MA MassResistance, Ludlow: Brave Teacher Fired for Telling the Truth About LGBT Indoctrination

 

Middle school teacher fired for informing parents that their two children had decided to become “transgender.”

School staff facilitated the “trans” behavior – and kept it from the parents.

Teacher’s attorney debunks the phony “reasons” officials gave for her firing.

Part 9 of a series (See Parts 1-8 here.)

July 26, 2021

 How corrupt is the education establishment? Stacy Monette, the Principal who fired Bonnie using phony reasons, was named "Middle School Principal of the Year" in 2020 by the Massachusetts School Administrators Association.

School officials pushing the “transgender” agenda in middle schools have become hostile and brutal toward those who refuse to comply.

A Massachusetts middle school teacher with a spotless 20-year record has been fired by the Principal and Superintendent. Her “crime” was informing the parents of a boy and girl what the school staff was doing to their children. In their zeal to fire her, they concocted a list of phony reasons that were easily debunked by the teacher’s attorney. But the firing still went forward.

In our earlier posts we described Bonnie, a principled Social Studies teacher at Baird Middle School in Ludlow, Mass. who prioritizes the well-being of students over any adult agendas.

In late 2019, Bonnie raised the alarm over the sexually graphic and explicit books being given to the children to read. Parents were angry and outraged. The school lashed back at Bonnie. The librarian filed a formal “harassment, bullying, discrimination, and hate crimes” complaint against her. It was completely phony – meant as intimidation – and went nowhere. And Bonnie refused to be intimidated.

Bonnie informs parents about their children’s “transgender” issues in school

Starting in late 2020, teachers and guidance counselors at Baird took advantage of the COVID disruption to introduce radical “transgender” ideas to children. They told children to decide their “preferred pronouns” and persuaded them that they might have been born in the “wrong” sex if they have certain interests. As children’s confusion grew, teachers would give them opposite-sex names to use in class. All of this was purposefully kept from their parents. Teachers were specifically told not to tell parents about this in at least one email that we’ve published.

In late February 2021, Bonnie saw that a sister and brother (ages 11 and 13) in the same family were now claiming to be “transgender” and seeking “gender transition.” She became very upset and informed the parents.

Both parents were extremely grateful to Bonnie – and were furious at the school officials for hiding this from them. The parents approached the Principal and (with the help of MassResistance) met with the Superintendent and demanded that this indoctrination be stopped immediately – and the people pushing it not be allowed near their children. (The school officials refused to answer regarding those demands.)

Harsh retribution against Bonnie

Bonnie did what any normal person would do. But the people running the Ludlow schools see the world completely differently – so they sought to stop Bonnie; it didn’t matter how. They took the necessary bureaucratic steps to fire her even though they had no legitimate reason for doing so. No matter. They concocted some phony reasons.

Bonnie is put on paid administrative leave. On March 19, 2021, Bonnie received a letter from the Principal notifying her that she is “being placed on paid administration leave effective immediately for conduct unbecoming a teacher related to your inappropriate communications with the parents of a student.” The student is the 11-year-old girl described in our previous post [LINK] (though not her 13-year-old brother about whom Bonnie also informed the parents). This is the first step in the bureaucratic termination process.

Bonnie attends “investigative interview.” On March 25, an “interview as part of the investigation” took place. It included the Principal, a Ludlow school “compliance officer,” Bonnie, and a local pro-family lawyer who accompanied her. The teachers’ union would normally be expected to supply a lawyer for Bonnie, but they came up with various excuses why they could not. (At the meeting Bonnie also learned that the termination process was instigated by the Principal and the Superintendent.)

The Superintendent, Dr. Todd Gazda, made the decision, along with the Principal, to fire Bonnie. As we saw in early posts, he had no problem with the explicit sexual books in the school that Bonnie had complained about.

Bonnie gets a full-time attorney. After the March 25 meeting, Bonnie got a prominent attorney to take on her case. Frank McNamara is a former U.S. Attorney for the Massachusetts district and is very skilled in dealing with government cases.

Bonnie receives official “letter of intent to terminate,” listing the reasons. On April 16, the Principal sent Bonnie a letter stating “I intend to terminate your employment.” The letter listed several reasons for Bonnie’s termination.

Bonnie’s lawyer refutes all the “intent to terminate” reasons.

On May 17, Attorney McNamara sent a strongly worded letter to the school's attorney refuting every one of the reasons the Principal gave for Bonnie’s intended termination. This letter is very thorough and worth reading. Here are some of the highlights (with the page numbers in his letter):

Accusation: The principal states that Bonnie shared “sensitive confidential information” about a student’s expressed gender identity. Her action was in contradiction of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines.

The truth: The DESE guidelines only apply to students ages 14 years or older. (Page 4.) The student was 11 years old.

