CONESTOGA, Pa. — The Conestoga Valley School Board will conduct an informal poll to decide if any revisions need to be made to the school’s athletic sports policy pertaining to gender identity.
The current policy does not say whether transgender students can participate in boys' or girls’ sports.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
Idette Groff, Conestoga School Board president, said the discussion to revisit the policy came into discussion when Hempfield School District created a new policy limiting athletes’ participation in sports with their sex at birth.
“The meeting is not a vote but an opportunity for people to say whether or not the current policy should be revised,” said Groff.
Groff said if the majority is in favor of making a revision to the current policy, a draft and reading could come as early as the next board meeting on Jan. 17. The meeting tonight would allow the public and board members to voice their concerns on the current policy and policy change.
“This is a national issue, a safety issue, a civil rights issue,” said Groff. “What’s best for our kids is the main goal.”
Lancaster Pride, a nonprofit organization that advocates for people in the LGBTQ+ community, weighed in on the discussion with FOX43, saying that the revision to limit transgender students in sports would be disappointing and heartbreaking.
“It’s disappointing that a school board that was established to protect their students is failing these trans students,” said Tiffany Shirley, president of Lancaster Pride. "All students should have equal access to education and extracurricular activities regardless of sexual orientation."
Senator Ryan Aument provided feedback to FOX43 News ahead of the board meeting. Sen. Aument has cosponsored and voted in favor of Senate Bill 1191, which examines gender identity. The bill was presented last session and it does not allow students who are of the male sex to participate in sports that are designed for women or girls.
The bill defines the male sex as “the biological distinction between male and female based on reproductive biology and genetic makeup.”
“This bill would have also provided liability protections for school entities or public institutions of higher education that maintain separate teams or sports for students of the female sex, thereby providing cover for schools like Conestoga Valley that wish to create their own policies that best suit their unique academic community.”
Groff said the decision would ultimately come down to legislators and what directive Pennsylvania schools should be implementing in sports.
“This is a much higher level than school district… we’re working with very old policies,” said Groff.
Groff said public input is welcomed and tonight's meeting will also be live-streamed.