I am retiring this year after 28 years of teaching primary (k-4 - most 2,3) I can assure you the measures being put in place with new law are valid based on child development not any other agenda. The links below are the reasons for the new law. It is to keep children being children and innocent until they are developmentally ready. This is what happens when there isn’t a law to protect children and let them be children believing in fairies, three wishes, Santa Clause, and the world is a good fair place. Really, can’t we keep them sweet, nice, innocent for 8 short years just until they lose their baby teeth?
New state sex-ed curriculum teaching second-graders about gender identity causes uproar
Dalton parents enraged over 'masturbation' videos for 1st graders
As to those who think little children should watch the news every night before they are old enough, I hope you have good counselors and medical doctors lined up to deal with nightmares, anxiety, and depression by the time they are nine because they see the world as one scary place with adults dying and yelling at each other. I’ve seen way too many of these children over the years too. Each year the number of these children are increasing with most talking about what they saw on tv.
I will now address your concerns which really don’t have anything to do with new law.
And when the first grade art project is to make a gift for mother's day and a child says I don't have a mother but I have two daddies, how should that be handled? Should that child be embarrassed and ostracized as a weirdo? Should the teacher make it clear that the only kind of family is one mother and one father? Or should the teacher be free to support that child by explaining that families come in lots of different varieties?
This situation has been going on for decades - divorce, never wed, death of parent, foster care students, students being raised by grandparents, biracial families, same mom kids but different dads, blended families, adopted children from other races and countries, and gay parents. None of this is new. Good teachers always smile and affirm the child and love for caregiver. Usually responding everyone’s family is different but what makes us the same is we all love our family (or those taking care of us if foster child). The kids all smile say yes and move on. No explanation how people feel about themselves in their body is needed. If no daddy in picture, then you can make one for mommy because she is doing both jobs or you can make it for an uncle, granddad, big brother or anyone else you want to make happy.
Sex is not appropriate even when learning about types of animals. Just like mammals give birth to live babies. Birds lay eggs. All mommy animals take care of babies. If child asks how get in tummy? You will learn about that latter when you are older just like you will learn to drive later when you are older and ready. 99% of time ok. For the 1% that still persist, then I tell them that you can always ask your mommy later.
There is no such thing as not discussing gender and gay marriage in early school. Should every drawing in a textbook be a white child with white parents? Could there be one of a black mom and a white dad? or two mommies? Should all the pictures be sure to include a nice cross mounted on the wall? How about a Muslim hajib garbed mommy? Kids will 100% notice if they and their loved ones are not included in the presentation of family, and culture.
Have you been to a Barnes and Noble book store child section lately? Every teacher I know has diverse books they read. This is an almost mandate, but again you don’t go around going oh look there is a family like Tyler’s or Naytasha that is just wrong. You drawing attention is saying others aren’t good because they weren’t called out. Families are families they all have the same hopes, dreams, and problems. You just read the book, talk about the character’s actions, theme, summary and other story element. As you read a variety of books, children learn everyone is basically same and start comparing how characters act the same because they are in same situation not because of family or color or sex.
Having one Chanukah song at the Xmas pageant in December did not make the Jewish kids feels seen. It made them "othered" Here is one song for you, weirdo. And while you can remove all references to God systems from the school, you cannot remove all references to what is a family.
Never had a year were religion is brought up. Even had boy do book report on all the gods his family believed in. Had one boy do a bible study at recess. Had children say they don’t believe in God when talking about reasons settlers cam to America. Always responded see that is what makes America great. We can all believe different things, but still be in the same classroom and be friends and play with each other at recess and eat together at lunch.
Besides this almost all the schools have traditions are around the world time and cultures around they world and in America now. We even have international night where parents come and share food , games, fashion show etc as a fun community night.
Can the woman teacher have a photo of her spouse on her desk and mention him in passing comments? What if her husband is another woman, can she mention that too?
Yes have gay teachers out their. Just can’t talk about sex life anymore than heterosexual teachers can.
Now if the school you are thinking about doesn’t do the above how about calming talking with principal and PTA and volunteers to help go into the school to help and change by example not through yelling demanding and throwing inappropriate things done children’s throats. You could even find good schools and have a committee of parents, teachers, administrators go an tour to see how to make things better at your school.