My 6-year-old kindergartener recently brought home a book titled "The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived" by Daniel Errico. While the book itself explores themes of bravery and self-discovery, I was surprised by its LGBTQ content, which prompted further investigation on my part. I was disheartened to learn that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has implemented policies requiring all elementary school libraries to include, and make available to all students, books with similar content. For instance, books like "George" by Alex Gino and "Drama" by Raina Telgemeier which delve into themes beyond traditional educational topics, are now mandatory inclusions in school libraries.

To the Board of Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District:

We, the undersigned parents, guardians, educators, and community members, respectfully submit this petition to express our serious concern regarding the presence of books and materials in school libraries that address LGBTQ themes and concepts related to sexual and gender identity.

Parents have the fundamental responsibility and right to guide their children’s moral, emotional, and social development. While schools play a vital role in providing academic instruction, matters involving sexual identity and related topics are deeply personal and should be introduced by parents at a time they determine appropriate for their child’s maturity and understanding.

Families within our district represent diverse cultural, moral, and religious perspectives. These differences must be respected within our public education system. When schools introduce materials related to complex social or sexual identity topics without parental knowledge or consent, it undermines the role of parents as the primary decision-makers in their children’s upbringing.

For many parents, the presence of such materials in school libraries particularly where children may access them without parental awareness raises serious concerns about age appropriateness and transparency within the educational environment.

Our Requests

We respectfully call upon the leadership of the Los Angeles Unified School District to take the following actions:

Remove books and library materials that contain LGBTQ themes or discussions of sexual and gender identity from school libraries across all grade levels within the district.

Implement a district-wide transparency policy requiring that, at the beginning of each school year, parents are provided with clear information regarding the types of books, educational materials, and topics their children may be exposed to in school libraries and classrooms.

Establish a formal parental notification and contest process, allowing parents the opportunity to review and challenge materials they believe are inappropriate for their children before those materials are made accessible to students.

Strengthen parental involvement and oversight in decisions regarding sensitive educational materials to ensure that schools remain respectful of the diverse values and beliefs held by families in our community.

Why This Matters

A strong partnership between families and schools depends on trust, transparency, and respect for parental authority. Parents must be informed about what their children are being exposed to in educational environments and must have the ability to participate in decisions affecting their children's development.

This petition seeks to ensure that public schools remain focused on core academic learning while respecting the role of families in introducing complex social topics.

Call to Action

By signing this petition, we urge the Board of Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District to acknowledge the concerns of parents and take immediate action to protect parental rights, increase transparency, and ensure that school library materials reflect age-appropriate educational priorities.

We respectfully request that this matter be placed before the Board for formal review and action.