OTHER LOCAL NEWS: 2 injured in Franklin crash
The rejected policy, which would have in part allowed sexually self-identifying students access to opposite sex bathrooms and locker rooms, was rejected by the board, 3-2.
It was rife with logistical, legal problems and offensive to much of the non-LGBT community, some speakers said.
“While we have compassion for the LGBT community,” Lakota parent Lori Daniel told the board. “the policy is far too broad and infringes on the rights on the majority of students to feel safe and have privacy.”
“It broadly oversteps the authority of the both the district and the board and tramples parents’ rights,” said Daniel.
RELATED
Fellow Lakota school parent Rhonda Strauss told the board expansion of transgender student rights as pushed by the defeated policy was “opening a Pandora’s box” of problems.
“It seems like this minority group is getting more rights than the 16,500 students and their rights. Lakota has everything to lose here,” she said.
But Lakota resident Colleen Pyron and others argued to the board that the district’s “current (transgender) policy is insufficient” and that there is “a great deal of misunderstanding about this issue.”
“We must assure all students have privacy and respect,” said Pryron, who thanked Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller and his administration for creating the The Lakota Outreach, Diversity and Inclusion (LODI) department primarily to study protecting transgender students.
OTHER LOCAL NEWS: Hamilton teacher, coach accused of sex crime
She urged all school parents and residents to “work together … toward a goal of a permanent policy.”
Transgender student advocates in the district have argued that there is no universal, detailed policy pertaining to such students and that while Lakota schools have practices in place to accommodate transgender students – included some designated bathrooms - those need to be detailed and codified into district-wide policy.
The board was not scheduled to take any action – nor did they - on the subject and simply listened during the public comment portion of their meeting.
Miller has previously said the new department, which was created by his administration and will soon begin to solicit public opinions, “will be responsible for diving into the day-to-day implementation of policies and guidelines already in place to protect all of our students. They will then recommend to me how to improve the experience of students and build a consistently inclusive environment district-wide.”
Miller told the board audience Tuesday the new department “will send of monthly communications about its discussions of topics as we move forward.”
OTHER SCHOOL BOARD BUSINESS
In other board action, members voted to make Julie Shaffer president for the next year and newly elected member Brad Lovell vice president.
Lovell, and fellow new board member Kelley Casper, were sworn on to the board during the meeting. They replace former board members Ben Dibble and Ray Murray.
About the Author