Elementary School Cancels Mother’s and Father’s Day To Protect Students From ‘Triggers’

A Seattle-area elementary school has canceled its Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events for fear of exposing students to “triggers,” the Post Millenial reported.

Riverview Elementary School principal Derek Larsen said in an April 11 Parent Teacher Organization meeting that he hoped to remove “triggers” for children with non-traditional families. Larsen cited “varying family dynamics and the increasing complexity of the Riverview community and hopes of increasing inclusivity” in scrapping the events.

District communications director Kristin Foley told the Washington Free Beacon that Riverview Elementary will instead hold a “Doughnuts with Grownups” event from May 23-25.

Students are “free to attend any of the days that work for their family’s schedule,” Foley said. “This event is being coordinated by the school and students are encouraged to bring their mother, father, grandparent, special person, etc. with them that morning to share in doughnuts and celebration.” The school nevertheless promoted a family-oriented pride event featuring a drag show.

Even as the school is canceling the holidays, it’s moving forward with promoting a Pride event that features a drag show. Riverview Elementary’s newsletter of community events, which excludes the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events previously scheduled for May 11 and June 8, promotes a June 3 local Pride parade. The Pride event flier, decorated with the trans and gay pride flags, advertises a “kids play area” and “drag show.”

Doughnuts with Grownups will not receive funding from the school’s Parent Teacher Organization “since parents and teachers/staff did not collaborate to come to this conclusion, it was solely a school decision,” Larsen explained.