Attachments

The Gender Support and Inclusion Policy for Transgender, Gender-Diverse, and Transitioning Students. (The highlighted portions of the policy were changes proposed by the Policy Subcommittee.)

A policy that has been around for about seven years drew renewed interest at a recent Barrington School Committee meeting. 

More than a dozen residents attended the Dec. 7 meeting and shared their thoughts about the “Gender Support and Inclusion Policy for Transgender, Gender-Diverse, and Transitioning Students” policy. 

Some people at the meeting, including former Barrington Town Council member Jacob Brier, shared support for the policy and the proposed changes. Others, including a student from Barrington High School and a local teacher, offered concerns about the policy. 

Members of the School Committee discussed the policy and some of the comments made and decided to send the policy back to the policy subcommittee for updates.

The subcommittee had been scheduled to discuss the topic at a meeting on Thursday, Dec. 14, but district officials recently announced that the meeting was postponed to Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. 

‘Quite uncomfortable’

Katie Aubin was the first person top speak on the topic.

Aubin said there were two major flaws with the policy. The first, she said, was that it will allow students of different biological sexes to use the same restrooms, locker rooms or changing facilities. The policy shows that it states: “Transgender and gender-diverse students shall have access to facilities aligning with their gender identity.”

Aubin said that means a student who is biologically a male but identifies as a female can use the girls’ restrooms and locker rooms. 

A student at Barrington High School later spoke out on the topic. She said she would feel uncomfortable if there was a transgender female student using the same locker room as her.

“I would be quite uncomfortable changing in the same room,” she said. “I would not want to be subjected to that.”

Keila Daley has children in Barrington schools, and she is also a member of the Health and Wellness Committee. She was hoping that Health and Wellness Committee would have been allowed to discuss the proposed policy changes, but they were not, she said.

Daley said the district already has gender neutral bathrooms. She questioned the logic behind allowing a biologically male student to enter a girls bathroom. 

She said there has already been an incident where biologically female students entered a boys restroom at Barrington Middle School and started to snap photos of the male students. Daley said that incident left the boys feeling incredibly uncomfortable. 

Daley also spoke about the upcoming overnight field trips planned for Barrington Middle School. She said she was surprised to learn that there would be co-ed rooms. Daley said that should not be allowed, adding that students can request single rooms if they so choose. 

Ellen Schaffer said the policy creates an imbalance, prioritizing the privacy, security and needs of transgender students over the privacy, security and needs of other students. 

Support for the policy

Jacob Brier voiced support for the policy and proposed changes. Amy Nunn praised the School Committee for the policy and the proposed changes. Nunn spoke about her own experiences as president of Open Door Health in Providence. Nunn said the health clinic serves people in the LGBTQ community, adding that they take care of young people and Barrington residents. She said some people in that community experience discrimination, even in their own homes. 

Nunn also said that there is a coordinated national movement that is designed to discriminate against people in that community.  

Schaffer challenged that comment. She said there is a false equivalency taking place, where anyone who speaks out against this type of policy is identified as being part of some national agenda. 

“I am not part of a national agenda,” Schaffer said. “… I’m advocating for family involvement.”

Schaffer referenced a different section of the policy that focuses specifically on gender identity. The policy states: “…some transgender students do not want their parents to know about their transgender status. These situations must be addressed on a case-by-case basis and require schools to balance the goal of supporting the student with the desire that parents be informed about their children.”

One of the proposed changes states that the school administration will ask the Barrington Superintendent of Schools for direction on how to proceed, as soon as the secondary student makes the requests for non-discloser to a parent or guardian. 

“If the administration in collaboration with the superintendent determines that notifying the family carries risks for the student, they should work closely with the student to assess the degree to which, if any, the family will be involved in the process and must consider the age, health, well-being, and safety of the student.”

Schaffer voiced her concerns about this change.

“This policy proposes to outright lie to parents…” she said, adding that lying to parents needs to be removed from the policy. 

Steven Felix said he supports the existing policy and the amendments. He said the policy strikes a balance for the students’ autonomy, adding that he did not see the issue as being about parents, but rather about the students. 

Liana Cassar thanked the School Committee for the policy that is currently in place. Cassar said the public schools have a responsibility to ensure that students have a safe environment. She also mentioned trusted adults and the critical role they play. 

Janine Wolfe said sexual predators often establish or encourage keeping secrets between themselves and their child prey. She said the policy would habituate children into dangerous behaviors, as it eliminates parental involvement. 

Wolfe said the policy implies or encourages a closer intimacy between school staff and students than between parents and their own children. 

Teacher comments

Barrington High School teacher Jennifer Sapolsky told School Committee members that she has been reflecting on the policy for years, and is very concerned. 

She said she feels that the climate in the district does not support diverse opinions on the topic. In addition, the policy puts her in a difficult position, and in conflict with her conscience, Sapolsky said. 

She said she is concerned that the policy runs counter to the inherent commitment that every parent has to their child. 

Sapolsky said the policy asks her and other teachers to withhold information from parents. She asked that the district push pause before moving forward on the changes. 

The BHS teacher said there are already safeguards in place for children, and mentioned the state’s Department of Children Youth and Families.

Sapolsky said the policy “puts parents and educators in a position where we’re being asked to act outside the bounds of our own conscience.”

Safety and security

Jarred Ryan said parents should be 100 percent involved in their children’s lives, and removing them from that should raise a red flag. Compromising that relationship could have negative consequences, he said. 

Parents want what’s best for their children, Ryan said.

He also said that allowing a biological male who identifies as a female into a girls bathroom or locker room would violate the safety and security of the girls using that restroom or locker room. Ryan said there needs to be safeguards so that all children are protected. 

Lisa Daft said she was shocked that the school district was trying to restrict parents’ rights. She said the policy is based on recommendations, not state law. Daft said that the policy exposes the Barrington School Committee to lawsuits — she added that parents in other districts have sued other School Committees, and “they are winning in court.”

Daft asked if the policy aligns with other problems or challenges students may experience, such as eating disorders or self-harm. She asked if the school district hides that information from the students’ parents also. 

“I find it hard to believe that not informing parents is going to help the situation,” Daft said. 

Daft and others also told School Committee members that their concerns should not be received as discrimination against others. Erika Twohig said she is not comfortable with the district not informing parents. She asked who makes the decision to keep parents in the dark. She also questioned the approach of placing that responsibility on the Schools Superintendent. 

Daft also asked who wrote the proposed changes to the policy. McCrann said the changes came from the policy subcommittee. The School Committee attorney said the policy is based on guidance from the state. 

The Policy Subcommittee meeting minutes from Oct. 2023 show that Assistant Superintendent Paula Dillon explained that “the Transgender Protocol requires significant overwork, essentially rewriting it.” The minutes also state “A policy will need to be developed in association with the protocol, and Dr. Dillon will work on that before the next meeting.”

Maura McCrann and Cynthia Rosengard spoke in support of the policy and proposed changes. Both said they worked as counselors. McCrann said she has seen times when students have been discriminated against by their own families, and how that lack of support can lead to devastating outcomes. She also said there is a lot of fear-mongering going on with the issue.