A sensitive issue that has roiled school districts across the country has come to Shoreline Unified: how, whether and when to discuss LGBTQ+ issues in the classroom.
The topic dominated last week’s school board meeting, where an education lawyer outlined federal and state laws that govern the treatment of LGBTQ+ students and how schools handle the topic of sexual and gender identity.
The meeting at Tomales Elementary School was packed with supporters of a teacher who has come under fire from some parents who don’t believe that LGBTQ+ issues should be addressed in the classroom at all. One mother who spoke at a previous board meeting had said that all discussions of sexuality should remain the exclusive domain of parents and their children; schools should focus on core subjects like reading, writing and math.
In a statement she read to the board, the teacher, Sophia Gregaru, said she was committed to making every student feel safe at school. “We are teaching compassion and respect,” she said.
She felt harassed by some parents who disagreed with her approach to handling LGBTQ+ issues, she said. She did not cite any specific incidents.
A student-made pride flag adorns the wall of Ms. Gregaru’s fifth-grade Tomales Elementary classroom, which has books reflecting the experience of gay and transgender students. She wears a pin listing her pronouns and hangs an “All Are Welcome” sign on her door.
“We want every student to feel seen, heard and loved in our classrooms,” she said. “To achieve this, representation matters.”
Ms. Gregaru stood just a few feet from the board members, who sat in a row, each facing a microphone. “We are not trying to ‘turn kids gay,’” Ms. Gregaru said. “Believe me, after the hatred and bigotry I’ve witnessed this year, the last thing I would want is to subject any child to that.”
Ms. Gregaru pointed out that LGBTQ+ youth are far more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. “I will never stop teaching love,” she said. “I will never stop teaching acceptance. I will never stop teaching inclusivity. And for that, I will not apologize.”
When she finished her remarks, a room crowded with teachers, parents, family and friends burst into applause.
The LGBTQ+ discussion first came to district-wide attention after Robert Brodsky, a parent whose daughter will enter fifth grade next year, asked to review the books in Ms. Gregaru’s classroom. He subsequently sent an email to the entire school staff offering his account of his visit, which did not end to his satisfaction.
When he arrived at the classroom on March 30, Mr. Brodsky said in his email, he inspected a few books and began to photograph them. Superintendent Adam Jennings, who was also present, asked him to leave the room because he was making Ms. Gregaru uncomfortable, Mr. Brodsky said.
At last week’s board meeting, after Ms. Gregaru spoke, Mr. Brodsky, who has three children at Tomales Elementary, addressed the board.
“Last year my first grader had a giant trans flag on the wall, and I found that a little concerning,” he said.
The school would likely have a very different policy, he continued, if a teacher had posted a “White Lives Matter” flag or a “heterosexual flag,” or kept a “heterosexual pride book” on the bookshelf.
“It’s not equitable and it’s not diverse and it’s not inclusive,” he said. “It’s hypocrisy that’s going on right now.”
Mr. Brodsky said someone had sent him a photograph of a book they claimed to have seen at the school that depicted a young woman in her underwear who was planning to transition.
“I was wondering if I could walk around campus in my underwear and talk about hormone treatments and my top and bottom surgery,” Mr. Brodsky said. “Is that appropriate?”
He asked the board members to tell him what their definition of a woman was.
“It’s not important how we define it,” replied Jill Manning Sartori, the board chair. “We follow the law.”
Trustees then invited Leah Smith, an attorney with expertise in legal issues affecting schools, to give a presentation on federal and state laws governing the treatment of LGBTQ+ students.
“Wherever you stand on these issues,” Ms. Smith told the board, “I’m here telling you what the law is, what your responsibilities are.”
Ms. Smith’s presentation made clear that both state and federal laws require schools to protect all students from discrimination and bullying based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. California law requires schools to make all students feel welcome and included and to highlight their contributions to society.
Moreover, Ms. Smith said, district policy requires schools to appoint a compliance officer to ensure that the rights of transgender students are respected. The school must also establish a transition support team of teachers and administrators to ensure that a student’s educational needs are being met, if a student requests such a team. It is up to the student to decide whether they want their parents to participate. Sometimes, Ms. Smith said, students face violence at home over their sexual orientation and gender identity.
California schools are also required to allow students to use whichever bathroom conforms to their gender identity, not the gender listed in their school records, Ms. Smith said. If a student decides to change their name or pronouns, teachers and administrators are required to respect their choices. Refusing to do so constitutes harassment under state law.
When the presentation was over, Ms. Manning Sartori thanked her. “I think it’s really important to understand the federal and state laws that all California schools operate under,” she said. “What we do at Shoreline is not unique. And I am grateful that our state recognizes the importance of students feeling welcome and included.”
The other board members did not respond to the comments of Ms. Gregaru or Mr. Brodsky, nor did Mr. Jennings. But a week after Mr. Brodsky sent his email to the Tomales Elementary staff, Mr. Jennings sent a statement to the entire district community outlining Shoreline’s legal responsibilities with respect to LBGTQ+ students.
“We are proud of the diversity that exists in our schools and relish the opportunity to celebrate that diversity in our educational programs and activities,” he wrote in the April 5 email.
At the board meeting, Emmy Eichner, a representative of the teachers union, expressed concern that the district hadn’t acted quickly or firmly enough to come to Ms. Gregaru’s defense.
“We feel the administration needs to do more to protect teachers and staff from harassment and intimidation,” she said. Students must feel safe being their true, authentic selves, she added: “Students need to know that district staff and board members are behind them no matter what they are or what they believe in.”
After the meeting, Ms. Gregaru told the Light that Ms. Smith’s legal presentation was welcome but overdue. “I just wish what happened at the board meeting had happened in the beginning,” she said.
Ms. Gregaru said Tomales Elementary’s principal, Norma Oregón-Santarelli, has backed her throughout a challenging year, and she was grateful for the support of the audience. “The community came together,” she said.
Speaking with the Light after the meeting, Mr. Brodsky said he feels no hatred to anyone; he is simply a parent who loves his three kids. It is an objective reality that only two genders exist, he said. “Is it right for us to be teaching kids things that aren’t facts? Should we be lying to them?”
Mr. Brodsky said he knew many parents who shared his views but were afraid to speak out.
“These children are being sexualized at such a young age,” he said. “That’s not why we send them to school. We send them to learn the core academic subjects.”