‘Person who produces sperm’: Vermont school district will no longer use gendered terms in sex ed classes

(Daily Caller) – A Vermont school district is no longer using the terms “male” and “female” when teaching sexual education classes, according to a letter obtained by Parents Defending Education (PDE), a parental rights organization.

Founders Memorial School Principal Sara Jablonski notified families on April 20 that teachers will no longer be using gender-specific words such as “male,” “female,” “boy” and “girl” when teaching fifth-grade health lessons that include puberty and the human reproductive system, according to a letter obtained by PDE. Instead, teachers will describe a man as a “person who produces sperm” and refer to a woman as a “person who produces eggs.”

“The new language rules are dehumanizing but in the context of a 5th grade unit on puberty and reproduction, they also demonstrate a complete abdication of the school’s obligation to educate children about reality,” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach for PDE, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “This is what an elementary school captured by gender ideology looks like.”

Teachers will be using “gender inclusive language” in an effort to align the school’s curriculum with Essex Westford School District’s equity policy, the letter stated. The most recent equity policy posted on the district’s website from the 2021-2022 school year requires that teachers are trained to have a “lens through which to assess their lessons for bias and representation.”
“In an effort to align our curriculum with our equity policy, teachers will be using gender inclusive language throughout this unit,” the letter stated. “With any differences, we strive to use ‘person-first’ language as best practice.”

School districts across the country are using “gender neutral” language in the name of equity; a Texas school district offered a “Women and Gender Studies” course which encouraged students to use “gender-neutral” language when describing jobs.

Essex Westford School District and Jablonski did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.