Last February a group of California parents discovered that their elementary school children were subjected to an extremely uncomfortable situation when allegedly forced to bunk with nonbinary counselors at a four-day camping trip to an outdoor science retreat. The camp vehemently denies the accusations, but the school district is where parents identified the real problem.
The Pali Institute is a Southern California staple. Elementary schools from across the region regularly organize three- and four-day science retreats with the camp. Most children who grow up in Southern California have a Pali story in their history. It has been a beloved learning retreat for decades.
However, parents from Los Alamitos Unified School District (LAUSD) were perplexed when their children came home from the science camp and some claimed “nonbinary” adults (biologically male) slept in the cabins with female students, some as young as 10 years old. They also say the children were subject to “verbal abuse” from one such counselor.
Hellbound and Down 