Blackstone-Millville Sex Ed Pushes Planned Parenthood on 5th Graders
A viral FB post unveils a groomer curriculum. BMRSD, time to fix this.
Earlier this month, a simple post in the Massachusetts Informed Parents Facebook group created an unexpected firestorm. On January 8th, a concerned parent posted two photos alongside the caption “Woke Education 2nd grade Blackstone-Millville schools.” The photos depicted two sides of a parent letter sent home by a PE/Health teacher at Millville Elementary school, part of the Blackstone-Millville Regional School District (BMRSD). The teacher informed parents about the upcoming 2nd grade “Healthy Relationships” unit, which includes topics such as “Different Family Structures” and “Gender Role Stereotypes.” The backside of the paper featured the supporting standards from the controversial 2023 MA Comprehensive Health and Physical Education framework (which we have written extensively about), including standards that promote “using medically accurate names for body parts, including genitals” and the idea that kids in grades K-2 should learn about “people of all genders.”
The post went viral, netting over 250 shares in less than a week and leading to some spicy sparring in the comments. The photos provided by the parent, and some of the comments on the post itself, made us wonder - what is going on in Blackstone-Millville? Both towns lean conservative politically and favored Trump in the last election. The people in these towns are generally speaking, not what you would call “woke.” And yet, here was their school district, teaching 2nd graders questionable lessons about gender and sexuality.
MIP knows that controversial and dangerous ideology can creep in anywhere, even in towns where parents might not expect it. Sutton’s table-dancing drag queen performance is a recent example, as is Uxbridge’s sex ed curriculum that teaches 8th graders that a man who identifies as a woman and is attracted to women is actually a lesbian, and that double mastectomies and genital mutilation surgeries are reasonable options for treating gender dysphoria.
But what was the story with the BMRSD? How did it get here? And if these are the topics taught in 2nd grade health, what else are they teaching?
When we want to find out what is being taught in sex ed in any MA district, the first place we check is the Massachusetts Family Institute Sex Ed Map. MFI has sent a public records request for sex ed curriculum to every MA school district. That information, when received, is analyzed and linked to an online map. Parents who want to know what information is on file for their district can visit the map and click on their town to learn more.
But the Sex Ed Map didn’t have any information on file for Blackstone or Millville, so MFI filed a new public records request on January 14th. While waiting to see what the district would send, we discovered that the curriculum had been posted (to a very difficult-to-locate portion of) the district website. MFI received confirmation that the curriculum on the website was indeed the current curriculum, and the analysis was completed. MFI’s report and analysis of Blackstone-Millville’s sex ed curriculum can be accessed through the Map, or downloaded HERE.
Now, we don’t like to be unnecessarily negative. We are not all doom-and-gloom, unless we have to be. So, before we go any further, we would like to point out two positive things we found happening in Blackstone-Millville.
First, in the BMRSD, sex ed (or its equivalent) is taught at the following grade levels: 2, 5, 6/7, 8, and 9/10. Before each of these units, parents receive a letter informing them of the upcoming lessons. The letter provides parents with the option to either opt IN or OUT of the lessons. MA state law only requires that an opt-OUT be provided. If the teachers and administrators are indeed assuming the opt OUT as the default and not the opt IN (that is, the curriculum is not taught without express parental consent) as was stated in a December 2024 school committee meeting, they would be demonstrating more respect for parental rights than most other districts in MA.
Second, our understanding is that parents are sent a link to the curriculum itself so they can preview it before opting in or out. The curriculum is also on the district website, although as of the time of posting, it’s extremely difficult to find. Maybe the district will change that. By providing the curriculum to parents and on the website, the BMRSD is more transparent than most other districts in MA. The administration and school committee deserve kudos for both of these things.
But that’s where our happy talk ends because the curriculum itself is loaded with rot. The units, assembled by district staff, employ materials from several progressive activist sources such as Advocates for Youth, Planned Parenthood, and Amaze. You can view the entire curriculum HERE.
The 2nd-grade curriculum that temporarily blew up the internet is comparatively tame related to other grades. However, parents were right to be alarmed. Of the four lessons intended for 2nd graders, two of them talk about sexual abuse (including naming male and female genitalia in a room full of 7-year-olds), one of them is all about identity (it doesn’t expressly talk about gender identity, but it lays the groundwork), and one is about “different kinds of families.”
The “different kinds of families” lesson goes beyond merely observing that family structures can differ. It asks students for personal information about their families and injects the curriculum writer’s activist view (in this case, Advocates for Youth) about whether or not same-sex relationships are “ok.” The “correct” answer, per the lesson, directly contradicts the deeply held beliefs of many families of faith.
