HASD talks gender identity policy
Board member wants district to have set guidelines in place
HOLLIDAYSBURG — Whether teachers can ask students about gender identity and preferred pronouns was discussed by the Hollidaysburg Area School Board during Wednesday’s meeting.
Board member Carmen Bilek said the district needs to be proactive and wanted to know what other board members thought about having a policy that clearly states how Hollidaysburg will handle those concerns.
Bilek said last year a teacher asked students to gender identify and about pronoun use.
“It happened again this year so there has to be some confusion,” she said.
Superintendent Robert Gildea responded that the current practice is if a student chooses to identify a different pronoun and approaches administration or a teacher, then it is taken forward from there.
He said last year a teacher did ask kids to identify their preferred pronouns and that teacher was asked not to do that. That teacher is no longer with the district.
After another teacher did it this year, the principal spoke to the whole faculty to discontinue that practice in case others were not aware.
“This is in the past. … I look to a solution so we can be more proactive,” Bilek said, “so we don’t have to put out fires.”
The policy or practice would not allow for misunderstanding.
“It protects the teachers and gives them clear guidelines so there is no mistake,” Bilek said.
She asked other board members about adding or creating a policy as it relates to what a teacher is allowed to do or not do in regard to questions of gender identity or pronouns.
Solicitor Jennifer Dambeck said it might be difficult to do that from a legal perspective because the districts do have obligations under Title 9.
“If a student approaches or if it’s brought up relative to preferred name and pronoun usage, that has to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis,” she said.
Dambeck suggested that it may be easier for the district to have regulations set up with guidelines on how to handle questions related to pronoun usage.
“If it is a guideline, then there should be no mistake by a teacher to be initiating that conversation,” Bilek said. “If a student approaches a teacher, that’s different.”
Gildea confirmed with Bilek that her intent was not to discriminate against transgender kids.
“Absolutely not, we just need to be clear as to what we are going to allow,” she said.
Board President Nicole Hartman asked if Bilek would have a problem if a teacher told students to let him or her know to say something if they want to use a specific pronoun.
“I would have a problem with that — the teacher is initiating,” Bilek responded.
“They are not really initiating, just letting them know that they are a safe teacher to talk to,” Hartman said.
Dambeck recommended adding the guideline to be included in the employee handbook.
“Then it can be updated as the laws change and not set in stone as a board policy,” she said.
Bilek liked the idea and asked what the other board members thought.
Doug Stephens agreed with Bilek.
“However we feel about it personally, it is part of our nation’s culture whether we like it or not,” he said.
Stephens thought board members should be careful and not let their personal concerns dictate policy.
Hartman responded by asking what constitutes initiating.
“Is the teacher allowed to tell their class that they are accepting of what they prefer?” she said.
Stephens said that it is going to become more of an issue as time goes on.
“How much of a set of guidelines and policies do we want to have?” he asked. “I don’t know the answer to that, but I understand your concern.”
Gildea suggested that Bilek work with Jennifer Costanza on developing some guidelines and then share them with the board to get everyone’s thoughts.
Bilek agreed to that unless anyone had a comment about it.
“Before we put something together, if the board members are opposed to it, I wouldn’t mind hearing about it,” she said.
Hartman said she was absolutely opposed to it.
“There are children of all walks of life that go to our school, and they should all be made to feel comfortable,” she said.
She commended the teacher that sought students’ preferences.
“They were out there letting these kids know that they had a safe space, which a lot of them don’t have,” Hartman said.
Hartman said there is nothing ill-willed about a teacher initiating the questions related to gender identity and pronouns and is against any policy that takes that right away.
“That community has worked very hard to have the same rights as the rest of us and for a bunch of people who sit here and talk about freedom of this and freedom of that, they deserve freedom, too,” Hartman said.
Mirror staff writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.