Elizabeth Brooks, a former alternative professor and paraprofessional with Maine School Administrative District 75, who resigned in November after the board approved the anti-discrimination plan, is the author of the complaint. SAD 75 addresses Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.
District officials said they are n’t aware of any steps that can be taken to change their policies based on a petition, making the effort more symbolic than legally binding. However, they said the state’s Policy Committee does evaluate recommendations from the public.
On March 5, Brooks collected names at Mt. Topsham’s Ararat High School served as the location of the national elections for the Democratic and Republican candidates that morning.
The complaint concentrates on a policy clause in the district that mandates that staff, faculty, and students use their preferred pronouns when referring to transgender and gender-explicit students.
“( The policy ) is a direct affront to students ‘ ( First ) Amendment rights”, the petition states. ” With this plan, every pupil from elementary to high school is required to adhere to an individual’s chosen noun ideology. Please sign the petition below if you and your child want to defend their right to free speech and the ( First ) Amendment.
The Harpswell Anchor could n’t find out how many people voted in favor of the petition. Although Brooks declined to demand an interview, a copy of the school district’s letter of resignation from November 17 makes reference to her intellectual opposition to the anti-discrimination policy.
In it, Brooks claims that the state’s choice to support trans kids “is crossing a dangerous limit” and creating a hostile environment for those who oppose “allowing this age-unstrange matter into our institutions.”
” I need to be true to my own spiritual compass”, the resignation notice says. ” In order to do thus, I reluctantly remind the committee of my resignation as a SAD 75 staff, effective immediately. Thank you and God bless”.
The stated goal of the policy is to link faculty and staff in their attempts to “foster a learning atmosphere that is safe and free from discrimination, intimidation, and bullying” and “assist in the academic and social inclusion of transgender and gender-extended kids” in nearby schools.
It lists pertinent terms and provides a framework for how to deal with students who identify as gender different from the one given to them at birth. For instance, the policy advises school personnel to arrange to meet with these students and, if necessary, to create plans that are appropriate for their particular circumstances and needs.
It recommends that teachers address trans students with their preferred names and pronouns and allow them to use the restrooms, locker rooms, and other areas that most closely correspond with their gender identity.
Its passage came after a lot of heated debate and a few amendments, particularly those involving parents ‘ privacy rights and students ‘ privacy. Throughout its development, the draft policy alternated between versions emphasizing different priorities. The final version attempts to balance the two competing issues.
The policy, which took effect Feb. 2, is based largely on language recommended by the Augusta- based Maine School Management Association, a statewide, nonprofit federation of local school boards and superintendents. Additionally, it includes a section that was taken from Portland Public Schools ‘ policy and original language that the SAD 75 school board developed with the assistance of its legal counsel.
The language in the policy, including the use of preferred pronouns, was written in accordance with the Maine Civil Rights Act’s interpretation by state courts. Transgender people are a protected class under state law, according to the courts in the state of Maine.
Being transgender was first viewed as a psychological disorder ten years ago, but according to the American Psychiatric Association, it is now widely accepted as a natural variation of human diversity.
A groundbreaking 2018 study from the American Medical Association found that transgender youth who were given the right to use accurate names and pronouns had 71 % fewer symptoms of severe depression, a 34 % decrease in suicide attempts, and a 65 % decrease in suicide attempts.
The school board’s meeting on November 16 the day before Brooks resigned, saw little discussion about the final policy. The document is referred to as” Policy ACAAA” within the district, according to a letter-based classification system used to categorize its various administrative policies.
Have a suggestion for a news item? Email J. Craig Anderson at craig@harpswellanchor.org.
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