None of the 2nd-grade lessons are overtly graphic, but they all go beyond what is appropriate or necessary for the classroom. They create boundary confusion by talking to children about sensitive issues best discussed at home, they risk upsetting children who might be experiencing hardship by bringing up potentially emotional topics, and they present views on marriage and family that violate the beliefs of some of the students. None of this is necessary.
The 5th-grade lessons are significantly more alarming. In keeping with the DESE standards, the BMRSD introduces direct instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation to kids before they even leave elementary school.
Just take a look at the first page of the “5th Grade Sex Ed Pre/Post Test” here:
And the first couple of slides of the “DESE Approved Sexual Health Terms” slideshow here:
The curriculum writers seem intent on reminding parents that the lessons are in keeping with the DESE framework, which is true. But just like in grade 2, the resources selected display a persistent lack of discretion that the district can’t blame on DESE.
For instance, they use this video, which in addition to talking about body changes during puberty, presents sexual activity between children as morally ambiguous and merely a matter of consent. It then directs kids as to where to find more information on sex and birth control.
“Both boys and girls may develop new feelings that they have not experienced before,” says the narrator over an image of a couple cuddling on a couch. “These feelings are completely normal. Choosing to act on them, however, is a decision that should be made carefully. It is something that nobody should be forced or pressured to do and should come with preparation to avoid unexpected consequences. For more information about sex and birth control, see the other sections of this website.”
It also sent 5th graders to an Amaze video titled “Sex Assigned at Birth and Gender Identity: What’s the Difference?” We’ve talked before about Amaze, the notorious purveyors of porn-y sex ed videos that beggar belief with their insanely inappropriate content. As it turns out, we weren’t the only ones who noticed how outrageous the Amaze videos are. Last week after a prominent account on X drew attention to a few of Amaze’s transgender grooming videos, Amaze took a few of their videos down. The one linked in the BMRSD curriculum was among the ones removed, but we found it in the wayback machine. You can watch it here.
More than likely, since it is no longer available online, the Blackstone-Millville 5th graders who have the bad fortune of not being opted out probably won’t watch this video. But the teacher who selected these videos will pick something else, and we have no reason to trust that it would be any better.
Speaking of trust… the 5th grade curriculum also has a slideshow called “Trusted Resources for Students.” Check out the list of “trusted individuals” that the BMRSD thinks 5th graders should seek out if they have questions about sex or “gender.”
In addition to listing parents as last on the list of “trusted individuals” (after reproductive endocrinologists, a bizarre specialty to mention), the lesson provides links to online resources. The first one they mention? Planned Parenthood.
Here’s what 10-11-year-olds see when they click the link provided by their teacher.
“Need an abortion? We’re here to help.”
“Ask us anything. Seriously.” (via their “free and confidential” chat services!)
If a kid gets curious and clicks over to the “teen” portion of the website, they will find videos like this one that tells teens to “make sure that any toys you put up your anus have a flared base.”
“Following DESE standards” does not absolve the BMRSD from exposing elementary schoolers to this disturbing, sexualizing content.
On to middle school, and things don’t get much better.
Kids in 6th and 7th grade are subject to an entire lesson about the importance of pronouns (starting on page 135), which includes this not-remotely-subtle indoctrination video:
And a project where kids are required to visit multiple gender-and-sexuality-related websites, including more than one that feature an anonymous chat or call function where minors can talk to adult strangers without parental consent.
8th graders are treated to another Amaze video that smuggles in dangerous adult content. In "Understanding Sexual Consent and the Law,” 13-year-olds are told that if they are under the age of consent and are engaging in sexual activity, they can go to a family planning clinic that offers confidential services for minors to get birth control, condoms, or to test for an STI. They are cautioned that if they talk about their sexuality to a mandated reporter, that person may need to report the case to Family Services.
8th graders also get another lesson in gender confusion, this time with sexual orientation mixed in. Parents should view the entire slideshow, but we thought the slide below that implies there might be more new categories for sexual orientation in the future, deserved a special spotlight.
By the time the students get to 9th and 10th, there isn’t as much of a focus on gender woo-woo. Now the assumption seems to be that all of the kids are sexually active and therefore must be presented with every birth control method under the sun. Students are assigned the task of researching birth control methods and referred to the websites Bedsider and Power to Decide for information.
In addition to the birth control information above, Bedsider has other adult material including an entire section dedicated to masturbation, a “sex toy roundup,” and an invitation to sign up for their “Frisky Friday” emails. Power to Decide takes the activist route, encouraging teens to write their legislator to promote progressive causes and participate in their #ThxBirthControl social media campaign. And both websites heavily promote abortion, including sending kids to the “Abortion Finder” website.