Accusation: Bonnie’s action was against the direction of the Guidance Counselor.

The truth: The Ludlow Public Schools have never written or communicated any policy or requirement for Guidance Counselor approval of parent-teacher communications. Moreover, the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) has published Ethical Standards for School Counselors that advise that in these decisions, the rights of parents are the “guiding voice in their children’s lives.” (p. 6)

Accusation: Bonnie’s action was against the wishes of the student.

The truth: Records show that on December 15, 2020, the student met with Bonnie to discuss her gender identity issues. (p. 5). She told Bonnie it was difficult to discuss this with her parents. Bonnie offered to talk to the parents, and the child gratefully accepted. The mother subsequently sent an email to some of the child’s teachers informing them that the parents are getting mental health help for the girl and to “please allow us to address this as a family…” The school clearly ignored those wishes.

Accusation: Bonnie should have brought this up at the [school staff] Mariners team meeting on March 3.

The truth: The March 3 Mariners meeting was characterized by “unprofessionalism, disorganization, and chaos.” Further, during the time Bonnie was in the meeting, neither the student, the email, nor notification of parents was ever brought up, contrary to the Principal’s inaccurate assertions. (pp. 6-7.)

Accusation: Bonnie was untruthful numerous times during the March 25 investigative meeting.

The truth: Bonnie had no reason to lie. The interrogation was clearly an attempt at entrapment. (p. 3). The questions were purposefully vague and misleading, using words that could have multiple meanings. Plus, Bonnie was not allowed access to her school records which would aid in her recollection of where she sent emails, etc. (Attorney McNamara addresses this in detail; pp. 7-10.)

Accusation: Bonnie “violated state law and regulations regarding student records/privacy.”

The truth: The Principal simply made this vague statement. She has never cited specifically which state law and regulations Bonnie has violated. (p. 10.)

Accusation: Bonnie violated the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The truth: FERPA encompasses only an “eligible student,” defined as a person 18 years of age or older. Plus, the whole legislative thrust of FERPA is designed to extend rights to parents with respect to their children’s educational records. Its intent is not to enable school administrators to usurp those rights. (p. 11)

In sum, Attorney McNamara said that the parents had an absolute legal right to the student information conveyed to them by Bonnie.

The school administration goes forward anyway and fires Bonnie

On May 19, 2021, two days after receiving Attorney McNamara’s letter, the Principal sent Bonnie an official termination letter. The letter listed all the reasons included previously – which had been convincingly debunked by McNamara in his letter.

Obviously, the anger and zeal of the Principal and Superintendent to get rid of Bonnie was paramount in their minds. They clearly do not care about the cost of an expensive lawsuit that will be borne by the taxpayers of Ludlow – which the school system will surely lose.

Final reflection

The irrationality of this action against a good teacher – and the sloppy, juvenile way that these supposedly “professional” school officials are going about it – may surprise many parents. As Attorney McNamara observed, “This is not an illustration of first-rate minds at work.” But unfortunately, in today’s public education world, it is surely more the norm than the exception. And worse, as you will see, the Ludlow School Board is in full support of this lunacy.

We all need to stand up and resist this sort of action wherever we encounter it. The Ludlow parents and Bonnie are doing that!

Coming up: Another big resignation – and the ensuing fury against the parents by the School Board.

   

Please help us continue to do our uncompromising work!

Our successes depend on people like you.

Donate to MassResistance

Your support will make the difference!

MA MassResistance Exposes Ludlow School Staff Grooming Children to Become Transgender--and Hid it from Parents

 

Middle school staff grooms kids to be “transgender” – changes their names – and hides it from parents.

Preferred pronouns. Banning the term ‘boys and girls.’ And more.

Part 7 in our series. (See Parts 1-6 here.)

July 15, 2021

 Transgender indoctrination begins: Notice on classroom door from librarian and two other staff members instructs kids to have "respect and tolerance" for the LGBT agenda.

The insane idea of “transgenderism” – that a person was “born as the wrong body” and therefore must “change” it – is now being foisted on middle school students (ages 11-13). What is going on? How does this happen? What you are about to read is ghastly. But it is now frighteningly common across America.

As we described in previous sections, in late 2019 and early 2020 the Baird Middle School in Ludlow, MA, became a center of controversy when a teacher (and some parents) exposed the graphic sexual, homosexual, and transgender themed books in the library and classrooms. This was primarily the handiwork of the librarian (a weird cross-dressing woman) and her many allies on the staff. It was supported by the Principal, the Superintendent, and the School Board.

 The Baird Middle School librarian (at right).

Parents were very upset. But little did they know that this was just the beginning.

