Tarrant County Republican Party Chairman Bo French is raising serious concerns about Fort Worth ISD’s potential use of ‘left-wing’ teacher training materials.
The training, Learning for Justice (LFJ), formerly known as Teaching Tolerance, took on its new name a few years ago to better reflect the changing nature of its work. According to French, contracts and payment receipts from Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) show that the district paid for the use of LFJ materials to provide teacher training.
“We continue to uncover radical, anti-parent, anti-science training taking place in FWISD. One recent revelation is the FWISD using material from Learning for Justice, a product of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a known radical leftist organization,” French told The Dallas Express.
However, following the initial publication of this article, a spokesperson for Fort Worth ISD reached out to DX and claimed that “FWISD does not offer the ‘Justice for Learning’ training for our teachers.” The spokesperson made the assertion after purportedly consulting the district’s Learning and Leading Department.
LFJ has moved from the goal of simply “reducing prejudice to more pointedly supporting action to address injustice,” LFJ Director Jalaya Liles Dunn said on the Southern Poverty Law Center website. “In shifting from Teaching Tolerance to Learning for Justice, we’re offering an urgent call to action: We must learn, grow and wield power together.”
Dunn further noted that the final issue of Teaching Tolerance magazine, before the publication changes its name to Learning for Justice, will showcase the “work we’ll be doing as Learning for Justice… stories across the wide spectrum of education, examining the ways systems and institutions perpetuate racism and white supremacy.”
LFJ’s website states that it works with students and educators on topics such as “culture and climate” and how to “dismantle white supremacy.”
French said the training instructs teachers to “never present LGBTQ identities as up for debate” and recommends LGBTQ books that the organization says children should read by age. Books recommended for elementary school students included Gay and Lesbian History for Kids, Heather Has Two Mommies, and Sex is a Funny Word, French posted on X.
“They encourage teachers to conceal the ‘gender identity’ of students from parents. So, instead of teaching important subjects, teachers are engaging in unscientific role-play fantasies with kids and then hiding them from parents. We don’t want schools sexualizing our kids,” French added.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Dallas ISD provides a research guide for students that explains gender transition and recommends clinics that offer gender transition services.
UPDATE: This article was updated at 10:05 AM on June 17, 2024, to reflect a response from Fort Worth ISD.