LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — The Penn Manor School Board in Lancaster County approved a contract with the conservative law firm Independence Law Center (ILC) Monday night after hours of public testimony for and against the district’s partnership with the firm.
Members of the community testified for more than three hours before the board put the issue to a vote.
ILC is offering free legal counsel to school districts when it comes to making policies for students, but some community members warn the group’s advice may not protect all students.
Some community members cited concerns over ILC’s connections to PA Family, a religious organization looking to restore traditional values in the state, saying that those ties could endanger the rights of transgender students.
Parker Webb, executive director for Lititz Chooses Love, says the language used in some policies can further ostracize LGBTQ+ students. He said, “Even using words like 'biological boy' or 'biological girl' is trying to otherize us.”
Others were concerned that without the partnership, topics like gender and identity in the classroom could fall into teachers' laps, which would produce inconsistencies in student education.
Jeremy Samek, senior counsel for ILC, said some of the most common policies they work on with schools involve sports.
“At the end of the day, bodies play sports, identities don't. And so creating sex-specific standards for why we separate sports protects everybody involved," Samek said.
Keeping students safe was the main concern of everyone who spoke at Penn Manor’s meeting, each with their own view on what is safe.
While the issue is inciting controversy within the community, the law center would not be writing the policies for the school system. That gave some residents hope that members of the board will use their best judgement to ensure that all students are protected no matter the policy or their identity.
After hours-long testimony and more than 100 emails to board members on Monday alone raising concerns about the agenda item, the board voted 5-4 in favor of working with ILC.