Families for Freedom to protest for ‘Education, Not Indoctrination’ in Southington

Southington — Parents’ rights advocates in Southington are gearing up for a protest ahead of the town’s next Board of Education meeting as discontent continues after a sophomore English teacher distributed a vocabulary packet on “race, gender, equality, and inclusivity” to students.

The “Education, Not Indoctrination” rally, led by the group Families for Freedom, is slated for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, outside the Southington Municipal Center at 200 North Main St.

“My hope is [to] put the school district on notice that parents are paying attention and that we really just want the basics taught in an unbiased way,” said Susan Zabahonski, the founder of Families for Freedom.

At the Southington Board of Education’s Sept. 8 meeting, Zabahonski, with several other parents and Southington High School students, raised issues with a vocabulary packet that was circulated in a sophomore English class.

The packet titled “Vocabulary for conversations about race, gender, equality and inclusivity” derived from content produced by the University of Arizona.

The list of 19 terms include ally, cisgender, transgender, gender nonconforming, institutional/structural racism and white privilege.

One excerpt reads, “Racism is a systemic issue. If you look the other way or deny that these systems exist, you are part of the problem. You can know in your heart that you don’t hate anyone but still contribute to their oppression.”

“No individual is personally responsible for what white people have done or the historical decisions of the American government, but you are responsible for whether you are currently upholding the systems that elevate white people over people of color,” the packet continues.

At the meeting, board chair Colleen Clark announced that the district launched an investigation of the handout.

In a Facebook post, Families for Freedom labeled the vocabulary packet as critical race theory. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund defines CRT as “an academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society.” CRT in academia is graduate school-level study.

Families for Freedom advocated for the discipline of the teacher who distributed the packet and “all teachers that have harmful CRT in their lesson plans.” The group urged the school board to establish policies that would prevent CRT instruction.

“We’re hoping [the rally] draws attention to the fact that parents, when it comes to morality and sexuality and some difficult topics, we want them taught in a fair way that doesn’t inject a bias,” Zabohonski said.

When asked about the planned protest, Southington Superintendent of Schools Steven Madancy said that “The district welcomes the involvement and voice of our families emphasizing the importance of respectful and civil discourse leading to optimal outcomes for all our students.”

“As for claims of indoctrination,” Madancy added, “that is a term being used across the nation right now within public education when certain topics or issues are discussed. Some families are advocating that educators expose their students to controversial issues while others advocate that those discussions be left to families. It is my hope that we eventually find common ground as I worry about the stress this is causing our students, teachers, and families.”

Zabohonski said that while she believes conversations about sexuality should stay between a parent and child, she is not opposed to students learning gender identity terms in health or science class as long as teachers present the terms as a definition and not a deeper discussion.

When it comes to classroom discussions of race, Zabohonski said she believes concepts, such as systemic racism and white privilege, should be presented as theories, not fact.

“School systems should be trying to produce citizens who can get a job, who can get out in the real world and have the ability to advance themselves,” Zabohonski said. “When we concentrate too much on these social issues, I think that it does a disservice because when we focus on all that, we are not focusing on fundamentals.”