An elementary school in Staten Island has cancelled its annual father-daughter dance in order to comply with new gender-neutral guidelines from the New York City Department of Education (DOE), The New York Post reports.
The city's DOE issued the Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Student Guidelines back in March 2017, which require schools to “eliminate” any “gender-based policies, rules, and practices [that] can have the effect of marginalizing, stigmatizing, stereotyping and excluding students.”
“Examples may include such practices as gender-based graduation gowns, lines, and/or attire for yearbook pictures,” the policy reads.
For fear of violating the new guidelines, the PTA at PS 65, the Academy of Innovative Learning, cancelled the school's annual "Father/Best Guy & Daughter Dance" scheduled for Feb. 9.
“Until we understand what we are legally permitted to do, we need to table this event,” PTA president Toni Bennett wrote to a private school-parents group on Facebook, according to The Post.
Bennett told The Post that the PTA decided to host a dance with a "more inclusive theme” on March 2 that would replace the traditional father-daughter dance.
Parents are up in arms about the decision.
“They’re trying to take away everything that everybody grew up on and has come to know, and I don’t think it’s fair or right,” Matthew West, a father of two daughters at PS 65, told The Post. “They should leave it the way it was — father-daughter, mother-son.”
“It’s not fair at all,” said Jose Garcia, a father who has gone to past dances with his nine-year-old daughter. “I have nothing against no one, but I don’t think that it should affect the school, or the kids for that matter.”
“All this gender crap needs to just stop,” said mom Akaia Cameron, who added that her third-grader had a “great time” with her dad last year.
Donald Trump Jr. chimed into the conversation on Saturday, tweeting, “If this doesn’t convince you that the PC/SJQW movement has [lost] their minds I don’t know what will.”
The DOE argues that all school-related events should "be inclusive of all students" and that father-daughter dances can be "triggering events."
“We have clear guidelines in place that require school-related events to be inclusive of all students,” said DOE spokeswoman Miranda Barbot.
“Father-daughter dances inherently leave people out. Not just because of transgender status, just life in general,” said Jared Fox, the DOE’s LGBT community liaison. “These can be really uncomfortable and triggering events.”
However, the DOE does not list father-daughter dances as a prohibited activity. Its guidelines are left up to interpretation, which just goes to show that the school's decision to cancel its annual father-daughter dance is yet another example of political correctness gone too far.
For more, check out the Fox News report below.
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