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Parent tells Galloway board she removed transgender child, alleges bias and lack of supports
Summary
During public comment a resident said she removed her transgender child from the district citing harassment and lack of support, accused some board meeting remarks of "hate speech," and said she will pursue due process to secure services; the board did not respond during the public comment period.
Susan Cal Geddes, a resident who identified herself during the public-comment period, told the Galloway Township Public School District Board of Education that she had removed her youngest child, who is transgender, from the district because the child had not been accepted and the family did not receive adequate support.
"The school has failed my child," Geddes said during the meeting. She said she was "distressed" and "disappointed" and described instances she characterized as discriminatory or biased remarks at prior board meetings that she said had "infiltrated the entire school and community." She said district staff had met with her in person but had not followed up, and that she had pursued a unilateral placement and would now seek due process to obtain services. "I have removed my youngest child who is transgender from this district because they are not accepted here," she said.
Geddes urged the board to read the code of ethics at every meeting and to act to shut down hateful and discriminatory speech. She said the lack of a prompt response from the district made it necessary for her to pursue formal procedures: "I know that once I file for due process, I can't talk again," she said, and asked the board to recognize her presence and concerns in the public record.
The board acknowledged her comments and moved on to other business; no public response to her claims appears on the transcript during that meeting segment. Later in the public-comment period another resident, Gary Hermonow, spoke, saying every child should get a decent education and stressing free-speech concerns.
The transcript records Geddes' claims as public comment; the board did not announce any immediate remedial actions on the record during the meeting. Any formal complaints, appeals or due-process filings referenced by Geddes would be handled through district procedures and are not detailed in the public transcript.
