ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Elizabethtown students protested a controversial new policy proposed by the Elizabethtown School Board that would restrict the expression of gender identity by students.
The students spoke out against a policy on gender identity and pronouns, which was proposed in consultation with the Independence Law Center, which the board hired in June as pro bono legal counsel.
The Elizabethtown School Board plans to discuss the policy further in a meeting on Tuesday.
The ILC is a conservative law firm that advises and drafts policy for school districts pertaining to cultural issues in schools, such as whether students can use their preferred pronouns or whether transgender students can use bathrooms or play on a sports team aligning with their gender.
The policy on "Student Records - Name, Sex, and Gender Identity" would require parents of a student under the age of 18 to submit a written request in order for the student to be addressed by their preferred pronouns.
"The district standard is for school personnel to refer to each student using only the pronouns appropriate to the sex appearing in the student’s official record," the policy reads. "When accommodation requests have been granted by the district, school personnel will endeavor to avoid addressing the student by the unwanted first name or pronoun as an accommodation to the student."
The policy would not force students and staff to refer to a student by a name "inconsistent with their beliefs," even if a request is approved by the school to refer to a student by their preferred pronouns or name.
The students who protested outside the middle school before the school board meeting on Tuesday say the pronoun policy would put LGBTQ students at risk of retaliation
"I know personally from being bullied for not being straight," said Elizabethtown High School senior Rory Cheeckeye. "It destroyed me. If it becomes not just the students doing it, but also the teachers and the admin having a part in it, it will destroy children, and it will cause depression."
Another policy put forward by the board and the ILC would bar transgender students from playing on sports teams aligning with their identified gender.
"Athletic teams or sports designated for 'females,' 'women,' or 'girls' shall not be open to students of the male sex, and athletic teams or sports designated for 'males,' 'men,' or 'boys' shall not be open to students of the female sex," the policy reads.
The ILC believes the policies promote fairness for all students in the district.
“Girls deserve fairness and safety in athletic competitions that acknowledge biological differences between the two sexes and the policy empowers parents to be involved with decisions about their children," ILC Chief Counsel Randall Wenger said in a statement to FOX43. "These policies establish clear, consistent standards that protect everyone’s rights while fostering an environment of respect, transparency, and open communication between schools and families.”