The gruesome “transgender lessons”

The COVID shutdowns kept the kids out of school for much of 2020. But late in the year the kids began coming back for a few days a week in shifts (which often changed). Teachers (and also guidance counselors) took advantage of that disruption to introduce radical “transgender” ideas to the kids.

Because of the changing COVID schedules, many of the kids began spending a lot of time in the library. According to several sources, the librarian often held “one-on-one” book talks with certain children. They were given special books to read and even suggestions of transgender-themed YouTube videos to watch. As one teacher pointed out, many of these are kids from troubled homes and were easy prey for such messages. The librarian also put up a prominent gay / transgender “safe space” sign outside the library door and (we were told) “unisex” signs on the boys’ and girls’ restrooms.

 Sign on the library door: "This is a safe and inclusive space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students and their allies."

Teachers in the school, along with students, were instructed not to use the terms “boys” and “girls” because they were too gender-specific. A list of “alternatives” was posted with acceptable terms that could be used instead. (It was not universally supported; one teacher there resigned over this.)

It went even farther. In their classrooms children were being told to decide their “preferred pronouns” (“him” or “her” – or something else!). One can imagine the psychological confusion that this bizarre concept brings to young minds. It is right out of lunatic “queer theory” and educators everywhere are buying into it.

Parents also discovered that some children were being persuaded by school staff, including guidance counselors, that they are truly “transgender.” For example, one girl said that because she likes doing some “boys” things like fishing, she was told that probably she really is a boy.

Assigning kids opposite-sex first names!

As children’s confusion grew, teachers were facilitating the trans indoctrination by calling them opposite-sex first names in class. For example, Jack would be called “Judy” and Sharon would be called “Steve” by the teacher - and also fellow students – and they began to accept it as reality. This happened with several children that we now know of. Because the school was doing this to them, the kids thought it was all right. But the school administration purposefully kept this information from the parents.

The Superintendent and Principal both approved of this vile tactic. In fact, they were prepared to officially change kids’ names on the school records “when the student is ready,” we were told – also without parents’ knowledge or input.

It’s hard for normal people to appreciate the depth of this toxic situation. Here is an example of an email that one of the Baird guidance counselors sent to the rest of the staff in early 2021, regarding a 11-year-old girl:

Subject: Michael [Last name] – Preferred name and pronouns

From: Marie-Claire Foley

Hi all,

Mary has a preferred name of Michael/Mike and preferred pronouns of he and his. He understands that there will be times that “Mary” and “she/her” slips out and he is fine with that.

Michael is still in the process of telling his parents and is requesting that school staff refer to him as Mary and use she/her pronouns with his parents and in written emails/letters home. When Michael has informed his parents of his preferred name and pronouns, we will change the name in the computer system if that is what he wishes to do at that time.

I explained to him that we understand this is a complicated process and we will be as supportive as possible – but may make mistakes from time to time.

Thanks,
Marie

Here's the email as it appeared in peoples' inboxes:

More to come

It is hard for most of us to believe that people would do this to children - especially the teachers and guidance counselors in a middle school, with the full support of the Superintendent and Principal and even the School Board.

Unfortunately, most of us are very naive. It is now like this almost everywhere across the country (and beyond). What local schools are doing to vulnerable children is evil and criminal. But this isn’t the end of the story in Ludlow!

Next: The “transgenderism” gets exposed and the fight in Ludlow takes off - as MassResistance gets involved!

   

Please help us continue to do our uncompromising work!

Our successes depend on people like you.

Donate to MassResistance

Your support will make the difference!

MA MassResistance: Exposing the Filth in Ludlow Schools, and One Brave Teacher/Whistleblower's Efforts to Stop the Abuse

 

How school officials thwart internal whistleblowers - to protect explicit sexual and LGBT books in middle school libraries.

Securing their toxic agenda targeting kids

A chilling view into the minds of those who are in charge of teaching your children

[Part 3 of a series. See Part 1 and Part 2.]

July 3, 2021

 One of the sexually lurid "story books" ("A Court of Mist and Fury") for children ages 11-13 that the school officials are protecting from scrutiny. Unfortunately, this is happening in more places than people realize.

We often read about parents who complain about the explicit sexual, homosexual, and transgender materials being given to their children in school. Most are unaware how corrupt and degenerate their school officials are when it comes to diffusing outside criticism and protecting that agenda. Those officials, of course, know what they are inflicting on the students.

But what happens when a teacher in that school is disturbed by this material, insists it’s harmful, and demands it be removed?

In Part 2 we described how Bonnie, a social studies teacher at Baird Middle School in Ludlow, MA, started to notice that pornographic, homosexual, and transgender themed books were in the school library, and also being brought into classrooms by the "transgender" librarian.

Some other teachers were similarly upset. But it was Bonnie who decided to actually do something about it. What happened then is an education for the rest of us!

