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Great Valley board says it will cooperate with federal civil‑rights review as public commenters urge inclusive Title IX policies
Summary
Board President Rachel Gallegos said the district is working with counsel to respond to an Office for Civil Rights review; public commenters urged the board to keep policies grounded in peer‑reviewed evidence and inclusive practice.
The Great Valley School Board on Jan. 20 said it is cooperating with a newly announced U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights review while hearing public comment urging inclusive treatment of transgender and gender‑diverse students under Title IX.
Board President Rachel Gallegos read a prepared statement saying the board is "aware of the Office for Civil Rights investigation recently announced by the U.S. Department of Education" and is working with legal counsel to prepare a response. She told attendees the district takes its obligations under Title IX, federal civil‑rights laws and Pennsylvania statutes "seriously" and pledged to be responsive to the OCR review.
The board’s statement referenced long‑standing policy 103.3, in place since 2016. The statement did not detail the specific allegations or identify the complainant; the district said only that it will be responsive throughout the OCR review process.
During public comment, Susan Greenberg, a doctoral candidate in education and a Malvern resident, urged the board to "continue grounding its policies in peer‑reviewed evidence, educational equity" and cited research she said ties sports participation to better physical and mental health outcomes for transgender youth. "Excluding transgender youth from sports participation may worsen physical health outcomes, mental health and education engagement," she said, citing a 2021 JAMA Pediatrics article and other studies she submitted to the board.
Another commenter, Christy Largent of Malvern, urged the board to uphold policy 103.3 and criticized what she described as a complaint filed with the Department of Education by a former board member and the president. Largent called the action "hypocritical" and said she was "disgusted by his apparent bigotry toward the LGBTQ+ community," a claim the transcript records as her statement; the complaint referenced was not described in detail during the meeting.
The board did not take policy action on the matter during the meeting. Gallegos reiterated a focus on providing an "inclusive, equitable learning environment for every student," and said the district will review board policies with legal counsel as the OCR process continues. The board did not announce a timeline for the district’s response to OCR.
What’s next: The district will continue its review with legal counsel and said it will cooperate with the Office for Civil Rights. No formal changes to policy 103.3 or other policies were made at the Jan. 20 meeting.
