was appointed district Attorney of Ashland County before running
for Congress in Watertown, emotions ran high at the Board
of Education meeting on Monday as a controversial decision was
made regarding transgender students "Here& Now". Reporter
Aditi Debnath was there and has the details.
>> It was a packed house at Riverside Middle School Monday,
as the Watertown School board voted on a new gender support
plan that significantly changes policies for transgender
students. The meeting drew hundreds of attendees, with the
cafeteria and a secondary overflow room filled to capacit.
Many in the audience held signs reading Vote See, urging the
board to adopt. The more restrictive option C plan. And
that's exactly what they did. Board President David Schroeder
explained the decision. district and to protect the
kids. students to use bathrooms and
participate in sports based on their gender assigned at birth.
Board member Tina Johnson was the only member to vote against
plan C, praising current policies that defer to the
student's preferences. >> The administration and staff
have done a great job in working with all kids. They've done a
great job with the transgender guidelines, and I will continue
to support them. >> Gender support plans, which
can be more restrictive, like the one passed or more
inclusive, are not new to Wisconsin schools. Abigail Swetz
is executive director of Fair Wisconsin, an LGBTQ plus civil
rights organization and the best practices in a gender support
plan, which many districts do have, is to ensure the safety of
the child by working with the kid to figure out how to best
talk to parents and then bring them into conversations. The
Watertown School district's previous policy, which had been
in place for eight years, allowed transgender students
more flexibility with options to use unisex restrooms or separate
locker room schedules. One Watertown student argues the
majority of her peers aren't concerned about gender politics.
>> As a student in Watertown High School, I can say with full
pride that I have met very few students who are bothered by
transgender students. >> Supporters of the plan point
to safety concerns. >> When you start putting men in
women's girls bathrooms that are biologically male, you're going
to have more than one lawsuit. >> Mollie McQuillan is a social
scientist at the UW-Madison School of Education. She
questions the legal validity of the policy.
>> I think that there's a lot of confusion among school boards
and certainly among superintendents and principals
and teachers, about what the law actually is.
>> She says that policies like plan C aren't legally binding
due to a federal law called title nine.
>> Title nine. Broadly speaking, is to prevent discrimination
based on sex. >> McQuillan says that two
different title nine Circuit Court of Appeals decisions in
2017 and 2023 found that school policies that restrict which
bathroom a student can use are not enforceable. Board President
Schrader acknowledges that this could change after president
elect Trump takes office in January.
law today, in two months, it's likely going to change.
>> Any change made to title nine would take time to work its way
through the political process. But gender politics are front of
mind for the new administration. >> I will ask Congress to pass a
bill establishing that the only genders recognized by the United
States government are male and female, and they are assigned at
birth. The bill will also make clear that title nine prohibits
men from participating in women's sports.
>> Swetz says that the change in administration only means
rights advocates to do. >> It is true that title nine
protects LGBTQ plus students and staff. We have civil rights, and
no matter who occupies the white House, and our organizations are
here to make sure those rights are respected.
>> Back in Watertown, it's now >> Back in Watertown, it's now