Below is a powerful letter from Kennebunkport’s Jane Evelyn – thank you Jane!
To the editor,
While we were sleeping, our school district on May 1 passed ACAAA-Transgender and Gender Expansive Students. The policy addresses the transgender, gender expansive transition enabling the school district and administration to develop and orchestrate gender affirming care of our children without parental consent but allowing “outside providers” to be called in. The policy reads, “May include the parent(s)/guardian(s),” and “Outside providers … May also be included in the planning meetings. In the event that a student and their parent or legal guardian do not agree … the school shall whenever possible abide by the wishes of the student with regard to their gender identity.”
Both Old Town, RSU 34, and Oxford Hills, MSAD 17, recently tabled similar policies. This should have been tabled in RSU 21 as well. But we were sleeping. These policies are peddled to local school districts by the Maine School Management Association. The Maine Human Rights Act, with a circular definition of “gender identity,” also mandates allowing biological males to relieve themselves in the girls’ restrooms, or shower in the girls’ locker rooms – not law, but policy that RSU 21 elected to enact. Maine courts have never ruled that public schools must permit students to access whichever restroom they prefer.
We need to support organizations in Maine fighting this travesty, like MaineFirstProject.org and ParentsRightsinEducation.com. And we need to speak out against this policy to the RSU 21 board and ask Superintendent Cooper about the accompanying procedures that are currently being developed by the administration.
Jane Evelyn
Kennebunkport