Fontainebleau Junior High Assignment Raises Questions

MANDEVILLE, La. — A seventh grade English Language Arts assignment reportedly given to students at Fontainebleau Junior High School is drawing attention after images of the lesson were shared publicly Sunday.

The assignment is titled “Crowd” and lists Dax Everitt as the author.

In the introduction shown in the images, students are told, “Dax is a nonbinary bisexual who just so happens to use a powered wheelchair.”

Seventh grade students are typically 12 to 13 years old.

The introduction also states that Everitt lives in Leeds, England with their husband and says the story depicts the experience of a nonbinary person using a powered wheelchair while encountering obstacles on the way to work.

Students are instructed to take notes on the main character’s reactions to the obstacles they face.

The images have prompted questions about why the author’s sexual orientation and gender identity were included in material presented to seventh grade students.

Questions have also been raised about what that information has to do with the lesson, whether it is academically relevant, who selected the assignment and whether it is part of an approved curriculum.

The images do not establish who selected the material, whether it was chosen by an individual teacher or whether it is part of a broader St. Tammany Parish Public Schools curriculum.

Those questions remain unanswered.

TRH News is seeking additional information about how the assignment was selected and whether the material is part of the curriculum used for seventh grade students at Fontainebleau Junior High School.

What do you think? Is an author’s sexual orientation and gender identity relevant information for a seventh grade English assignment, or should it have been left out?