(And for comparison, at the end we’ll show you how a Ludlow town official, who is also a parent, reacted to the books.)

Conversation with the Superintendent

In September 2019, soon after Bonnie saw the offensive books, she had a brief conversation with the Superintendent about them. He told her to wait a few weeks and then talk to the Principal.

Meeting with the Principal

A few weeks later, Bonnie met with the Principal and described the situation. The Principal did not want to deal with it and would not address the issue.

Meeting with the Superintendent – another brush-off

In early November, Bonnie formally met with the Superintendent in his office about the books. He tried to brush it off and said she is “the only one complaining about this.” Bonnie said “No” – there were definitely other teachers who were upset. The Superintendent told her that if that were true, it would be helpful for her to have those teachers come forward. Bonnie said she would do that.

Formal letter to Superintendent with signatures of 18 other teachers

On Nov. 18, 2019, Bonnie delivered a detailed letter to the Superintendent that was signed by 18 Baird Middle School teachers (from the total staff of approximately 70). The letter described the material in several of the books and the reactions from students that teachers had witnessed.

The letter ended with:

As professionals in the school district, we are responsible and tasked with protecting the well-being of the children ,,, The situation has not improved and we continue to see and read materials from the Baird Library that violate the policy involving ideologies and profanity/obscenity … These materials continue to be checked out and personally recommended to “certain students.” We all share these concerns for the known psychological and mental damage that these sexually explicit and pornographic materials can cause students at the middle school developmental level which ages range from eleven to thirteen.

Note: The letter referenced attached exhibits which we do not have – but material from them has been reproduced in Part 1 and Part 2. The letter also references “DIRT” which is Direct Independent Reading Time – a period during academic classes where kids are allowed to read any book they want.

(After this letter was given to the Superintendent, two of the signers changed their minds and asked that their names be taken off.)

The Superintendent answers the letter

On Nov. 27, 2019, Superintendent Dr. Todd Gazda replied via email to Bonnie and the other teachers who’d signed the letter. The reply is written (in our opinion) in the kind of patronizing, evasive style that we’re all too used to from educrats.

Although Bonnie brought up and described several very troubling books in the letter, Gazda only responded about one of them, “Kiss Number 8.” He said that he purchased the book himself in order to read it. Of course, Gazda could have easily walked into Baird Middle School and looked through (or brought home) all of the books had he wished to. But he obviously didn’t care enough to do that.

Gazda also made the asinine assertion that explicit sexual and homosexual scenes in children’s books are actually appropriate “when those excerpts were read in context.” There is no possible “context” for pushing such material on kids.

And Gazda also wrote:

Although an avid reader, I do not typically read graphic novels particularly those geared towards teenage girls. However, by halfway through the book I found myself absolutely riveted. The work did an exceptional job of dealing with a complex and yes controversial issue...

Does the main character kiss other teens and explore her sexual identity? Yes. Do I think that the book was appropriate for middle school? I don't know.

This tells us a lot about the Ludlow Superintendent, and by extension the people he has working for him.

 Teenage lesbian scene from "Kiss Number 8," the book which Dr. Gazda said that he was "absolutely riveted" reading.

 Dr. Gazda also had no problem with this blasphemous, anti-Christian scene from "Kiss Number 8." Among other vile messages, the book sexualizes Jesus.

Another reaction by a public official

For another opinion, Bonnie forwarded the letter she sent to Gazda to another Ludlow town official, a town employee who has children.

Here’s from the email that Bonnie received in reply:

I have read "A Court of Mist and Fury," "Sex is a Funny Word," "Speak," and almost all of "Perfect Chemistry."

I am absolutely disgusted with the first two, and don't agree with "Speak" being in any Middle school. Nor do I like where "Perfect Chemistry" is going. I'd like to look at "Kiss Number 8" as well since it is out of all the other schools but ours. I will check our public library for it and some of the others.

It’s quite a contrast. Suffice it to say, this person is not involved with the public schools!

Bonnie decides to move forward with complaint "process"

Gazda ended his reply to Bonnie and the other teachers by informing them that there is a “school committee approved process” for parents (or teachers) to go through regarding books. For each book, Bonnie should fill out a form and submit it to Gazda.

Gazda would then appoint a committee comprised of a School Board member, the Principal, a librarian, and two teachers. The committee will consult a “school committee policy” and “make an ultimate decision.” In other words, a bureaucratic procedure run by (possibly biased) school personnel was needed to determine something that is obvious to anyone using common sense. This is a common tactic in these situations.

Bonnie decided to go ahead and follow the “process.” How that turned out provides another window into the minds of our educator class.

In our next post in this series, Part 4, we will report to you what happened with “the process” to deal with the books.

   

Please help us continue to do our uncompromising work!

Our successes depend on people like you.

Donate to MassResistance

Your support will make the difference!