Trangender Identity Policies Questioned At West Chester Board Meeting

WEST CHESTER, PA —Eight parents questioned West Chester Area School Board about a broad range of issues related to transgender identity and library books containing sexually explicit material.

Each parent spoke for three minutes at the end of the board’s Oct. 25 school board meeting.

The parents questioned the district about a program it held during the summer to educate teachers about transgender issues.

Dr. Bob Sokolowski, superintendent, said the district’s mission is to educate and inspire our students to achieve their educational best.

“One of the most important elements of achieving this mission is to understand the serious impact that positive school environments have on our students’ academic and lifelong success,” he said.

The superintendent said the district had some training in the summer on transgender issues.

“I understand that many of us did not experience school this way when we were growing up,” the superintendent said. “There is a need for this. This is a reality. We do have transgender students in our schools, and we are best preparing our students and our teachers."

Constance Holloway of West Whiteland Township questioned if the district is hiding when a student is transitioning from their parents.

“This shameful practice should terrify any parent in the district,” she said. “We are not co-parenting with the government.”

The superintendent noted that when he was previously a principal at Henderson High School a student was uncomfortable sharing her transition with a parent.

“We exclude those plans in the fullest protection of the student,” he said.

Parent Michael Winterode of West Whiteland Township offered to bring two women who went through the transgender transition, and regretted it, to speak at a school assembly.

Questioning Books

Alexis Cooper of West Goshen Township provided a list of seven books in the high school library that she deemed are inappropriate. She said the books are about teachers having sexual relations with students. “As a parent, I find this unsettling,” she said.

These are the books Cooper named during the board meeting:

• Boy Toy By Barry Lega
• Consent By Vanessa Springora
• Fade By Robert Cormier
• Lies You Never Told Me By Jennifer Donaldson
• Everything Beautiful In the World By Lisa Levchuk
• Pretty Little Liars By Lisa Shepard
• Triple Shot Bettys In Love By Jody Gehrman

Amanda Greenberg, an East Goshen parent, suggested implementing a policy for reviewing library books.