Members of the Gardner-Egerton School Board voted Monday night, 5-2, to ban transgender students from using their preferred bathroom or playing on gender-identified sports teams. did. Board members Katie Williams and Greg Chapman voted against adoption of the policy.
the plan is first Introduced in JulyInitially, students and staff were required to use names, pronouns, and toilets that matched the gender listed on their original birth certificate.
but, Septemberthe board amended its policy after receiving heavy criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union in Kansas that the plan violated federal law. , but staff are encouraged to address students with their preferred pronouns.
Several students attended the conference and spoke out against the policy. Gardner-Edgerton High School senior Elizabeth Fiedler urged board members to vote against it.
“Listen to the students who have come here to talk. , kids trying to be themselves… I’m Sith and I want to tell you that there’s someone creepy in our bathroom, and it’s not a trans student.”
Gardner-Egerton High School senior Larissa Briscoe also addressed the board against the transgender policy. Briscoe said the policy threatens the mental health of LGBTQ+ students.transgender students already face higher suicide rates.
“What you guys are doing is doing more harm than good. Stop trying to conform your kids to the status quo,” said Briscoe. “Your school board members have shown me that you don’t care about teen suicide.”
Board President Tom Reddin voted in favor of the policy.
“My vote is to cover all bases first. I want to create a safe environment for everyone. I want to take care of everyone,” Reddine said. “But I’ve been getting a lot of emails and stuff saying that this isn’t just for the transgender community, but also for children with special needs.”
In a statement, the Kansas ACLU said the policy violated Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution.
“Such policies have been proven to adversely affect the mental and physical health of LGBTQ+ students in our district,” the organization said. “The Kansas ACLU has heard from several families in the US$231 District about trans students who have already been harmed by this policy and the community debate surrounding it. All students feel safe and supported at school.” We should be able to take it and we are assessing the situation at US$231 and considering all appropriate options.”
Kansas LGBTQ+ Legal Fellow ACLU DC Hiegert also spoke out against the policy at Monday’s board meeting.
A student of USD 231 is worth more than this. At every school board meeting where this policy was discussed, a student showed up and told the board that they did not want this policy. Still, here I am. A hateful policy that is employed against the will of students and directly affects them.
—DC (@DC_Hiegert) November 8, 2022
By a 5-2 vote, board members also defeated $80,000 in funding to add unisex and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms to the Gardner-Egerton School. Chapman and Williams voted to approve the funds. The district already has several unisex and he ADA compliant bathrooms and plans to add more by changing signage without additional funding.
Redin, who also voted against the Toilet Fund, said the board would revisit the issue at its meeting next month.
“I think it still needs discussion, so I left it,” he said.
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