Florida parent pulls kids from school that hosted left-wing rally for third graders with LGBTQ signs

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – After Florida’s Voice reported on a student march that turned into an “activism rally” rally for third graders at Shorecrest Preparatory School, one parent is removing her children for safety reasons.

“We no longer felt our kids were safe at the school, you know, with how charged everything was from the teachers and from the administration,” said the parent, who had three children at the school.

Following the report of her concerns over the children’s march, the school’s headmaster “summoned” her and her husband for a meeting.

“My husband and I decided instead of taking the risk of being asked to leave and that going on our kids’ perfect record, that we would just pull them out,” the mother said.

She said that every parent she has talked to is “blown away, disgusted and shocked” and said they “didn’t know this was going on.”

Florida’s Voice spoke with parents of Shorecrest students, who said that Shorecrest third grade teacher Khana Rebman hosted the annual march as part of the school’s “Changemaker” curriculum for elementary school children on Jan. 19.

One parent described Rebman as a “far-left, social justice activist who doesn’t shy away from admitting she spills her views into her classroom of third graders.”

“It is obvious most of the students had no idea what was going on and based on the teacher, Khana Rebman, who hosted this and her opinions on DEI, Social Justice, and other prominent left-wing figures, the motive behind this march was purely indoctrination,” the parent said.

The mother who spoke with Florida’s Voice has had “consistent ideology issues” over the years with the school.

Following the report, Shorecrest sent out an email to all parents of the school. Florida’s Voice obtained a copy of the letter where parents were told the Changemaker curriculum and children’s march have become the subject of an “unfavorable” news article.

“We are aware of this article and are addressing it with the best interest of our students, teachers, and families at the forefront,” the email said.

Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted on Facebook, saying parents from Shorecrest have been contacting her office because they too are “facing pressure” from the school for being vocal regarding “their children being used to promote a political agenda by the school that conflicts with both their personal religious and political beliefs.”

“Although my position is federal, I am very involved at the local level and would advise any school to refrain from action against a child whose parents do not agree with the indoctrination,” Luna said.

The Shorecrest mom attended the event with her third grade son and said what she witnessed caused concern.

Video footage obtained by Florida’s Voice revealed the third grade teacher yelling for causes and directing the students to chant, “drive out hate” and “be the change.”

A mother said one of the teachers was “on the bullhorn with a bunch of little third graders sitting in front of her [and] yelling for causes, and [the kids were] chanting back at her.”

“These kids don’t have the mental capacity to understand the implications in the world around them enough to even know what they’re saying and what they’re chanting and so it’s indoctrination and grooming, the end,” the mother said.

She said her son became very upset and felt like he was “in danger,” questioning why everyone was “so angry.”

Her son said “my teacher was screaming ‘drive out hate’ and the veins in her neck were popping out.”

Parents said the third graders were also holding signs, including some that said “Pride Matters,” “Stop using fossil fuels,” “Civil Rights Rule” with the Black Lives Matter fist, “Hate does not make America Great,” and more.

The mother said she and her husband have faced “many problems” with the “liberal leaning school.”

Pinellas County Chapter Chair of Moms for Liberty Angela Dubach said she was “not surprised at all” to hear about the children’s march.

“I had parents come to me for the last three years about issues they’ve had at Shorecrest,” Dubach said.

She said what happened at the march “wasn’t a coincidence” and “from the start,” was the teacher’s “plain out indoctrination.” She questioned what educational value it had for children.

“Can you imagine if a teacher was marching with a MAGA flag, saying ‘white lives matter?’ You know, could you imagine the outrage in that from the media and from others?” Dubach said.

Dubach said several years ago, Shorecrest was the “queen of schools” and then it started to go “downhill” in recent years.

She said three years ago, parents voiced their concerns to her about a book being read to second and third graders titled Princess Kevin and teachers would “tell the boys they could paint their nails if they wanted to.”

A school parent said Rebman chose to highlight Harvey Milk as her class’ “Changemaker” leading up to the children’s march. Milk was a well-known activist for gay rights and helped design the gay pride flag.

“According to the late San Francisco journalist Randy Shilts’ biography of Milk, ‘The Mayor of Castro Street,’ Milk began a relationship with Jack McKinley, a 16-year-old runaway, while living in Greenwich Village. Milk was 34,” Luna said in her Facebook post.

“Furthermore, as a parent, I would like to know why any school thinks it’s necessary for third graders to know and be taught about Harvey Milk? It is both weird and bizarre,” she continued. “Thankfully Florida law backs religious freedom as well as parents!”

The mom said one week before the Changemaker march, her son came home from school and asked her what the word gay meant and she said she thought it was “so inappropriate,” since she hadn’t even discussed the “birds and the bees” with her children yet.

Dubach said third grade is “not the time, or the place, or the age to be teaching that, and it’s not up to the teacher.”

“It’s up to the parents,” Dubach said. “So that again, to me is just flat out indoctrination and wanting to push her ideology on these kids, which is sad.”

Shorecrest is a private independent school. Florida law that prevents public schools from teaching children of various grades about topics like gender identity, sexual orientation and enforcing or pushing other politically charged opinions, applies to public schools.

Shorecrest’s diversity and inclusion mission statement says they “strive to be a community that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable.”