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Parents and community members accuse trustees of discriminatory comments, urge accountability
Summary
Two public commenters urged the Galt trustees to follow district nondiscrimination policy and opposed proposed policy language changes; one asked board members to resign following remarks about gender, another warned against interpreting a recent court decision as authorization to remove content about LGBTQIA people.
Two members of the public used the board's comment period to press trustees about nondiscrimination and proposed policy changes, telling the Board of Trustees that remarks by a board member and proposed policy edits have harmed LGBTQIA students and could violate state law.
At the start of public comment, Kristen Zipper read the district's policy 5145.98 on hate‑motivated behavior and said the board's actions and statements have not matched the policy's protections. "What happens when our district leaders who are guided by this policy are the ones discriminated?" Zipper asked, describing a September remark by a trustee saying, based on religious beliefs, "there are only 2 genders" and adding, "If board members cannot protect the rights of every, sorry, excuse me, protect the rights of, protect the safety of and cannot advocate for every student in our district, then I would ask that those members step down immediately. You swore an oath to the students of Galt and we will put you accountable."
Later in the meeting Veronica Kaufman addressed the board during a scheduled public‑comment period on proposed policy language related to instruction about religious beliefs and customs and the Supreme Court's Mohammed v. Taylor decision. Kaufman urged trustees not to adopt changes she said would erode protections for LGBTQIA students, citing California Department of Education guidance and state education code sections she referenced. "This board and district are, however, bound to the law via the California Constitution and education code," Kaufman said, later adding, "This conduct is a violation of our district LCAP, out of alignment with the education code, and potentially violates the constitutional rights of LGBTQIA plus students."
Board members did not take immediate action in response to the public commenters during the meeting. Staff later noted that proposed policy language had been drafted in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and that the district would bring policy language forward for review; trustees indicated they would consider public comment during upcoming policy deliberations.
Ending: Commenters asked trustees to prioritize student safety and legal obligations; the district indicated it would continue to process proposed policy changes through its regular policy and public‑hearing procedures.