Parents in Blackstone-Millville, the examples featured in this post are only a portion of the objectionable lessons and resources being peddled to your kids. Don’t let another day go by without reading for yourself what is contained in these lessons. Read every page. Click every link. And then opt your kids out.
So how did this radical curriculum get approved in conservative Blackstone-Millville? It came in under the mistaken belief that the district was required to adopt DESE’s Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (CHPE) framework.
If you live in Blackstone or Millville, you owe it to yourself (and your community) to understand how this came about. For your convenience, here’s your history lesson in three parts.
Start with October 10, 2024 (beginning at 11:50).
Then move on to December 12, 2024 (starting at 44).
And finally, watch January 9, 2025 (starting at 4:30).
Need the Cliff Notes version? The Blackstone-Millville school committee was informed of the curriculum revision last October (but were never informed that revising the curriculum to meet the new standards was optional). In December, they were presented with the new curriculum, with only a couple of days to look through it before the vote. A couple school committee members wisely expressed concern about some of the content, but it passed by a narrow margin, apparently because a couple of the other school committee members mistakenly believed that they were required to follow the DESE CHPE framework. In January, following critical public comment, the request was made to the chair to put the new sex-ed curriculum back on the agenda for the next scheduled meeting.
According to the district website, the next scheduled meeting of the BMRSD school committee is Thursday, February 6th - that’s tomorrow. However, no agenda has been posted and this meeting does not appear on either town calendar. We heard that it might have been rescheduled (possibly moved to February 11th), and we wanted to share accurate information with Blackstone-Millville parents, so an MIP admin sent an email to the Superintendent’s secretary yesterday to confirm when the next school committee meeting would actually be. But rather than answer this simple question, the secretary returned this cagey response:
As the kids say, that’s sus. (And FYI, nobody needs to tell a school district WHY they want public information. Also, no attempt was made to conceal the identity of the inquirer. All of the relevant organizational information was noted in the email signature.)
Blackstone-Millville Regional’s district policy states that “a minimum of 48 hours prior to each meeting the Committee shall cause to be posted a listing of each subject the Chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting (the agenda).” At time of publishing this investigation, no agenda has been posted for a February 6th meeting. We believe the district already knows the date has been changed. They have simply not shared that information with the public.
Why has the new date not been posted? And why the cagey response when we tried to get this very basic piece of information? We think every parent in Blackstone-Millville should email the district today and ask about this meeting.
(Update - see note at end of this post.)
Parents, this is your chance to show up and tell your school committee that you do NOT want this new curriculum. Pencil in the 11th as the possible future date, but be prepared to move around your schedule and attend whenever the meeting is held. And while you’re there, you should also tell your school committee members that they do NOT have to follow DESE’s new standards.
When DESE approved the CHPE framework back in September 2023, all of DESE’s communications gave districts the impression that the new CHPE framework was mandatory. They were quick to tell districts that they could select their own materials to teach the framework, but the never told administrators and school committees that the sex ed standards themselves were optional.
But we know that they are. We wrote about it here.
Good News: MA Schools do NOT Have to Adopt New Health Framework (Check out our New Resource!)
Last week, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) voted to adopt the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)’s new Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Framework. We’ve been alerting MA families to the dangers in this Framework
BMRSD parents, read the post linked above. Download the informative pdf contained within. Share the post, and the pdf, with your school committee.
Parents everywhere, this applies to you, too. Many districts have adopted these controversial, sexualizing standards because they wrongly believed they were required to do so. Educate your school district today with this important resource.
As of today, 5th graders in Blackstone-Millville are still being directed to Planned Parenthood. But that can change. Blackstone-Millville parents, provide your school committee members with better information and with your respectful objections. Demand that they protect BMRSD students and repeal this curriculum. And BMRSD school committee members, you are in the position to set an example for the rest of the state. The tide is turning in our nation AND in MA, and you have a chance to be ahead of the game. Be brave. Stand up. Your kids, and your community, deserve it.
Because there is no excuse to send elementary schoolers to Planned Parenthood.
None.
Ever.
UPDATE 2/6/25: Meeting officially scheduled for February 11th at 4:30.
No thanks whatsoever to the BMRSD superintendent’s office, we now have the agenda for the upcoming meeting. We found it posted earlier today to the Blackstone city website. Download it for yourself here.
At the time of this update, the BMRSD website still does not contain the correct information. The website still says the meeting is tonight, when it appears they have known for days that is not the case.
Blackstone-Millville parents, it’s almost like your administrators are trying to make it hard for you to attend this meeting. You need to find out why.
Did you know that the Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center provides free, confidential legal advice? If you are a MA parent, school official, or school committee member - in Blackstone-Millville or elsewhere - who needs help navigating issues like the ones presented in this post, contact the MLLC today.
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