A parental backlash to a teacher
reading a book that involves a gay couple to students has led to the
teacher's resignation.
Omar Currie read King & King,
in which two princes fall in love and get married, to his
third grade students after he saw one of his students being teased
and called gay in a derogatory way, the News
& Observer reported.
In response to complaints from parents,
Currie's school, Efland-Creeks Elementary in Efland, North Carolina,
instituted a new policy requiring teachers to submit a reading list
to parents for their approval prior to their introduction in the
classroom.
At a packed meeting held in May,
parents criticized Currie's actions.
“This is nothing more than bringing
homosexuality into a school where it does not belong,” grandmother
Lisa Baptist told officials.
Currie, who is openly gay, said that he
decided to leave because he felt school administrators did not
support him despite a review committee's finding in his favor.
“I was told that it's controversial,
which means all LGBTQ families are controversial,” Currie told the
News
& Observer. “If you're directing me to that policy
based on the King & King, then you're directing every
single teacher to that policy when they read any book that reflects
that population.”
Meg Goodland, the assistant principle
who lent Currie the book, also resigned.