#school boards

There are over 17,000 school board seats up for election this November

Daniel Villarreal at LGBTQ Nation:

Democratic-backed candidates beat out Republican-backed ones in numerous school board elections nationwide during the recent Democratic Election Night elections, showing a successful repudiation of Republican messaging about banning books and restricting transgender restroom use. Democratic groups hope the recent wave of victories can be repeated in the new wave of school board elections next year. Republican takeover of school boards spiked after the COVID-19 shutdown, amid conservative upset over mask mandates, trans-inclusive policies, “pornographic” library books, and progressive curriculum (like so-called critical race theory). Anti-LGBTQ+ “parents’ rights” groups like Moms for Liberty and Leave Our Kids Alone arose and accused educators of “grooming,” indoctrinating, and “trans-ing” students with inclusive school messaging that violated parents’ wishes. These groups thrived with support from conservative funders and Republican politicians, like Govs. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), who repeated their rhetoric and platformed their leaders.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats flipped at least two dozen school board seats; in the Houston-area suburb of Cypress, Texas, Democrats picked up three seats on the school board, ending two years of Republican control; candidates in New Jersey’s Ocean City Board of Education (who were endorsed by Moms for Liberty and Turning Point USA) also lost; and Republicans lost school board seats in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, Politico reported. School board races are usually nonpartisan, but candidates receive endorsements and funding assistance from partisan groups, the publication explained. However, this election cycle, the economy and school safety ranked higher for school board voters than trans issues, according to an analysis from the Cato Institute. [...] The Pipeline Fund, a liberal group that recruited and trained school board candidates in 12 states, saw 43 of 49 of its candidates win in Pennsylvania and 18 of 22 in Ohio. Next year, the group is expanding its efforts to 21 additional states.

Since the Ontario government took over the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) two weeks ago, elected trustee Matias de Dovitiis says he's only received two emails with directions from his province-appointed supervisor. One of those directions was to refrain from communicating with the community members who elected him, de Dovitiis, who represents Humber River-Black Creek, said at a news conference Thursday. "To think that we can take away those 22 community voices … and just put out a 1-800 number and have people be able to navigate this massive institution is just not realistic," he said.

Continue reading

A school-board official fled a meeting after being scrutinised over his anti-LGBTQ+ social media posts. Don Yarber left the meeting on Monday (24 March) after members of the local community confronted him over a post he made on Facebook in which he called LGBTQ+ people degenerates. In a post that has now been deleted, Yarber wrote: “Keep letting those queers influence the minds of your children. They won’t have any sickness except Aids, mental instability, suicidal thoughts…”

Ryan Adamczeski at The Advocate:

Hundreds attended a school board meeting in Illinois Thursday evening to voice their support for a transgender student after a parent complained about her using the girl's locker room. Deerfield parent Nicole Georgas claimed last month that her 13-year-old cisgender daughter was "forced" to use the girl's locker room at the same time as a trans girl, resulting in daughter refusing to change there. With the help of conservative groups the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies and the Liberty Justice Center, Georgas filed a federal civil rights complaint. The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into Chicago Public Schools and Deerfield Public Schools District 109 in March for supposed Title IX violations. The district has maintained that it is complying with state federal anti-discrimination laws. "Federal Title IX and the Illinois Human Rights Act prohibit all public school districts from discriminating on the basis of sex, including gender identity," Superintendent Katerina Schroeder said in a statement. "Current laws mandate that students must be permitted access to the locker room and bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. We are following the law." Beyond Illinois state law, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that federal laws protecting against sex discrimination in employment, including Title VII, encompass gender identity. Donald Trump's executive orders against trans students, which are being challenged in courts, are not law.

Schroeder also noted that no one is "forced" to change in front of others regardless of gender, as "all students also have multiple options to change in a private location separate from the locker room if they wish." "We are sensitive to the privacy needs of all our middle school students and ensure that no student is required to change into a gym uniform for physical education class in front of others," Schroeder continued. "When both our middle schools were renovated in 2017, we added five private changing stations within each locker room that are available to all students." Deerfield Public Schools District 109 held its first board meeting since becoming subject to the Education Department's investigation Thursday night. The meeting was attended by a local chapter of Moms For Liberty, a designated extremist hate group, which was drowned out by hundreds of community members who showed up to support the young trans girl.