Gender identity assignment for dual credit students sparks controversy at College of the Mainland
SANTA FE, Texas - A psychology assignment teaching gender identity is enraging parents of Santa Fe ISD. On Monday, a "Genderbread Person" worksheet asking students about their gender identity, gender expression, and anatomical sex was given dual credit to students attending College of the Mainland. The assignment caused parents to speak out at College of the Mainland’s board meeting on Wednesday.
"The assignment that was given to the class was a gender identity assignment for these kids to fill out," said Shad Cundiff, a parent of a Santa Fe ISD student.
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Shay Cundiff is a junior at Santa Fe High School. She's getting a head start by taking dual credit classes through College of the Mainland. During her recent psychology class, her professor gave students a gender identity worksheet.
"It made me feel uncomfortable and distasteful. I didn’t agree with the point of views that were in the paper," said Shay Cundiff, a 17-year-old student.
While Shay was working on the assignment, her parents noticed the worksheet promoting gender expression, attraction, and sex.
"The teacher brought this up into the high school, wanted them to fill out this form and talk about how much they identified with the same sex, sexually. If they were more romantically attracted to the same sex. They wanted them to discuss how their body hair, chest size, penis and vulva made them feel about themselves," said Shad Cundiff.
Cundiff felt so strongly about the assignment that he spoke at College of the Mainland’s board meeting.
"We recently learned that a faculty member, who was teaching these high school students, chose this assignment in lieu of standard assignments typically taught for this subject," said Cundiff at the board meeting on Wednesday.
Senator Mayes Middleton said the worksheet encourages gender changes in young people.
"In the state of Texas, we ban gender modification of minors and this curriculum indicates that a child can change their sex," said Senator Mayes Middleton.
Santa Fe ISD responded by saying: "This is a dual credit COM course. We have a partnership with COM, and they offer classes on our campus so that our students don’t have to travel to COM. However, we can assure you that we do not agree with this assignment, and it is not SFISD curriculum. We are working with COM to resolve this situation."
The College of the Mainland responded to the gender identity assignment in a statement: On Monday, March 25, the College of the Mainland received a complaint regarding a gender identity assignment issued to COM students in a General Psychology course. This same course is also offered through the College's Dual Credit program.
The professor emphasized that the lesson was not influenced by personal biases toward the topic and adhered to the curriculum of the Psychology 2301 course and its associated textbook (https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology-2e). The professor’s aim was to present the information objectively, drawing from empirical research representing various perspectives, including those of the American Psychological Association.
Following an assessment of the assignment and course, the College has concluded that the assignment aligns with the course curriculum and fulfills student learning outcomes. While the College acknowledges that the curriculum needs to be taught, we understand that it is up to each professor’s discretion as to the methodology in which they believe is appropriate to teach the course. Although this subject was covered in previous semesters, the professor clarified that this worksheet was introduced for the first time this semester. Recognizing that this is a college-level course presented to a high school audience through Dual Credit, the professor has chosen not to use the assignment moving forward. Students currently enrolled in the course who choose to not participate in this assignment will not be penalized.
Considering its diverse range of student populations, the College will offer professional development opportunities to its professors who teach Dual Credit and Collegiate High School courses.