As one candidate for the Cupertino Union School District gets closer to winning, LGBTQ+ supporters are raising concerns about his stance on making the curriculum more open to everyone.
People are afraid about what it could mean for LGBTQ students and staff that Parent Long Jiao came in second place for one of the two open seats on the five-person school board.
As of Thursday, Jiao has about 21.1% of the vote, which is less than the 35.9% of votes that went to Sylvia Leong, who is already on the board. With about 19.3% of the vote, Lakshmi Sharma is behind Jiao.
Some people in the community are worried about Jiao’s leadership because he is in line with Curriculum Integrity, a group of parents whose worries about gender identity and queer topics in the classroom led to the investigation of a nonbinary transitional kindergarten teacher.
Because it could be dangerous, San José Spotlight decided not to name the teacher. They are currently on leave while an investigation is carried out to see if they went beyond what was allowed by the district by having a poster with different pronouns and a book with pictures of boys wearing skirts.
Jiao said that all of the 13,500 students in the district should have the same curriculum in their classes.
Like how parents could choose whether their children will go through sex education in fifth and seventh grade, he wants parents to be able to choose whether their children will go through “experimental” teaching that goes beyond what the school requires.
Jiao said that what makes him different from other candidates is that he is ready to fight for what he believes in, even if it means being different from other people.
He said that including everyone is good, but the best way to include all the kids is to fly the American flag and not talk about different identities at all, since it’s hard to include everything.
He told San José Spotlight, “If the teachers just stick to the curriculum and don’t talk about their own beliefs, it’s actually the most welcoming thing because all the students can be accepted and not feel alone, no matter what culture or background they come from.”
Phyllis Vogel, who is leaving her position as board president, said that if Jiao were chosen, she would likely speak for the minority on the board and not have much power during votes.
Plus, it would be hard to let parents choose not to talk about queer things because gender identity and expression are natural things that come up, unlike sex education, which has a start and finish date.
Jiao’s chances of getting the seat still worry parents like Robb Zimmerman, who has a nonbinary child in the district. His words showed that Jiao’s work can hurt queer kids and teachers.
As Jiao gets ready to win, Zimmerman works to build a group that will help protect his child.
He told the San José Spotlight, “The only thing you need is some political smarts to lead from a minority position and hurt people.” “Even if he’s the only one speaking out, he might make people on the board feel better who were on the fence or had concerns but didn’t think they would be heard.”
In the past few months, there has been a huge fight over LGBTQ-inclusive materials in the classroom. The nonbinary teacher has been put on leave, and a lot of parents, teachers, and Cupertino Educators Association members are going to board meetings to give their views.
The disagreement caused the board to talk about Board Policy 6144, which tells people how to talk about controversial subjects. The district doesn’t have any general rules about LGBTQ+ instruction outside of its sexual education units.
It’s important for the Cupertino Educators Association to have clear rules about gay issues so that groups like Curriculum Integrity don’t have to worry about their place in the classroom.
The union backed both Leong and Sharma. In a statement, the union said it was hopeful about the outcome.
We hope that the CUSD board will finally listen to our repeated requests to protect and support our LGBTQ students and teachers, as well as our use of materials and methods recommended by the California Department of Education.
A union representative told San José Spotlight that they were looking forward to this. By Dec. 5, Santa Clara County has to send the state proof of the poll results.
Vogel, who is leaving the board after 17 years, said that members who vote against the majority should still back the final decision, even if they personally don’t agree with it. With the new board, she wants that to keep going.
“We’ve been very good about hearing what people have to say, and I hope that keeps up,” she told San José Spotlight. “I’d like to see that whole message of inclusion and that whole philosophy get stronger.”
