Board leadership, gender policies disussed

The North Wasco County School Board met for an in-person regular meeting at The Dalles Middle School commons on July 21.

In an annual action that must take place every year after July 1, directors made nominations for board chair and vice chair. In a nomination by Director Judy Richardson that was seconded by Director Dawn Rasmussen, Director Jose Aparicio accepted and was subsequently voted to continue his current position as school board chair. In a unanimous vote, Director David Jones was selected as vice chair, nominated by Director John Nelson, seconded by Director Brian Stephens.

Notable action items that took place during the meeting included the name, street address, and grade level changes for what was formerly Riverbend Community Charter School for the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) official record. The Riverbend Community School charter agreement was officially closed and adopted by District 21 in December of 2021, continuing uninterrupted for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year. The program now exists as a pathway under the umbrella of Innovations Academy, District 21’s alternative education schooling option.

The purpose of the name change, from Riverbend Community School to Innovations Academy, is for the ODE official record as well as the Institution identification number. The street address change, according to Aparicio, is due to Riverbend moving to the alternative learning center at The Dalles Wahtonka campus, having formerly held classes at the Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) campus.

Another notable action item included the approval to upgrade The Dalles High School (TDHS) computer lab. According to the board motion for action item document, there is only a single PC based computer lab at TDHS, last updated in 2017 and 2018, that is used to teach classes such as intro to computer science, video production, 3D printing and design, as well as video game design.

“The proposal is to replace the current hardware (computers and monitors) with technology that is industry standard for the fields of computer aided design (CAD), video rendering, computer animation, and digital sculpting. Obtaining this new hardware will fill some massive gaps and learning loss in what cannot be done currently in classes … this will also allow TDHS to offer a far more robust set of classes, going deeper into class progressions and better prepare students to enter the CTE fields that we currently support,” said the document.

The estimated cost of the upgrade, according to the district Chief Financial Officer Kara Flath, is $165,000, to be paid with funds from ESSER II or III, High School Success fund, and/or the general fund.

Public Comment

During the public comment section of the meeting, a total of 10 public comments were made, with eight speakers in person, and two submitted written comments. In the interest of time, Aparicio did not read the written letters out loud, but said they would be made available in the meeting minutes, which will be approved at the August meeting next month.

All comments were made in regard to Policy JB-AR: Transgender and nonconforming students, an administrative regulation (AR) “intended to clarify existing laws, rules policies, and how to best support the needs of the district’s transgender and non-conforming students and their families,” according to the AR document, which was published with the July 21 meeting agenda.

The AR is for Policy JB: Equal Educational Opportunity, which states that “every student of the district will be given equal educational opportunities regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, color, national origin, disability or marital status, familial status, parental status, linguistic background, culture, socioeconomic status, capability or geographic location.” Policy JB, according to Stephanie Bowen, District 21’s director of communications, was initially adopted by the board in 2008, and was most recently revised in January 2022.

“This administrative regulation was developed by district administration and was informed by federal and state laws as well as best practices in the school setting as demonstrated by other Oregon School Districts where these practices are already in place,” said Bowen in an email to Columbia Gorge News.

The AR clarifies transgender and nonconforming student’s rights relating to matters such as the use of preferred names and pronouns by district staff, confidentiality of information such as their transgender status, dress code, restroom and locker room accessibility, physical education, athletics and activities, overnight school trips, gender segregation and student safety.

Public comments made in regard to the AR were mixed. Several asked questions and expressed concerns regarding the restroom and locker room accessibility — which says that transgender and gender nonconforming student’s shall have access to a restroom or locker room corresponding to their gender identity that the student consistently expresses at school.

“Were students and parents asked their opinion on this new agenda before it was placed?” asked Melissa McBurney. “And how will the students who base their beliefs on biblical truth be accommodated during this new agenda that is going to be implemented in the school? “It does state that you can use single-stall restrooms, how many single stall bathrooms are in elementary school, in the middle school, and the high school? “And if there’s going to be a long line at these single stall bathrooms, will the tardy policy then be revised for the students that choose to use those bathrooms?”

McBurney also asked what measures are going to be taken to protect the child in the bathroom from being uncomfortable or to sexual exposure.

“I, like you guys, agree that everybody should have safety and feel secure when they are going into school,” said Jennifer Dewey. “That being said, I would be upset if my daughter was changing and there was a biological male that came in. I don’t think it’s fair to those students to put them in that situation, either way.

“I don’t think that it should be taking somebody else’s freedom and security and safety away from them, in order to make somebody else feel more comfortable. There’s probably grants out there for separate restrooms, separate changing facilities that can accommodate these types of situations. I would plead you to look at that, so that the kids don’t have to feel insecure.”

Other concerns expressed included the confidentiality of information sharing a student’s transgender status.

“It (the AR) says in some circumstances, the student who identifies as transgender may not want their parents to know the identity that they’re expressing at school,” said Jeff Handley. “As a parent, I’d like to see you guys drop that out of there. I want to know what’s going on with my kids in all aspects of their education and schooling. And I don’t agree with the fact that the school would … keep something from me as a parent on the progress of my students that could directly affect their progress.”

Other commenters expressed full support for the AR. “As someone who has a younger brother who is trans and became his transition in middle school, I just wanted to applaud the board in considering these really important policy and creating an environment for these students to thrive, and to feel safe around their teachers and other students,” said Jane White. “I am really glad and excited that you guys are considering this, and taking the steps to make this a safe space for those students who are, at greater risk for suicide, and self-harm, and a number of other incredibly hard situations.”

“As a parent of three kids in the district, I am overjoyed to see this change happening,” said a community member who identified themselves as Paiser. “We need to make sure that we are guiding our policies with the latest science and mental health experts regarding these issues, and I’m just glad, because this will create a safe space for all students in our district, and they all deserve respect and acceptance and safety at school.”

According to Aparicio, depending on the nature and volume of questions asked during the meeting and after, the district may respond individually through email, or in the format of an FAQ on the district website.

“We know there’s questions, we want to address them,” said Aparicio.

To view the entire July 21 School board meeting, visit the District 21 Facebook page, or the District 21 Media Channel on YouTube. The entire JB-AR document is available online for viewing in the July 21 school board meeting agenda on the district website.