Yes, you read that headline correctly. A child was traumatized, not by a violent picture or a scary movie scene, but by a poster of people of two different races holding hands.
Trustees of Conroe ISD, an independent school district North of Houston, Texas, have argued that symbols of racial inclusivity and pride represent “personal ideologies,” and need to be removed from their schools, according to ABC 13.
But other school officials say that there are already rules in place that prohibit political displays that are not related to the school’s curriculum. One particular trustee, Melissa Dungan, did not know about this policy before being told but still wants rules to be in place to make it even more strict than it already is.
More from ABC 13:
“When it was brought to her attention, the trustee said she wants that policy to go further. Citing “a number of parents reaching out to her about supposed displays of personal ideologies in classrooms,” Melissa Dungan asked her fellow board members to crackdown on them.”
When asked to share examples of parents reaching out to her, Duggan shared the situation where a student in the first grade was traumatized by a poster of people of two different races holding hands and as a result, had to change classrooms. She claims that she wants to “avoid situations like that” in the future, according to ABC 13.
While this particular story did shock me, I shouldn’t have been. Schools across the country have become insanely strict when it comes to any subject relating to race, gender, and bias. If children find it uncomfortable, it immediately has to be removed. But in no world did I think that posters would be removed because children can’t handle people of different races holding hands. Lord knows what’ll happen if they see an interracial couple holding hands in real life.