Chairman Tim Hannigan Reacts to “Wake-Up Call” from Arlington

Fairfax County Republican Chairman Tim Hannigan is calling for stronger parental consent laws regarding Family Life Education, after the Washington Post revealed how a public school in Arlington is teaching Kindergartners about transgenderism and other sensitive issues.

“We cannot allow our public schools to be hijacked for ideological ends,” Mr. Hannigan said today. “Sadly, this kind of fanaticism is not limited to Arlington. Fairfax County’s school board, in many ways, has been leading the crusade to indoctrinate students, without affirmative parental consent, in the name of Family Life Education.”

Mr. Hannigan’s statement follows yesterday’s article by Debbie Truong in the Washington Post, which documents the extent to which a teacher in Arlington has subjected Kindergartners to highly controversial, ideologically-driven materials.

“I have a girl brain but a boy body. This is called transgender. I was born this way,” a national transgender activist recently told Kindergartners at Arlington’s Ashlawn Elementary School, according to the Washington Post. In that same article, a teacher boasted that his Kindergarten is stocked with books such as Heather Has Two Mommies and My Princess Boy.

“These revelations ought to serve as a wake-up call to parents across the metropolitan area,” Mr. Hannigan said. “Locally, we must elect school board members who don’t view the public schools as their own ideological sandbox. On a state level, we obviously need stronger parental consent laws regarding Family Life Education. Above all, the central role of parents in their children’s education must be honored. It’s time for elected officials to make school choice a reality for all families – we don’t need a one-size-fits-all educational system.”