A kindergartner is having to find a new school after the private school she was set to attend told her parents she was no longer welcome.

This past Monday, little Zoey was excited to start her first day of kindergarten at Bible Baptist Academy. From uniforms to school supplies, she was ready for the new school year but unfortunately, she never made it to her first class.

Late last week, Zoey's parents were called in for a meeting with school officials who said that Zoey was no longer welcome to attend Bible Baptist Academy.

KPLC
KPLC
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It had nothing to do with Zoey, but Jennifer and Emily Parker were informed that their daughter could no longer attend Bible Baptist because of their "lifestyle choices."

Jennifer and Emily are in a same-sex marriage. Zoey was actually Jennifer's niece up until last week when the 5-year-old was officially adopted by her aunt—the same woman who has taken care of her since her father died in an industrial accident back in 2020.

She lost her father, she lost her mother and now she’s losing her school which she loves very much.

Zoey did love her school and was very familiar with it since she attended Bible Baptist Academy last year for Pre-K.

Things were apparently fine until the school caught wind of her official adoption status.

On the 3rd (of August), we adopted her and we went to open house, we got the uniforms we got the fees.

Emily says that when they met with school officials it was made clear that Bible Baptist didn't think their new family "was a good fit."

The pastor met us in the meeting room and started talking about gender identification and that they teach the words of the Lord and marriage was between a man and a woman

According to KPLC, Bible Baptist Academy released a statement in response to the story saying that their school is "committed to instructing and living in accordance with the teachings of Scripture”—something they "strive to teach students who attend."

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KPLC
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Bible Baptist Academy doesn't want their decision to remove the 5-year-old from their school due to her adopted parents being in a same-sex marriage to be misinterpreted as anything hateful or negative.

This should not be interpreted that we have any hatred or malice toward them. We are just as committed to loving all people as we are to holding to Bible principles that people may not agree with or may not understand.

Luckily for little Zoey, there have been other schools in the area (including multiple Christian schools) who have reached out to say they would accept the kindergartner and her parents into their community.

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KPLC
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Jennifer and Emily expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support they have gotten in the wake of the upsetting news.

It’s a blessing in disguise. We have an opportunity to bring her to a school which is a little closer and it’s a new opportunity for her to make new friends.

This isn't the only local incident involving school policies as they refer to things like gender identification, same-sex marriage, and LBGTQ+ issues. A group of queer and allied St. Thomas More alumni recently organized to form in the wake of the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette's new Sexual Identity Policy.

We Demand More is asking the Diocese for "open dialogue" to repeal the policy they have in place and enact one they feel will be better based on the lived experiences of the individuals it affects.

We are asking for an open dialogue with the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette to repeal the policy and enact one that promotes inclusivity, respects the lived experiences of queer individuals, and protects all students, especially those who identify as LGBTQ+ on campus.

A Facebook post from a former STM student named Parker Guidry who graduated in 2010 is going viral after he detailed what his experience was like as a gay student during his time at the Catholic school.

Parker isn't the only one speaking out as other students are demanding that "more" be done than what's currently on the books. Not only are they sending the message online through their social channels @WeDemandMore, but one of the group organizers, Ellis Clay, literally taped it to the front door of St. Thomas More.

Ellis and numerous other STM alumni say they just want their former school and the diocese to allow students "the possibility and the chance to be themselves."

While there have been mixed reactions to both Zoey's story and the controversial new police from the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, some current students are already reacting to the support.

TikTok, WeDemandMore
TikTok, WeDemandMore
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Read the full statement from the Bible Baptist Academy below as well as the entire KPLC report here.

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LOOK: The most popular biblical baby names

To determine the most popular biblical baby names, Stacker consulted the name origin site Behind the Name and the Social Security Administration's baby names database then ranked the top 50 names from Behind the Name's Biblical Names origins list of 564 names, based on how many babies had been given these names in 2019. Click through to find out which biblical names have stood the test of time.

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