A bid by Fort Worth ISD’s school board to partner with a girls-only nonprofit is raising eyebrows among residents of the district due to the organization’s outspoken left-wing standpoints.
The district’s budget proposal for the 2023-2024 school year reportedly lists an expenditure of $175,000 in taxpayer money to support after-school programming put on by the organization Girls Inc.
Girls Inc.’s website describes a multifaceted approach to helping young women.
“Our evidence-based programming is delivered by trained professionals who focus on the development of the whole girl, supporting, mentoring, and guiding girls in an affirming, pro-girl environment,” it reads. “Here, girls learn to value their whole selves, discover and develop their inherent strengths, and receive the support they need to navigate the challenges they face.”
A study examining the efficacy of some of Girls Inc.’s offerings suggests that girls perform better on standardized math tests, become more engaged in school, get excited about science, and exhibit strong leadership skills after participating in the organization’s programming, according to Girls Inc.’s website. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Girls Inc. has been at work over the summer helping Dallas-area students prepare for the SAT.
However, some of the nonprofit’s tenets are giving district residents pause, such as its statement on gender identity:
“Girls Inc. is committed to providing the comprehensive Girls Inc. Experience to girls — including those who identify as girls regardless of their assigned sex at birth, and those who are exploring their gender identity or expression during their time at Girls Inc. It is the national position of Girls Inc. that our member organizations should not discriminate or exclude girls from our programming based on their gender identity or gender expression.”
The organization also supports abortion, arguing that “everyone has the fundamental right to choose if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and carry a pregnancy to term.”
Such stances have prompted right-leaning community members to criticize the school board’s proposal.
“Girls Inc. promotes political indoctrination of students by promoting abortion, transgenderism, and other left-leaning causes. It is a concern that taxpayer money is being used to push that agenda on young women,” said organizer Carlos Turcios, speaking with the Texas Scorecard.
He further noted that concerned parents plan on protesting the school board’s proposal to spend $175,000 of taxpayer money on Girls Inc. programming.
The budget item was reportedly associated with proposed spending by Fort Worth ISD’s Equity & Excellence Department, which has previously drawn the ire of parents and community members over its allegedly divisive offerings, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“After over seven years and $14,000,000 in salaries alone, the department did absolutely nothing to improve outcomes for our students. It was way past time to shut it down,” said Fort Worth ISD parent Hollie Plemons back in April, according to the Texas Scorecard. “FWISD needs to focus on education and stop with the politically divisive agendas that do nothing but destroy our children, our communities, and our city.”
Fort Worth ISD is not the only school system in North Texas collaborating with left-leaning education nonprofits. Dallas ISD has also been criticized for spending taxpayer money on allegedly left-leaning supplemental education programming.
“Big Thought is a prime example of how outside vendors and organizations are the entry point for so much of the indoctrination that kids are subjected to,” said Kelly Neidert of the organization Protect Texas Kids in a previous statement to The Dallas Express.
