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OCN > 2312 > Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 9 – Board hears first read of gender transition policy, plans to address East Campus budget issues

Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 9 – Board hears first read of gender transition policy, plans to address East Campus budget issues

By Jackie Burhans

The Monument Academy (MA) School Board met on Nov. 9 to hear a first reading of a new gender transition policy, to discuss how to address East Campus budget issues, and to hear committee reports.

Gender transition policies

The MA board heard a first read from the governance committee on a JRT Gender Transition and Parental Rights Policy to codify its June 27 resolution on gender issues and student protection. See www.ocn.me/v23n8.htm/ma0627. The resolution:

  • Declared that anti-discrimination state laws SB08-200 and HB21-1108 exposed students to gender dysphoria.
  • Encouraged students to set boundaries and report boundary violations to staff.
  • Said MA would violate state and federal anti-discrimination laws.
  • Mandated that minor students who wish to express a different gender be affirmed by their parents or guardians, update all related school records, and follow their expressed gender dress code.
  • Directed administration to notify the community that a student whose expressed gender differed from their biological gender might be in bathrooms or locker rooms.
  • Advised parents to consult with their attorney about bringing legal action against the parents of children they felt violated their child’s Fourth Amendment right to privacy.
  • Affirmed that political leaders have a moral obligation to challenge laws.
  • Appealed to the MA community to contact their representatives.

The policy, developed by board Treasurer Joe Buczkowski and board Director Karen Hoida and approved by legal counsel, is called JRT Gender Transition and Parental Rights Policy. Its purpose is to provide a procedure by which a student can transition to a different gender with respect to school records, policies, and facilities. The draft states that MA supports the rights of students to transition and the rights of parents to oversee the care, custody, and control of their minor children. The policy defines various terms and provides a background focusing on the fourth and fifth bullet points above.

The procedures include the staff’s initial contact with a student who wishes to transition, referral and follow-up by the school principal with the students and their parents, required record changes, and community notification.

Buczkowski said that the committee received input from the administration and the principals and wanted to address the concerns of all involved, so it took a few months to develop. Board President Ryan Graham asked for advice on soliciting community input. MA’s lawyer, Brad Miller, advised that there is an exception to the Open Records Act that would let them keep this as a private draft. Hoida noted that it was public now since they read it aloud and asked about the process for feedback. Miller said it could be published in the board packet, the minutes, or on the website. Miller advised against using Google Docs for all board members to add comments as that would constitute a board meeting. Miller advised the board not to vote on this at the next meeting, saying if substantive changes exist, the final version should be discussed in an open meeting before voting at a subsequent meeting.

In discussion, Graham and board Vice President Lindsay Clinton objected to the statement that MA supports a student’s right to transition. Hoida suggested a better word would be acknowledge rather than support. Board Secretary Emily Belisle suggested simply saying that supports all students. Miller said the statement could be eliminated without changing the substance. Belisle wants the policy to better reflect the resolution, especially the part that supports “natural law and moral truth,” to address how this affects the community, to change some of the definitions and word usage, and to change some procedures. Graham noted that some of the language came straight from the Colorado Revised Statute and asked Miller, who said it would be legal advice that would require an executive session.

Belisle suggested that the principal should inform the parents and schedule a meeting. Buczkowski said that was left out to protect students for whom a forced conversation might not be in their best interest. Board Director Matt Ross suggested that this gave unwarranted trust to students. Hoida said that if the school said they would contact the parents, the student might not want to proceed with the transition. Clinton said she would want to know as a parent, and the policy should protect parental rights and not give authority to students.

There was a discussion about how to handle discipline, and interim Chief Operating Officer Kim McClelland said it was on a case-by-case basis depending on whether it was a student or staff violating policy. Belisle pointed out that this policy assumes a binary choice of genders, which is not always the case; Buczkowski said it’s not a problem unless they choose an opposite gender.

Buczkowski thanked the board for its input and said a lot of the changes were minor wording changes, but the biggest question was when staff needed to tell the principal and when the principal had to contact the parents, even against the will of the student. The policy was drafted to try to be realistic about the relationships students may have with coaches and teachers with whom they may be closer than their parents. It would be easy to just say minor students and their parents must come to see the principal, he said, but asked if that was realistic.

Graham said that community feedback is encouraged. Belisle said that all staff and teachers are mandatory reporters, and it’s incumbent on them to report concerns about home life. Miller said there is another set of laws that hasn’t been addressed about a student’s rights around mental health and counseling that interposes in this discussion; he said he would prefer to talk to the board privately in more detail.

A second reading will be conducted at its Dec. 14 meeting. The board solicits community feedback on this draft policy, which is available at: https://bit.ly/ma-draft-gender-policy. Feedback should be submitted directly to McClelland at kmcclelland@monumentacademy.net no later than Dec. 1.

Plans to address East Campus budget issues

Buczkowski reported that the Finance Committee reviewed the audit results and the substandard state of the debt service coverage ratio and cash reserves as of June 30, 2023, at the East Campus. The committee discussed plans for the West Campus to lend $300,000 to the East Campus and the importance of establishing a balanced budget for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year. It also talked about cost-cutting measures to bring the East Campus budget back in balance. A lot of the 2024 budget depends on the results of the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) application MA submitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which might not be known by the time the board is required to set a budget, he said.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

  • Clinton spotlighted Deborah Hulting, who has been a kindergarten teacher and is now an art teacher. She exudes warmth, fun, and patience with artists of all ages, Clinton said.
  • Graham reported that a road is being constructed on the south side of the school to connect to the top of the “s” curve. The roundabout at Knollwood and Highway 105 may be completed in December or January.
  • Board member Emily Belisle reported that the Curriculum Committee learned that MA could continue to use the current Saxon Math for another year, and the committee decided, in consideration of the budget, to table moving to a new curriculum. This will provide extra time to review the proposed final candidates: Reveal Math and Everyday Math.
  • Ross reported for the Student Accountability and Advisory Committee (SAAC) of West Campus that MA had collected the most food in a recent food drive, and he highlighted recent and upcoming PTO events. SAAC reviewed questions for the mid-year survey, which was available on Nov. 15 and will be open until Dec. 1.
  • Clinton reported for SAAC East that it began reviewing questions for the mid-year survey and noted that MA hosted the district Parent and Community Advisory Committee (PCAC) at its west campus on Nov. 14. She also gave a roundup of activities for the East Campus PTO.
  • The board discussed the quarterly dashboard and how to interpret the data and plans to improve achievement and behavioral outcomes.
  • The board unanimously approved the Emergency Operating Procedures with changes discussed at a previous meeting.
  • The meeting ended with an executive session to discuss property transactions; to address D38 charter contract updates and related financial and bond covenant issues, and school security protocols and proposals; to discuss personnel performance and contract matters regarding school principals, Human Resources, and executive director; and to address related hiring processes and conflict of interest questions regarding a substitute hiring possibility.
Above: At Monument Academy’s Nov. 9 board meeting, board Vice President Lindsay Clinton, right, spotlighted arts teacher Deborah Hulting for her warmth and patience with artists of all ages. Photo by Natalie Barszcz. Caption by Jackie Burhans.

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The MA School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

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