SHEPHERD, Mich. — A Shepherd Public Schools parent says she was forced into a conversation with her 9-year-old son she was not prepared to have after a new teacher asked students to use a nontraditional honorific in the classroom.
Samantha Smith, a mother in the district, said her son came home from school after winter break and asked about a teacher who wanted to be addressed as “Mx.,” pronounced “mix,” instead of “Mr.” or “Ms.”
“My son came home on the first day back from Christmas break and asked me about the name that this particular teacher was trying to use,” Smith said. “We had to look up what it meant, which led to a conversation that I don’t think is appropriate for an elementary student.”
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Smith said her son is 9 years old and attends elementary school in the district. She said the teacher replaced his previous instructor unexpectedly after winter break.
“He didn’t even understand what he was saying at first,” Smith said. “He had to explain the spelling and pronunciation to me. Then he asked, ‘What does that mean?’”
Smith said the teacher corrected students in class when they used traditional titles and insisted on being addressed as “Mx.”
“It was made an issue immediately,” Smith said. “The teacher corrected the kids when they used ‘Ms.’ or ‘Mr.’ and told them to use ‘Mx.’ instead.”
Smith said she asked the district to allow her son to opt out of the class but was repeatedly denied.
“I have demanded several times that my child be opted out of this class, and it has been repeatedly denied by the superintendent,” she said. “They told me that if my child is in the building, he has to go to that class.”
Bree Moeggenberg, who has worked with parents on education issues and helped Smith navigate the situation, said the issue goes beyond curriculum and into parental rights.
“This is not about firing a teacher or disciplining anyone,” Moeggenberg said. “This is about inserted instruction that is happening outside the scheduled curriculum, without parent notification.”
Moeggenberg said discussions about gender identity and pronoun use are tied to sexuality and should not be introduced to young children without parental awareness or consent.
“When you start instructing students on pronouns and gender identity, that is instruction,” she said. “Parents should at least be notified and given the option to opt their child out.”
Smith said she does not object to the teacher’s credentials or teaching ability.
“This has nothing to do with how well this teacher teaches,” she said. “It’s about overstepping and violating our family’s deeply held beliefs.”
Smith also presented a proposed resolution to the school board that would require parental notification and opt-out options when instruction touches on gender identity or sexual orientation outside of formal sex education. She said the board declined to address it and referred the matter back to the superintendent.
During a recent school board meeting, the district read a statement defending its hiring practices and policies:
“The district reminds everyone that the district hiring and employment practices must follow our nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies, which are consistent with state and federal law,” the statement read. “The district does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected status.”
The statement added that unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation is prohibited and that further questions should be directed to the superintendent.
Moeggenberg said parents involved in the issue are not seeking punishment for the teacher.
“No one is asking for this teacher to be fired,” she said. “Parents are asking for clear policies so teachers and families are both protected.”
Smith said she hopes speaking publicly will encourage other parents to raise concerns without fear.
“It’s not about hate,” she said. “It’s about a parent’s right to decide what their child is taught and when.”
I reached out to the school district ands they did not return my request for comment.
