Grace Christian School's head Barry McKeen reportedly emailed parents that kids who identified as gays or trans would have to 'leave the school quickly.'
According to a report by USA Today, McKeen allegedly informed parents in his email of the Valrico, Fla. Christian school's zero-tolerance policy on kids identifying as lesbian, homosexual, trans, or bisexual.
While McKeen sent the email on June 6, it is only now that news outlets like USA Today got wind of the issue and secured a copy.
USA Today said they asked Grace Christian School to comment on the matter, but the school did not answer their message as of publishing.
What the June 6 Email Contained
Based on the USA Today article, McKeen quoted Genesis 1:26-28 to drive home the school's stand on LGBTQ+ students.
He allegedly used the Bible verse as a springboard to express condemnation of "non-binary gender fluid acts of conduct."
"We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgender identity/lifestyle... are sinful in the sight of God and the church. Students who are found participating in these lifestyles will be asked to leave the school immediately," USA Today quoted McKeen in his email to the kids' parents.
The report added that the school administrator reportedly sent the email to the parents of Kindergarten to Grade 12 students.
Following the email leak, McKeen openly admitted to the email's veracity and then posted a video on Grace Christian School's Facebook page reiterating the administration's stand on the matter.
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'Old Policies, New Enforcement'
According to the USA Today report, while the gender-related policies mentioned by McKeen in his email were 'old policies,' the email message from the school that enforces the policies are new.
Meanwhile, a news article by Star Observer outlined Mckeen's defense of the school's treatment of students identifying as LGBTQ+.
McKeen argued that the issue of homosexuals and transgender people is "rooted in the scriptures."
The school official mentioned that God' explicitly and aggressively' spoken about such issues.
He added that the policies that have recently come to light are part of their general policies since the 1970s.
"This is not new," the Star Observer quoted McKeen saying.
As a direct result of his email, McKeen disclosed that at least one LGBTQ+ student had withdrawn from the school following talks between the student's parents and the school management.
Reactions to the Email
Almost expectedly, McKeen and Grace Christian School received widespread backlash and safety threats for the email.
The New York Post reported that McKeen admitted to receiving death threats following the release of his email to the public.
As a result, the school had to hire extra security personnel to protect school administrators from potential threats to their safety.
A Fox News article said that despite the threats to his and his family's safety, McKeen opted to stand by the administration's enforcement of the gender-based policies.
He explained that since God has mentioned the issues in the Bible, he and the entire school administration will 'not abandon' the policies they have set since the early 1970s.
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