Dover Area School Board to Review Two Anti-LGBTQ Policies Written by Christian Law Firm

Two anti-LGBTQ+ policies will be up for a vote at Thursday’s Dover Area School Board meeting.

They were first introduced on May 14 and are nearly identical to those drafted by the Harrisburg-based Independence Law Center, a right-wing Christian law firm, and adopted by the Southwestern California School Board. Hanover Area last week and by Red Lion Area School. Council last year.

When they were presented, school board President David Conley asked his colleagues if they wanted to discuss the policies. He was met with silence.

However, a public debate took place at the next meeting when policies were not on the agenda.

Resident Jen McGurn, speaking to the board last month, said, “I can’t think of anything less Christlike than intentionally making kids feel like they don’t matter as individuals.” Your decisions will have lasting repercussions.

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She then cited a Bible verse, Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Jesus Christ. »

“That was his word,” she said, “not to make people feel less than.”

Board member Allen Hogan pushed back on McGurn’s choice of biblical quote, saying he didn’t think it applied to the restrictions the elected officials were considering.

“This does not refer to biological sex or gender identity, but to the fact that salvation is not only available to men or women, Jews or Greeks,” he said.

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He also reiterated the commonalities that individuals assigned male at birth have a biological advantage over other female athletes.

The argument highlighted two opposing views on fairness when it comes to transgender athletes.

A 2022 National Institutes of Health study found that gender differences in muscle mass among elite athletes can be 50 to 75 percent greater in favor of athletes assigned male at birth.

“Ultimately, the ancient male physiology of transgender athletes gives them a physiological advantage over cis-female athletes,” the study concludes.

However, another side of the argument is that excluding an entire class of athletes is unfair. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the National Federation of State High School Associations, told ESPN: “We don’t look at (fairness) in terms of winning and losing. It’s more about opportunity and access. We want to be fair first.”

Board member Heidi Mease said she echoed Hogan’s sentiments, adding that she believed LGBTQ+ people made choices that made them more susceptible to suicide — as opposed to discrimination that made them more likely.

“Why would we encourage children to make choices that would lead them down this path? ” she asked.

Mease added: “These policies in our schools are intended to help our children make decisions that will not impact their lives. »

Conley also said he expects more policy discussions at this meeting.

ILC lead attorney Randall Wenger was involved in the 2004 intelligent design lawsuit that ultimately cost Dover taxpayers $1 million.

The ILC hiring also occurred shortly before some board members were invited to attend a March 15 meeting orchestrated by the conservative PA Economic Growth PAC. Emails obtained by The York Dispatch show that the ILC was on the agenda for that meeting.

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The district is also preparing for Superintendent Kelly Cartwright’s retirement after 34 years. His retirement was announced last month, and the board approved it. His last day is August 9. In her retirement letter, she said she would help with the transition to a new superintendent.

On Thursday, the board will vote on appointing Catherine Houck, the current assistant superintendent, as interim superintendent. If passed, his role would begin July 15 and continue until the board chooses a new superintendent or until Dec. 31.

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Recently, Cartwright has helped the district navigate budget cuts and more. She was also named in a lawsuit filed in early April by a mother who accused the school district and officials of recklessly neglecting her parental rights to the detriment of her child.

Bonnie Hoffman of Hangley, Aronchick, Segal, Pudlin and Schiller recently joined the lawsuit to represent Dover area officials.

No openings for the superintendent position have been posted in the district’s job postings.

The next Dover board meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. at 101 Edgeway Road in Dover. It can be watched in person or online through the district’s YouTube channel.

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