A Saint Paul mother says she was stunned to get an email from a staff member at her daughter’s school — not about grades or behavior, but about how the girl described a staff member’s made-up scenario of two boys kissing.
Kelly, the girl’s mother, says the email implies her daughter’s answer — calling the scenario “unhealthy” — was treated like a problem that needed to be addressed.
Lesson turned spotlight on student’s personal beliefs
According to the email obtained by Alpha News, the incident took place during a social skills class at Johnson High School led by a social worker who provides Kelly’s 16-year-old daughter with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) her required “social skills minutes” under an individualized education program (IEP).
The social worker, Sonya Boyd — who also serves as advisor to the school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance, which promotes “creating a safe space for our LGBTQIA+ students” — wrote that when the girl was asked to evaluate a scenario of two boys kissing, she responded that it was “unhealthy” and added that she doesn’t agree with “anything that is nontraditional.”
The email explains that students were “expected to identify healthy and unhealthy traits within the social scenario” as part of a lesson on “consent in a relationship.”
According to the email, when the social worker pressed, the girl “disengaged” and responded, “I just want to return to doing my work.”
“I redirected the focus on the consent vs. the imagery of the scenario,” Boyd said. “My concern is that [she] will alienate her peers by verbally expressing her dislikes about the sexuality of a made-up scenario from the curriculum. In doing that, she is continuously narrowing her options for social connections.”
Kelly says she doesn’t understand why her daughter was being asked to evaluate an imaginary scenario of two boys kissing in the first place.
“I wrote on [my daughter’s] IEP that we opt out of the LGBTQ curriculum content,” she said. “And the supervisor even said they don’t cover LGBTQ curriculum and that it’s only in the after-school clubs for that reason. I guess he didn’t consider the curriculum that she was teaching to be LGBTQ even though he was aware of that content.”
Parent meets with school officials
After receiving the email, Kelly requested a meeting at the school. She met with the social worker, her daughter’s special-education teacher, and two assistant principals to discuss the situation. Kelly said the principal did not attend.
During the meeting, Kelly said school staff explained that the classroom scenario involved “two boys who had been dating for a year and decided to start kissing.”
When Kelly again asked about opting out of LGBTQ-related content, she says staff told her there is no specific curriculum to opt out of. Instead, teachers weave topics about identity, race, and sexuality into broader courses such as “critical thinking,” according to Kelly.
Kelly said that one assistant principal — who is not her daughter’s assigned administrator — remarked that her family is not the only “extreme” Christian family at Johnson High School.
“I felt marginalized and judged when she said that,” Kelly stated. “I don’t know why she was even at the meeting.”
Kelly said she urged the staff to use her daughter’s viewpoint as “a teachable moment” about respecting differing opinions rather than treating it as a behavioral issue.
“The point is that we Christians also need to be respected and affirmed in our identity,” Kelly told Alpha News. “I mean, if they affirm transgender students at school, then they should also affirm Christians. I think there needs to be diversity training at SPPS for this, because we’re now in the minority.”
Kelly said during the meeting it was suggested that her daughter start a before-school Christian club for prayer or Bible study, but notes that puts the onus on the kids to start it. Kelly says an LGBTQ safe space and a Muslim space were organized by staff.
After the meeting, Kelly received an email from Johnson High School principal Jamil Payton, despite him not being present at the meeting, informing her that her daughter would be getting a new social worker.
“We think that the change in social workers working with [your daughter] will be best for her and all adult parties involved,” the email stated.
District responds to Alpha News’ inquiry
Alpha News asked Saint Paul Public Schools whether the scenario aligned with district-approved curriculum, whether parents can opt out of such lessons, how the district handles student beliefs on topics involving same-sex relationships, and whether students are allowed to hold a “traditional” viewpoint consistent with their personal and religious beliefs without prompting letters home to parents.
Director of Communications Erica Wacker said, “Curricula used in SPPS align with the applicable state standards set by the Minnesota Department of Education,” and referred Alpha News to the district’s current board policies and procedures.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
