On career day students have the opportunity to meet professionals from all types of vocational backgrounds. Ranging from law enforcement all the way to your favorite baker down the street.
But those “old-fashioned” career day choices just weren’t good enough for a middle school in Thornton, Colorado.
Rocky Top Middle School decided to invite a drag queen to their career day without the consent of the students’ parents, and some parents voiced their discontent with the school’s lack of attention to detail.
“I was pretty appalled, I was pretty surprised. It was a shock because nobody was notified,” one of the parents told FOX 31.
“This person is an adult entertainer and is talking to twelve-year old students to something that’s kind of adult nature,” another parent said.
The drag queen, who goes by Ms. Jessica, talked to students about the damage of bullying and the need to “put kindness and acceptance at the forefront, and the shortsightedness of judging a book by its cover,” according to KDVR.
“This event reflects the diversity of the community. Jessica read a chapter from Horrible Harry, and she used the text to illustrate the damage bullies can do,” the principal said.
Now, if a “professional” comes to your school on career day and allegedly doesn’t talk about their career but instead speaks on bullying and acceptance, then what are they doing at your school? Isn’t career day for professionals to speak about their careers to students? Some might suspect there is some other agenda going on here.
The principal did issue an apology for her “oversight”, stating in a letter, “I take responsibility for not notifying families ahead of time and apologize for any stress this has caused you and your child.”
Is this a case of just allow the drag queen in and apologize for it later?
Parents questioned by KDVR said they would not have had their child in class, if they had been aware of the drag queen presentation.
Look, I’m all for introducing students to unique careers, but is being a drag queen even a career? Shouldn’t the faculty be aware of the adult "jobs" these “professionals” talk with middle school students about?
Take a look at the FOX 31 Denver video below: