Arizona parents unveil 'school board expectations' amid curriculum concerns
Jennifer Alvey, who wrote the school board letter, and father of three Kieran Mitchell joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss why there was a need to unveil the letter as students return to the classroom.
I’ll never forget the day a mother sent two hot dogs to school for her four children to share for breakfast and lunch. Or when another mom regularly gave each of her kids a Little Debbie snack for the day’s sustenance. Seeing how many of the families in the Grant Park neighborhood of east Tampa struggle to make ends meet, including providing food for their children, I knew we had to rally together to feed the kids entrusted to our care.
I founded Grant Park Christian Academy in 2015 to provide pre-K–8th grade children from this historically underprivileged area the opportunity to receive a robust education from a Biblical perspective and grow to become positive catalysts of change in a community known for its poverty, crime rate, and homelessness. All of our students come from families below the federal poverty level, receive scholarships to attend, and came from public schools where they struggled academically and socially.
But as we all know, you can’t think on an empty stomach, and proper nourishment is critical to behaving and performing well in school.
So, five years ago, we joined the National School Lunch Program to be able to serve our students a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and snack every day, including during the summer. My wife Donna is the queen of the school kitchen. She leads the kitchen staff in putting healthy food on the kids’ plates—even buying organic when the budget allows. For many of our students, the meals they receive at school are the best food they eat, and as much as we’re able to, we send leftovers home with kids and deliver food boxes to families particularly in need.
Students eating lunch at Grant Park Christian Academy. (Grant Park Christian Academy)
But just days ago our entire food program was in jeopardy. Right before we excitedly opened our doors to the 56 eager students neatly dressed in their school uniform and anticipating eating breakfast together, the Biden administration and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried decided to use these precious kids—and thousands of others just like them across the country—as political pawns.
Because we receive funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to run the lunch program, we are subject to federal statute Title IX and a recent change the Biden administration made requiring us to comply with the administration’s radical expansion of "sex" to include sexual orientation and gender identity in all school operations, including restrooms, dress codes, hiring and pronoun usage.
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Our religious beliefs, including our understanding of the nature of the human person and marriage and family, preclude us from complying with this federal mandate to substitute gender identity for biological sex in any aspect of our school’s activities, especially when it comes to males sharing restrooms with females.
I wrote to the state affiliate led by Commissioner Fried explaining that to comply with this mandate would violate the core tenets of our faith and pointed out that Title IX provides a religious exemption. In response, the government officials told me we weren’t required to continue the school lunch program.
But looking at the faces of the students enrolled at Grant Park Christian told me differently. These kids rely on these meals to activate their minds and bodies, and just as importantly, need to belong to a safe community where they know they are loved and championed.
School lunch program at Grant Park Christian Academy (Grant Park Christian Academy)
So, with the legal assistance of Alliance Defending Freedom, we filed a lawsuit against President Biden and Commissioner Fried. We had no choice; the government officials were more interested in forcing compliance with their radical political agenda than ensuring impoverished kids receive food. And just nine days after filing suit, the government officials granted our religious exemption and necessary funding.
It’s sad that it took a lawsuit for the government to respect religious liberty. We received an eleventh-hour answer to prayer, but what about other schools?
It’s sad that it took a lawsuit for the government to respect religious liberty. We received an eleventh-hour answer to prayer, but what about other schools? This unlawful mandate still applies to every public school across the country.
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Entrance of Grant Park Christian Academy. (Grant Park Christian Academy)
I’m a Black pastor with boots on the ground serving the city I grew up in, working with a vast network of others to revitalize our community by building systemic programs that meet critical needs and inspire hope in our young people. The government should be partnering with us, and every other leader across the country engaged in outreach to uplift their community, not targeting those who hold Christian faith and values.
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When we invest in kids, we invest in the future. Whether that’s providing them with daily sustenance to learn and grow or a safe environment where they are known, loved, and supported, we must all rally together and show up for the next generation.
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