Johnston County board pulls proposed changes to nondiscrimination policies after heated public comment

The Johnston County Board of Education on March 11 pulled proposed revisions to several nondiscrimination and harassment policies after more than an hour of public comment pressing the board to retain explicit protections for LGBTQIA+ students and staff.

Board chair Sherilyn Andrews said the board would not act immediately on the policies and that the policy committee will reexamine the language to ensure it complies with state and federal law. "Our desire is to make sure that we are following state and federal law," Andrews said during the meeting.

The proposed changes the committee had circulated would have removed the terms "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" from a set of board policies (policy references discussed in the meeting included 1710, 1720, 7230 and related policies). Board member Kevin Donovan told colleagues the policy committee intended to revisit language and confirm compliance with Title IX and other legal requirements before bringing a second reading back to the board.

The pull followed sustained public comment from teachers, parents and students. Aubrianna Ressler, identifying herself as a transgender resident of Johnston County, told the board: "Removing protections of the LGBTQIA+ students will only have negative consequences for the school and the community." She added bluntly, "If you vote to eliminate this protection, the blood from each students will be on your hands." Another speaker, Ben Chapman, said policy wording matters in practice: "Policies reflect the commitment. Removing these policies sends the wrong message."

Board members debated procedure and next steps during the meeting. Donovan said the policies should be reworked by the policy committee: "We're gonna make sure that we're following federal and state laws. We're gonna make sure that we're doing that and then we'll discuss further in policy committee." Andrews said the district would continue to enforce existing student conduct rules: "Every child in Johnston County Public Schools is to be free of bullying and harassment. ... We are not going to tolerate bullying or harassing anyone. Anyone."

Supporters of keeping the existing language warned of practical harms. Teacher Eldorado Dexra cited Centers for Disease Control research on safety risks for transgender students and urged the board to retain specific protections. Several speakers also warned of potential legal exposure and lawsuits if explicit protections were removed; at least one speaker referenced court decisions nationwide that found discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation to be covered under civil-rights law.

The board did not vote on the policy changes at the March 11 meeting. Board members said the items were removed from the consent agenda and will return to the policy committee for further review; the policy committee is scheduled to meet again and will make recommendations to the full board. The board emphasized it will seek to align any revisions with state and federal requirements before a second reading.

The matter drew one of the largest public-comment turnouts the board has had in recent months and set the item as a near-term follow-up for committee review and public engagement.

Ending: The board gave no timeline for when it will present revised language. Members said they expect additional committee work and community input before any formal vote.