Dartmouth Health Offered to Fund LGBTQ Trainings in New Hampshire Public Schools

CONCORD - Dartmouth Health has repeatedly reached out to New Hampshire public schools this year offering to cover the cost of staff training sessions provided by NH Outright, an LGBTQ advocacy group that targets children, according to multiple emails obtained by The Granite Eagle.

One email, sent Jan. 28 by a Dartmouth Health community partnerships coordinator, invited schools to reserve 90-minute professional-development workshops led by NH Outright at no charge. The message noted that the trainings are “typically offered at $300 per session” but would be free on a first-come, first-served basis. It also promised educators would receive resource books for their classrooms. Staff were directed to contact both Dartmouth Health and NH Outright directly to arrange the sessions.

That arrangement appears to place New Hampshire’s largest hospital system at the center of efforts to bring advocacy-driven programming into the state’s K-12 public schools. While the offer lifted financial barriers for districts, it also positioned Dartmouth Health as a conduit for NH Outright, a group that has drawn controversy for its youth-focused programming, including its “Little Outrighters” initiative that targets children as young as five.

The records show an ongoing pattern. Public documents reviewed by The Granite Eagle reveal that some school districts have used local taxpayer dollars to purchase NH Outright staff workshops in the past. Earlier reporting also documented how University of New Hampshire units promoted NH Outright programs that specifically reach children in kindergarten through grade five, even as UNH moved forward with tuition increases.

In response to questions from The Granite Eagle, Dartmouth Health denied using taxpayer funding or directly paying for trainings in public schools and said that, as of yet, no schools had taken them up on the offer. Dartmouth Health did not respond to a question about whether it had concerns with partnering with a group that directed the controversial content toward children as young as five years old.

The trainings themselves go beyond simple awareness sessions. A flyer circulated for one Dartmouth-sponsored conference highlighted lessons on “affirming use of language, names and pronouns,” “creating safe classrooms for elementary students,” and applied case studies on working with transgender and gender-diverse students.

Supporters of these initiatives argue they are vital for creating safe and supportive school environments. But many parents and Republican lawmakers question why outside advocacy groups — often with explicit political and cultural agendas — are being brought into schools under the guise of professional development. Concerns center on transparency, parental notification, and whether limited education resources are being diverted away from core academics.

The broader debate echoes recent legislative discussions in Concord, where lawmakers have pressed for greater parental rights in education and limits on third-party influence in public classrooms. Critics see Dartmouth Health’s offer as another example of how well-funded institutions can give advocacy groups direct access to teachers, bypassing parents and school boards.

At the same time, Dartmouth Health’s role underscores the blurred lines between public health initiatives and education policy. While the system insists no taxpayer dollars were used, the offer to underwrite trainings that would normally cost districts money illustrates how nonprofits and advocacy groups can gain influence without appearing on school budgets.

The result, according to critics, is that families are often unaware when advocacy groups like NH Outright are given a platform in schools. And while the trainings are framed as professional development, the subject matter — gender identity, pronouns, and elementary-level LGBTQ lessons — cuts directly into issues many parents believe should be addressed at home, not in classrooms.