A plan intended to promote a secure learning environment for transgender and female wide students was rejected by the Augusta Board of Education in an unanimity-inducing vote.
The suggested policy would have allowed affected students to collaborate with their teachers to develop educational plans that were tailored to their needs, required school staff to use students ‘ preferred names and pronouns, and permitted them access to restrooms and locker rooms that most closely matched their gender identity.
In order to “avoid mistakenly putting the pupil at chance” if they have not come out to their home, it would have also been against the law for administrators to discuss a child’s gender identity with their parents without first informing them.
James Orr, Kati McCormick, and Pia Holmes opposed the scheme during the first reading of it at the board’s appointment on Wednesday night, while Rita Pello, Kimberly Martin and Kevin Lamoreau supported it.
The policy was essentially killed when Board Chair Martha Witham, who only votes when a connect must be broken, voted against it.
The policy may be reintroduced unless anyone who voted against it decides to do so because it failed its second reading.
Martin testified with tears that the board had “plenty” of time to review the document, despite the policy’s detractors ‘ claims that it was” not ready to be a policy yet.”
The legislation was first proposed in October 2022 by the Maine School Management Association, and it was presented to the three-person plan subcommittee of the Augusta Board of Education in January, according to Martin. According to her, the committee had about four options to explore the proposed principles, and officials frequently heard from students, university, members of the youth-focused volunteer OUT Maine about why they are necessary.
Martin stated on Wednesday night that” we had the ( Gay, Straight, Transgender Student Alliance ) advisor and students attend the meeting, and they made it known that it was a policy that was needed and that the LGBTQ+ community did not always feel safe.”
The Augusta committee had hardly changed the speech from the Maine School Management Association’s model plan.
A number of key Maine schools, including Hallowell-based Regional School Device 2 and Gardiner-area Maine School Administrative Unit 11, have adopted the same policy, known as “ACAAA Transgender and Gender Expansive Learners.” It was only recently adopted by Farmington-based Regional School System 9.
According to the Maine School Management Association, school districts are not required by law to follow a board-level scheme on transgender and gender expansive learners; rather, they are free to use the rules as guidelines because each person’s circumstances will be unique and call for an individual strategy.
The Augusta School Department has about 2, 100 pupils, and according to OUT Maine, about 25 % of Maine youth identify as LGBTQ+.
One of the board members who opposed the policy, Holmes, said she does n’t disagree with its content but referred to it as a “guideline” because it is” not ready to be policy.”
Lamoreau voted in favor of advancing the plan to a minute reading, but McCormick, Witham, and both agreed with her. Orr stated that he disagrees with the entire plan and content.
There are words in there that say” if” instead of “will” or “must,” and as an administrator, it would be difficult to deal with it as a set policy, but there is more flexibility for students if it is set as the guide. Although it’s excellent data, calling it a policy or direction is premature, according to Holmes.
Out of 22 actions, 15 of which were parents and 13 were against the scheme, seven individuals voted in favor and two were confused, according to Assistant Superintendent Mike Tracy Jr., who presented the study results to the table. At the board meeting on Wednesday night, the officials did not discuss the legislation.
Martin cried as he said,” I’m sorry for these individuals, who just need to feel safe and seen.” ” And it goes without saying that election operates in this manner, which is fine, but I must add that.”
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