Parents and educators clash at Kingston BOE over Miller Middle School handout on gender identity

At a Kingston City School District Board of Education meeting, parents and educators delivered sharply contrasting accounts of classroom materials on gender identity distributed at Miller Middle School.

Supporters of the teacher said the handout was provided at a student’s request and used to support a pupil who identifies differently from peers. "I support this teacher—and that teacher's right to share this information and to support a student in his or her class," said Dr. Andrea Gatsky, a Kingston resident and educator at SUNY New Paltz. Dr. Christopher Louis, also a Kingston resident, urged the board to recognize that "trans, nonbinary, and queer kids are here—they are real" and cited higher rates of bullying and suicide risk among transgender youth as a reason to ensure school supports.

Other parents described a different account. One parent who said they found a folder in their child's possession told the board that multiple students said a lesson had been given "in regards to being able to choose their own gender," and said such material should be pre-approved and taught in health classes rather than art. The parent asked that the teacher not give such lessons to an 11-year-old without prior notification to families.

Zach Murray, an English teacher at Miller, told the board he spoke to set the record straight: he said there "was no lesson taught on gender identity" and that a teacher provided worksheets at a student's request; one copy reached a parent and was later posted on Facebook with misinformation. "It ended up in somebody's hands. Somebody saw it and interpreted as they are teaching my child to think this way. It wasn't—it was a small aspect of a lesson on identity in which the students had a lot of agency to express themselves," Murray said.

The board did not take disciplinary action at the meeting. Trustees and community members discussed communication and outreach options so families can better understand curriculum and school supports. Multiple speakers invoked legal context: Dr. Louis referenced the Dignity for All Students Act as part of the rationale for ensuring student safety; Anthony Fitzpatrick told the board that "gender identity is now protected in the New York State Constitution," arguing legal protections underscore the need to recognize students' identities.

The meeting record shows the dispute primarily occurred during the public comment periods; no formal motions to discipline staff were introduced or voted on during the session. The board acknowledged the tension between parental concern about age-appropriate instruction and educators' accounts of providing support to students. The board asked staff to follow up with communications measures to make materials, policies and options for family notification more accessible.

The board did not set a follow-up date specific to this complaint at the meeting; next procedural steps were limited to the ongoing communication work and any potential administrative follow-up that would occur outside the public session.