Do You Feel Safe – Part II

What do you do when you school systems does nothing to stop the bullying and harassment?

Why a Trans Student and Her Mom Are Fighting Their District’s Anti-LGBTQ Policies
Education Week
By Eesha Pendharkar
October 14, 2022


When Lily Freeman was in 5th grade in the Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania, she was revealing her gender identity to her family. When her parents told her teacher about Lily’s struggle, the teacher suggested Alex Gino’s book Melissa (previously called George), an award-winning novel about a trans 4th grader, as a resource for Lily and her family.

The gesture and the visibility the book provided was valuable to the family, said Lily’s mom, Mindy Freeman. Two years later, Lily’s social studies teacher offered books about LGBTQ people on his classroom shelves, making it easier for Lily’s classmates to learn about her experience and that of her community, Mindy Freeman said.

“We were working with the school district to help them understand trans identities, and the difference between orientation and gender identity, because Lily was bullied in elementary school, before she had socially transitioned,” she said. “So she wanted to help the younger generation of kids, so that they didn’t have to go through what she went through. The school wasn’t perfect, but before the pandemic, more people were listening.”

But you know that some parents complained about her and made a big stink over her transition. Also new school board members were elected, thing got a lot worst Lilly and other LGBTQ students.

The district has issued directives to remove Pride flags from classrooms, according to the lawsuit. Some school administrators have directed their staff to only use students’ names and pronouns as they appear in the school databases and to reach out to parents if students ask to be identified differently and have punished employees who have supported LGBTQ students and spoken out against the anti-LGBTQ environment the district is creating, according to the lawsuit.

[…]

But because of these policies, teachers have been self-censoring and removing books from their classroom libraries preemptively to avoid punitive action, Lily said. The ACLU lawsuit also describes several instances of teachers being told to or deciding on their own to remove classroom library materials after the policies were passed.

In comes the ACLU and the feds...

ACLU files federal complaint against Central Bucks School District, alleging discrimination against LGBTQ students
WHYY - PBS
By Emily Rizzo
October 6, 2022


The Central Bucks School District is discriminating against LGBTQ students, the ACLU of Pennsylvania alleges in a complaint it filed Thursday with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education.

The ACLU claims that Central Bucks, the fourth largest school district in Pennsylvania, is violating Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution — overall creating a “hostile environment” for LGBTQ students.

The school board and “complicit upper-level administrators” have “exacerbated the hostile environment by making homophobic and transphobic statements, enacting blatantly discriminatory practices and policies targeting LGBTQ+ students, and retaliating against teachers and staff who support LGBTQ+ students,” the complaint says.

The ACLU cites policies censoring books, procedures about not using students’ correct pronouns and names, directives censoring the materials that teachers can hang in classrooms and intimidating teachers into self-censoring their materials, and administrative decisions punishing staff who speak out against anti-LGBTQ directives, among others, as examples of Central Bucks’ discriminatory practices and policies.

I think you are going to find a lot more school districts facing legal action as these right-wing conservatives get appointed to school boards and ignore the law.

Now the school board is hopping mad they demand to know who these “Jane Does” are!

Central Bucks asks ACLU to reveal the LGBTQ students behind its federal complaint. ACLU says they fear retaliation
“They know who the bullied students are. They are the ones the administration and board have ignored and disrespected.”
WITF
By Emily Rizzo
October 14, 2022


Speaking on behalf of the district at its board meeting, President Dana Hunter criticized the ACLU for the anonymity of the complaint, which includes seven stories about anti-LGBTQ harassment from students and their families, and accounts from district employees. She said the anonymous nature makes it “impossible” for the district to “intervene.”

Hunter asked for families and students to come to principals, teachers, or administrators to report their concerns over bullying.

“They know who the bullied students are. They are the ones the administration and board have ignored and disrespected,” said Vic Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. “The more the board members talk, the more they confirm their hostile and discriminatory views.”

Students, families, and district employees fear they will suffer backlash from the community and district leaders if their names are publicized, said Rich Ting, staff attorney for the ACLU of Pennsylvania. “Teachers and guidance counselors, they’re afraid because of a lot of things that they’ve seen happen which are outlined in the complaint.”

Earlier in the school year the residents spoke out at a school board hearing.

Central Bucks residents speak up about transphobia and antisemitism in the community
WHYY
By Emily Rizzo
December 7, 2021


Central Bucks School District residents waited in line for hours at Monday night’s school board meeting to speak in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion — responding to events at the Nov. 9 meeting, which was marred by transphobic and antisemitic remarks made during the public comment period.

The board limited time for public comment to two hours, around 50 speakers. Some arrived three hours early Monday to get a chance to sit inside. A number of people had asked the board to move the meeting so more people could fit, but their request was denied.

[…]

Some held rainbow flags, and flags supporting the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities. Some, like Adi Strigl, even danced. She called it her “inclusion dance,” jokingly. Others looked on and laughed.

“If you can’t laugh, you’ll cry,” is Strigl’s motto. She is Jewish and has three children in the district.

“There’s a big divide in the community, I think everyone will agree on that.” But she added, “As an optimist, I’m drawn to the light. I see more and more people teaming up.”

At the hearing it stirred up more discrimination…

During that meeting, one community member said trans women are rapists. Another community member made allegations that there are ties to the mafia in the Jewish community, and he also sought to make connections between district diversity and inclusion initiatives and “Zionism and communism.”

[…]

During public comment Monday night, some residents noted a history of silence from the board following racist, antisemitic, and anti-LGBTQ+ comments and behaviors in and around the meetings. One community member also mentioned seeing a new board member, Debra Cannon, quote Hitler in a Facebook comment. (Cannon did not respond to this comment.)

[…]

Some board members, including Dana Hunter, Karen Smith, Dr. Mariam Mahmud, and Dr. Tabitha Dell’Angelo, said they do not stand by the comments made at the last meeting.

And that is what happens when MAGA get elected to school boards… this is just the tip of the iceberg.