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On Monday night, I left the SPS School Committee meeting with sadness and frustration. Asking myself “did that really just happen?”
Did 3 members stage a witch hunt of sorts against another member? Did they really just throw out the transgender and gender nonconforming student (TGNS) policy? And, why were there so many kids in pajamas in attendance? But, above all, I left wanting to ask the SC and Superintendent Crozier “where were your values?” and “where was your courage tonight?”
I met with all 3 attending SC members over the past several months to advocate for a TGNS policy. All 3 were clear, in different ways, that they joined the SC to make a difference in students’ lives. At the time, I assumed their passion was to improve all students’ lives, including our Trans students. After Monday night, I’m no longer sure.
On Monday, the SC made choices that fail our LGBTQ students. The SC decided to delay any further work on a TGNS policy and stated they’d need to start from scratch when efforts do resume. Not a single member objected to this idea or even questioned the rationale.
For background, folks in town were advocating for a TGNS policy before Trump came into office. Can you imagine, then, how scared a Trans person would feel when Trump comes out on day 1, in his inaugural speech, attacking the Trans community? A marginalized group representing less than 1% of the population. His efforts aim to make the Trans community invisible in society; essentially, to erase them. It is common sense to understand why a policy is urgently needed.
On Monday night, Superintendent Crozier outlined the ways in which SPS currently supports Trans kids in the absence of a policy. These approaches are not enough. To provide an example of current practice at SPS—when a Trans student is bullied, our schools affirm the child and do the right thing after an incident of harassment has occurred. This is a reactive response that does not prevent similar incidents from repeatedly happening. Only the kids directly involved in the bullying incident are given the opportunity to learn why this is unacceptable behavior. Outside of reactive measures at SPS, the burden is placed on students, as young as K-2, to educate their peers on Trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming issues.
Because of this reactive approach, it is more likely that a Trans student will continue to experience bullying or harassment. The absence of a proactive, school-wide education is contributing to the problem.
Sudbury’s Trans community has been explicit with how SPS can build a safe and more inclusive environment for learning. These requests are in line with policies and procedures from other MA school districts, as well as the recommended steps from Safe Schools, and were incorporated into the TGNS policy draft that was discussed at the December 12 policy subcommittee meeting.
The draft TGNS policy tasked the SPS administration to develop gender identity support plans for both the elementary and middle school levels. It stipulated adding a simple curriculum to educate all students about gender identity and encourage respectful behavior toward all individuals regardless of their gender expression. The policy also would have ensured that teachers and staff receive annual training on how to best support and include our LGBTQ students. A robust policy, like the draft discussed on December 12, would ensure that all of SPS is operating in a way that is consistent with its values and goals to create a safe and inclusive environment for individuals of all gender identities.
The School Committee’s job is to put our students first. That did not happen on Monday. They either prioritized the dysfunction within their committee at the expense of our kids, or they used it as an excuse to not support our Trans youth. The latter is a typical anti-trans tactic we see often – and I’m left simply hoping that it was not the motive for the 3 members present at the meeting.
My concern is that the committee’s inaction on this policy has the potential to cause harm to these kids. So again, School Committee, please tell the community: where are your values and where is your courage? Trans kids are waiting, and this community will never let them be erased.