At a Monday meeting, the New Hope-Solebury School District board discussed a policy that would protect transgender students.
“There was no action or vote on it,” said school board president Neale Dougherty. “There were also no objections to it. It will be reviewed again for a second reading, at which time it will be voted on and likely approved in January.”
Dougherty said there were no comments from the public nor from school board members.
“The language accommodates transgender students or transgender families and lets them know they are recognized and protected within all aspects of the educational experience,” Dougherty explained.
The policy, entitled “Gender Expansive and Transgender Students,” outlines definitions for gender identity, gender expansive, gender expression and transgender. Additionally, it provides guidelines on school records, restroom accessibility, dress codes, school activities and other areas of interest for transgender and gender-nonconforming students. The policy aims to “foster an educational environment that is safe and free from discrimination based on gender identity and expression.”
“The language of the policy is a clear message to the teachers and students and members of the community that they are an included group,” Dougherty said.
Additionally, Monday’s meeting featured discussion about a school board member who wrote a Facebook post criticizing those who wear safety pins as a symbol of support for minorities. Earlier this month, community members called for Douglas J. McDonough to step down from his position on the school board.
“I’m glad some people are wearing safety pins,” McDonough said in his post, which has since been deleted. “They might come in handy as a suture for any lacerations you get when you are macro-aggressively punched in the face for being such a slactivist jack ass [sic].”
Dougherty said some community members feel like there’s a “double standard” for its current anti-bullying policy, which applies to students and employees but not for school board members. However, several individuals showed support for and endorsed McDonough’s character at the meeting. As of presstime, McDonough is still a school board member.
The date of the January New Hope-Solebury School District board meeting had not been set by presstime.