(RightWing.org) – Missouri’s attorney general wants to take action against school officials who took middle school students to a drag show. The kids were taken to a “diversity celebration” event, and the permission slips signed by their parents didn’t mention anything about cross-dressing adult performers. Now the school is trying to talk its way out of a hole — but the AG isn’t buying it.
On January 26, around 30 middle school students from Columbia, Missouri’s public school district, went on a school trip to the annual “Columbia Values Diversity” breakfast. Parents were asked to fill out a permission slip before the event, which said there would be “songs, performances, and a food item” — but left out the drag show.
When news of the trip got out, Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) was one of several Republican politicians who publicly protested. Parson said he was “deeply concerned” at reports that students had watched “adult performers” and called it “unacceptable.”
Parents weren't clearly informed of the contents of the program, and adult performances are not diversity. Columbia Public Schools should focus on educational experiences that prioritize math, reading, writing, science, and history, which parents expect and demand for their kids.
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) January 20, 2023
In response, Columbia Public Schools superintendent Brian Yearwood sent an open letter to the governor, claiming only two parents had complained. He insisted there’s “misinformation” being spread about the event and said the school district “couldn’t be expected” to know in advance what performances would be happening.
State Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) isn’t impressed by Yearwood’s blame-dodging. He said the school’s defensive response was “really telling” and called the incident evidence of woke leftist ideology being promoted in schools. Bailey added that in Missouri, the teaching of human sexuality is regulated by state law and “it doesn’t authorize drag shows.”
Now Bailey says his office is ready to use the law against the teachers and officials responsible for the trip. If he can prove the state law on sex education was violated, the people who allowed young students to see a sexualized performance could end up being fired.
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