MA public schools are becoming increasingly unsafe for students. Instances of violence, alongside the troubling trends of sexualization and indoctrination of children, raise profound concerns regarding the health and safety of youth attending government schools in the Commonwealth.
According to the Student Discipline Data Report on the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website, a total of 58 students in school districts across the state were “disciplined” for sexual assault last school year with 0 expulsions being recorded. And sexual assault is only one category of disciplinary issues in the state’s schools. Over 33,000 MA student offenses were recorded in 2022-2023, including bullying, illegal substances, physical attacks, and more.
Recent stories out of MA schools illustrate the problem. In February, four members of the Brockton School Committee pleaded for the National Guard’s help to end the “chaos” and control the escalating violence at the high school. And in March there was a report of sexual misconduct involving multiple juveniles at Frontier Regional School in Deerfield.
Headlines highlighting violence committed by teachers in Bridgewater and Cambridge further erode parents’ confidence regarding students’ safety in schools. Last month a Bridgewater teacher was charged with physically abusing 3 pre-K students and a couple of weeks ago a Cambridge fourth-grade teacher was indicted on child rape charges. Although the charges against the Cambridge teacher allegedly happened before being hired at the Amigos School in Cambridge, the presence of someone facing such serious allegations on school staff naturally provokes fear and mistrust in parents.
Violence in schools isn’t the only problem MA parents are grappling with in public schools, however. K-12 students are being indoctrinated in transgender and sexual ideologies, school administrators are hiding children’s gender identity from their parents, female high school athletes are being injured by biological males identified as girls, and schools are inviting drag queens to perform for students.
MFI informed you several weeks ago that some MA elementary schools are now offering sexuality-themed “Rainbow Clubs”. These clubs generally target students as young as 3rd grade, although sometimes they are open to even younger students.
Similarly alarming, school districts across the state have implemented policies, like this policy in Natick, allowing children to change their name and gender identity at school without legal documentation or parental consent.
Female high school athletes are being injured and knocked out of their rankings by biological males identified as females playing on girls’ sports teams. MFI recently reported on an incident involving a female-identified male player on the girls’ basketball team at Kipp Academy in Lynn. During a match against a team from Lowell, the opposing team’s coach decided to forfeit the game because their players were being injured by the transgender player. The New Boston Post has also been reporting on this issue around New England here, here, and here.
Perhaps one of the more shocking stories coming out of MA public schools recently is Sutton High School’s hosting of a drag queen performance for students. The drag queen reportedly danced on tables, exposing his underwear to students, and made comments about his breasts.
Violence, alongside the troubling deluge of stories of sexualization and indoctrination of children in MA public schools, raises profound concerns about the direction state-run education is headed. Things are going from bad to worse. And there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. That’s why MFI has made addressing issues in education an important focus.
Below are links to MFI resources and events to help parents safeguard the moral and physical well-being of their children in education:
- Visit our Sex Ed in MA, OPT OUT, and Education Alternatives pages on our website for information on the sex ed curriculum being taught in MA classrooms, to access our sample opt out forms, and to find out more about education alternatives.
- Join the Massachusetts Informed Parents Facebook group and Substack site to stay up to date on issues in education.
- Become more actively engaged in making a difference in your city and town. MFI will train you! Register for one of our dynamic Advocate Leadership or Campaign Candidate Trainings. Visit the events page on our website for upcoming dates.
- Consider starting or participating in an already established Church-Based Learning Center. This exciting option is helping empower churches and parents to reclaim the education of children. Contact Michael King at [email protected] for more information.
Finally, MFI has organized a petition urging the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the authority responsible for school sports regulations in MA, to change its rules and better protect female athletes. Please sign and share this petition to help safeguard girls’ sports in MA.
Please consider donating to MFI’s critical mission of protecting children in education. Your unwavering support is appreciated.
