Paso Robles school board passes resolution to protect gender-specific titles
In defiance of a government mandate that does not exist, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District’s Board of Trustees voted 4-3 at its Tuesday evening meeting to protect the use of “traditional” gender-specific language in its schools.
These include labels and titles such as “mother and father, Mr. and Mrs., ladies and gentlemen, and boys and girls,” according to the resolution.
Trustees Nathan Williams, Tim Gearhart and Lance Gannon voted “no,” while Dorian Baker, Frank Triggs, Chris Bausch and Chris Arend voted “yes.”
Specifically, the resolution, which Baker requested the district draft, establishes that the school district “will not support any mandate which replaces traditional gender-specific names.” No such mandate is currently being proposed.
The resolution came in response to a leaked proposal from the National Education Association, a nationwide teacher and school staff union, that would have suggested member union contracts replace gender-specific language with more inclusive language. This included replacing “maternity leave” with “parental leave,” “parent,” instead of “mother” or “father,” “birthing parent” instead of “mother,” and “non-birthing parent” instead of “father,” according to the leaked proposal.
That proposal was never considered or adopted by the National Education Association, a spokesperson for the organization told NBC News.
The resolution passed by the Paso Robles school board only appears to protect gender-specific titles, and does not add any protections for gender-neutral titles such as “parent” or “guardian.”
Also unprotected by the resolution are gender-neutral honorifics such as “Mx.” (pronounced “mix” or “mux” and used by non-binary people), “Ind” (abbreviation of individual) or “M.” Such titles have been adopted by companies such as HSBC Bank, which made headlines in 2017 for allowing its account holders to use options beyond conventional honorifics such as “Mr.” or “Mrs.”
Opposition to resolution note that LGBTQ+ protections are necessary
Some commenters during Tuesday evening’s meeting said they saw the resolution as yet another attack by the board on the Paso Robles school district’s LGBTQ+ students and teachers.
The resolution was brought forward two weeks after the school board considered stripping its nondiscrimination and anti-bullying district policies of protections specific to LGBTQ+ students.
During that Aug. 9 board meeting, board members argued that LGBTQ+ students already have sufficient protections under state and federal law and the district’s policies, and any additional protections could be frivolous. The board tabled the district policy discussions for a study session expected to be scheduled later in the fall.
Meanwhile, the board’s resolution approved Tuesday adds protections to traditional titles and names — the use of which was not under any threat of being banned.
“Passing a resolution that supports the use of traditional, gender-specific names and does not also support students who use non-traditional, gender-specific names makes LGBTQ students feel excluded and unsupported,” said district parent Liz Tashma during Tuesday’s meeting. “The reason that LGBTQ protections are specifically outlined in the law is these groups have historically been marginalized and harassed.”
Joel Peterson, who is running unopposed for a seat on the Paso Robles’ school board in the upcoming November election, noted he was against the resolution because of the divisiveness of it.
“While not intentional, it appears to be a preemptive strike against those who do not use traditional names or pronouns,” he said during Tuesday’s meeting.
Douglas Heumann, an attorney and board member of the Gala Pride and Diversity Center, said he thought the resolution was “really unnecessary.”
“This resolution is only acting to be divisive,” he said during Tuesday’s meeting. “The only way to treat all persons with respect and dignity would be to use the title and the pronoun requested by that individual.”
Heumann also brought board members a different resolution he hoped they would consider adopting.
“Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, in line with its goal to treat all persons with respect and dignity, supports the use of any titles and pronouns, whether gender or non-gender specific, which aligns with each individual’s identity,” his proposed resolution read. It was not considered by the board.
Those sentiments were largely echoed by Trustee Williams, who noted that the board’s resolution seemed to simply be a “personal agenda” that Trustee Baker had brought forward.
“I don’t feel this is appropriate,” Williams said. “We’re not addressing a mandate that exists, so why are we pushing for this?”
Those in favor of resolution say it preserves ‘freedom’
Baker said she brought the resolution forward because she didn’t want to “compel speech” in district classrooms.
“What I want to say is that you cannot compel others to use that (more inclusive) language,” she said during Tuesday’s meeting. “This district will not support a mandate that prohibits staff or students, visitors or anybody to use those traditional terms, if that’s what they want to use.”
Trustee Triggs, who is running for his seat on the board in the upcoming election, said he hopes the resolution passed Tuesday evening is “a first step.” He said students should accept “the reality of who they really are and how they were born, and have the proper self-esteem.”
“Science tells us that sex cannot be changed, it is determined at conception,” he said. “Suicide is not caused by using the term ‘mother,’ ‘father,’ ‘ladies,’ ‘gentlemen,’ ‘boys,’ ‘girls,’ and we need to help everybody that has suicidal tendencies. And it’s not just gay people.”
LGBTQ+ students in San Luis Obispo County considered suicide at nearly four times the rate as heterosexual students, according to California Department of Education data from 2017 through 2019.
In Paso Robles schools, gay, lesbian and bisexual students were three to five times more likely to have considered suicide than straight students, according to state data from the 2020-21 school year.
Trustees Bausch, who is running unopposed for a seat on the Paso Robles City Council, and Arend, who is running for re-election to the school board, both indicated they see the resolution solely as a necessary precaution against any future mandate that could arise.
“As a governmental agency, we should provide as much freedom as we possibly can,” Arend said during Tuesday’s meeting. “This draft resolution here does not restrict anybody’s freedom in any way whatsoever. It preserves the freedom to use so-called traditional terms.”
This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 10:26 AM.
