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Texas school hosts pride parade and pride week, kids told not to tell parents

March 22, 2022 | | Print Article

A Texas elementary school is facing criticism after details about its planned “Pride Week” activities appeared to encourage students to keep some conversations “confidential.”

As Austin Independent School District (AISD) announced that all public schools would observe Pride Week from March 21-26, details in one elementary school raised eyebrows as some felt it was encouraging students to keep information from their parents.

“Every year, to celebrate LGBTQIA+ students, staff and families Austin ISD hosts its own Pride Week, a time to highlight the district’s commitment to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment,” AISD announced on their website.

“Each campus will receive an inspiration guide of suggested activities for PRIDE Week. Campuses are encouraged to plan activities that engage, educate and inspire,” the website continued, informing students and staff they could display their Pride “swag” by picking up “Pride and Ally stickers, posters, flags, pronoun buttons and more” from their campus offices.

The activities culminate in an outdoor “PRIDE OUT! Party in the Park” and, as posted by the online account “Libs of Tik Tok,” students were part of a parade in school.


But it was one activity for Pre-K through fifth-grade students at AISD’s Doss Elementary that drew particular attention online.

With a plan to hold “community circles” of discussion in classrooms, children through second grade were allegedly told, “What we say in this room stays in this room,” according to the documents that were shared on Twitter.

“Please remember that we agreed to keep what happened in this Circle confidential,” students in third to fifth grade are told.

The “Libs of Tik Tok” account brought up a Texas state law in a message to the school and whether they could be violating the law by keeping parents in the dark.

“A parent is entitled to full information regarding the school activities of a parent’s child,” the Texas law reads. “An attempt by any school district employee to encourage or coerce a child to withhold information from the child’s parent is grounds for discipline.”

But AISD’s Media Relations Specialist told the Daily Caller that the “confidential” language used in the curriculum is more about a respect for privacy and not a call to withhold information from parents.

Eduardo Villa explained that the direction on the community circles to be confidential is “in the sense that makes students feel trusted and respected for their privacy.”

“[It] does not mean don’t tell your parents,” Villa said. “Every parent has the right to opt out of these activities … Everyone, not just parents, has access to the [community circles] materials ahead of time.”

The topic sparked online debate as Twitter users disagreed about the intentions of the call for confidentiality.


Many Twitter users expressed their disgust with the issue and the fact that students should actually be learning academics.

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Frieda Powers
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