A concerned parent shared a photo with The Tennessee Star this week depicting an LGBT pride flag at Dan Mills Elementary School in Nashville, which he said is on display for children as young as four years old.
The pride flag is emblazoned with the words “MNPS for All,” and hangs above a poster that breaks students into groups by race and sexual orientation, noting that each group is “loved.”
The school teaches 530 pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade students, meaning that the oldest students are likely to be nine years old.
The parent who shared the photo said he snapped the picture himself. He asked not to be identified for privacy purposes.
“The pride flag has been displayed at Dan Mills Elementary since our daughter started in kindergarten,” the source told The Star. “She is now in 2nd grade. Actually one of the first interactions we had with the school was a virtual tour of sorts (due to covid) … the canned video gave each teacher a few mins to speak. When the school counselor came on, I was surprised to see the ‘new intersex inclusive’ LGBT flag in the background. [It] didn’t make me feel like this was a normal or safe place for my kindergartener.”
“I personally accept everyone and every lifestyle but these are adult issues,” the source said. “If a student asks a teacher about one of these posters, are the teachers discussing what gay means, [or] what bisexual means? There are four-year-olds that walk by this sign everyday. There is no reason I can think of that this is an appropriate place for these types of materials.”
MNPS for All is a program designed by the school district.
“MNPS for All is a campaign to show MNPS’ commitment to affirming LGBTQ+ students and staff feel valued, cared for and safe,” according to the school district’s website. “Overseen by the Department of School Counseling/Counseling Services, the MNPS for All campaign includes training, participation in community events and visible symbols to ensure all members of our MNPS family feel welcomed and supported.”
In a 2021 resolution located on the same web page, the district said “we recognize creating LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in Metro Nashville Public Schools is not about any single action, and it will not happen with just the passage of a resolution or the change of a policy, but it is about effectuating a paradigm shift through facilitating deeper understanding of sexual and gender diversity, and this requires appropriate communication, professional development, and a commitment from the Board, the District, and all schools – of all grade levels – to support this shift and commit to moving forward with the resolve to learn and further best practices into the future.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Dan Mills Elementary School” by Dan Mills Elementary PTO.
