I am writing to request that the East Penn School district immediately provide to all parents requesting them the specific links to the four pro-homosexuality YouTube videos shown by the district to 2,800 high school students at Emmaus High School, as part of the district's 'Unity Week' and 'Day of Silence' promotional activities," said the legal demand sent to East Penn School District Supt. Michael Schilder.

The letter from Richard Mast Jr. of Liberty Counsel advised the district that without a swift, satisfactory response, Liberty Counsel "will take further action to prevent irreparable harm to the rights of local parents."

As part of a program by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, GLSEN, the school showed videos "normalizing homosexuality and gender dysphoria, all without the knowledge of many parents," Liberty Counsel said.

The YouTube videos were followed by Emmaus High School Principal Kate Kieres reading statistics from a GLSEN promotion of homosexual behavior.

The Liberty Counsel letter said: "Numerous students have privately confirmed that they found the district's promotion of 'Day of Silence' and mandatory viewing of the videos unwelcome. They do not wish to be subjected to this in the future."

When parents asked to see the videos, the school claimed the parents were not entitled to them because they were part of a "student project."

The students and parents both object to the "political activist organization" GLSEN, the letter said.

"The law is clear that parents, not agents of the state, including teachers, and certainly not GLSEN or its teacher or student affiliates with the GSA, have the right to direct the upbringing and associations of minor children," Liberty Counsel warned.

"Accordingly, the Pennsylvania Administrative Code requires that the district provide parents the opportunity to review all instructional material shown to their children, prior to it being shown. … The district has violated this requirement."

The video links now must be provided to parents on request, the legal team said.

"The requested links to the YouTube videos shown to students are public records," the letter said. "It is not reasonable to withhold the actual links to YouTube videos the district required students to watch … and a court would likely find the district was acting in bad faith."

Finally, Liberty Counsel argued, if the school gives GLSEN access, it must give other groups with other messages the same access to students.

Those messages could include "the right to life, and adoption vs. abortion, Second Amendment rights, or other topics selected by students, including religious topics," Liberty Counsel said.

The American Family Association of Pennsylvania was alarmed by the developments at the school.

The group said the district's lawyer told parents they had no right to access the videos because they weren't selected by students.

AFA Pennsylvania President Diane Gramley was at both meetings in which parents questioned the program. She noted that by the second meeting, activists twisted the parental requests into an attack on LGBT students.

"The public comments on June 25th were simply an attack on parental rights and on any parent who wants to know what their children are being taught in Emmaus High School. It was an attempt by activists to intimidate concerned parents into silence and to not question what their children are learning during a taxpayer-funded school day. Parents should not be silent if they believe their rights have been infringed upon. Parents and taxpayers have a right to know what is being taught within the four ways of the school buildings," she said.

Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, said the East Penn School District has violated parental rights and must release the links to the four videos and all public records regarding "Unity Week" and "Day of Silence" immediately.

"Parents have the right to know the exact nature of the special-interest propaganda their children have been subjected to when at school," he said.

School officials could not be reached for comment by WND, which mid-afternoon Thursday was informed that the offices were closed.