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Residents and students press St. Mary's County BOE for an Inclusive Schools resolution
Summary
Multiple students, parents and community members urged the Board of Education to adopt an explicit Inclusive Schools resolution to protect LGBTQ+ students and staff, citing safety, mental-health risks and inconsistent enforcement under current practices.
Cora Clancy, a student speaker, opened the public-comment sequence on inclusivity, saying the ‘‘lack of kindness and empathy’’ in schools is ‘‘heartbreaking’’ and urging more counselor-led classroom lessons that teach respect for LGBTQIA students and others.
Sam Kirk and other speakers reinforced that call, arguing inclusion is central to the schools’ mission. ‘‘When LGBTQ+ students feel marginalized or invisible, their ability to focus, learn, and grow is severely compromised,’’ Kirk said, urging inclusive curriculum, staff training and anti-bullying protections that explicitly cover gender identity and sexual orientation.
Christina Stone, who said she grew up in St. Mary’s County public schools, described teachers and students ‘‘ran out of town’’ because of their identities and said informal responses are not enough: ‘‘An inclusive schools resolution addresses this by making a stance clear and consistent,’’ she told the board.
Other commenters pressed the board to make protections explicit and uniformly enforced, arguing the absence of written policy leads to uneven application and leaves some students isolated. Several speakers connected policy gaps to mental-health risks; one commenter cited national data on youth suicide rates when describing the stakes for LGBTQIA students.
The board took public comment on the topic during its public-comment period; no formal motion or board response on an Inclusive Schools resolution was recorded during this meeting.
