SCHOLASTICS New Buffalo school board adopts policy for transgender rights

Members of the New Buffalo Area Schools Board of Education adopted a Student Rights policy, Policy 5106, “Transgender Students,” with immediate effect at their Monday, May 22, meeting.

Per the policy, the board “supports protecting the rights of all students to selfidentify and use the name, pronouns, and facilities that correspond with their gender identity” as well as “prohibits unlawful discrimination, bullying, and harassment on the basis of sex, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity.”

“The board further prohibits unlawful discrimination, bullying, and harassment on the basis of gender, gender identity, gender expression, or gender-based stereotypes pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,” the policy states.

Interim superintendent Dr. Michael Lindley said that, in going to the Thrun policies, “they recommend to the board to consider an optional policy specific to the needs of transgender students.”

Two options were presented by the district’s legal counsel: to allow the access or students to any locker room or bathroom based upon their gender identity or to look at those issues on a case-by-case basis. Board members approved the latter option. Currently, there’re two gender neutral bathrooms in the middle school and two in the high school and another one is going in the area of the gymnasium by the end of the week. In the coming weeks, there may be facilities for big school events.

Lindley was also recommending that there be the development of a gender support plan. When he, high school principal Tracy Ripley and elementary school principal Adam Bowen met with several students, Lindley said the students

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

felt a plan as part of the policy “would be instrumental in trying to identify the issues and the potential outcomes that we can have to support not only our students directly covered by this policy but all students.”

The policy also directs the district to “comply with reasonable requests to amend a former student’s secondary education records, including diplomas and transcripts” and is obligated to allow current students to have their records changed to be based upon their gender identity.

The policy also requires staff training.

Student Ren Nash said a transgender student gender support plan established in 2020 was recently infringed upon due to “a transphobic ideologies held by a fellow student, “who then “expressed his transphobia directly to me, a nonbinary student, in the hallway”

An administrator’s response, which Nash said “left her in tears,” was that the student “clearly didn’t understand transphobia and needed to be taught the terminology.”

“When you vote, I ask that you please keep my aforementioned story in mind as I’m not the only student who has experienced this,” she said.

Board members adopted the 2023-2024 fiscal budget.

Business manager Pano Arvanitis said that, for 2023, 18 mills will be levied on all non-principal residence, non-qualified agricultural property, non-qualified forest property, non-supportive housing property, non-PSA-occupied property, and non-industrial property in the district to fund the majority of general operations. Estimated revenue generated by this levy will be $14,834,980, or 75% of the district’s revenues.

Regarding the general fund, the majority of revenues are from local sources at $16,435,480, with revenues from the state being roughly $2 million, federal roughly $1.3 million and LRSB at $58,905 for projected total revenues of $19,885,549.

Payroll and benefits made up roughly 65% of expenditures. Projected expenditures are around $21 million, which includes all the expenditures of the Covid monies.

Board members certified the 2023 tax levy to the City of New Buffalo, New Buffalo Township, and Chikaming Township.

The resolutions complying with the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act (152) for the medical benefit plan coverage beginning July 1, which includes district employees paying 20% and New Buffalo Area Schools paying 80% of the premium, in lieu of capping the premium, were approved.

The 2023-2024 administrative work agreements were approved.

Board members heard an update on the district’s BASE (Bison After School Enrichment) program.

Director Madeline Selby said that, for the first trimester, there was a daily average of 100-110 students who attended BASE and 65-75 students for the third trimester.

This year, there were enrichments for kindergarten through second grade students, which included two hikes a week with the Harbor Country Hikers and Pat Fisher, story time with Kristy Good from the library, Yoga Club with Colleen Neubauer, and Daisies for kindergarten and first graders and Brownies for second and third graders.

New enrichments for third through fifth grades were Nail Art with Molly Sell, Book Club with Good, Cop Club with the school resource officer, hikes with Fisher, Chess Club with Carter Vravis and Playing with Food with Jocelyne Tuszynski.

Goals for 2022-2023 were maintaining increased numbers of students daily, finding new enrichments and getting a full staff. Goals for 2023 – 2024 are to introduce more PBIS incentives for positive behavior, to plan more events hosted by BASE and to take small field trips and involve students in the community more.

Board members heard an update on athletics from Matt Johnson, athletic director.

This year, 114 out of 178 high school students participated in a sport.

Regarding the athletic handbook, the main issue is eligibility, which is based off a 2.0 GPA (cumulative starts the season and in-semester finishes season). Johnson said 105 out of 114, or 92%, of athletes had no eligibility issues.

Highlights this year include ending football, which is a co-op with River Valley and New Buffalo, with a 6-3 record (the best season for both schools since 2001); the eighth grade girls basketball team ending the season undefeated; getting new baseball scoreboard; upgrading the track hurdle and hiring a new athletic director administrative assistant.

Johnson said they also hope to get a new trophy case and touch screen historical/ team record board, form a potential co-op with River Valley in softball and girls’ basketball and maybe middle school soccer and start an athletic counsel consisting of him, athletes, parents and a board member to meet each season to discuss eligibility, parent conflicts and other issues going on.

Board members adopted the Michigan High School Athletic Association resolution. The administrative contract for David Kelly, for 2023-2024, was approved.

Board members employed Camille Bauer and Hannah Harrison as summer school teachers.