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Resident urges Saco School Board to revise human-rights and Title IX policy, citing inconsistent enforcement
Summary
Lauren Grenier told the Saco School Board that the district enforces its human-rights policy inconsistently and urged the policy subcommittee to align district policy with federal Title IX standards and remove provisions she said exceed federal law.
Lauren Grenier addressed the Saco School Board during public comment on Sept. 8, urging the district to revise its human-rights and Title IX policies to eliminate what she described as inconsistent enforcement. "When a policy is unclear or inconsistently enforced, it stops protecting people and starts hurting them," Grenier said, recounting that she had been investigated under the district's policy for alleged misgendering while, she asserted, a similar incident involving another staff member appeared on an official agenda without the same response.
Grenier asked the board's policy subcommittee to review and revise the district's human-rights and Title IX policies and to "align district policy with federal law, specifically Title IX," removing language on gender identity and misgendering that she said goes beyond federal requirements. She told the board she had submitted a formal written request to the policy subcommittee on Sept. 26 and said she received no response from the board after follow-ups.
Grenier also told the board a video of her remarks at a prior meeting has been widely viewed; "that video has since been viewed over 700,000 times," she said, adding that the attention has drawn national interest. She warned that inconsistent policy enforcement "undermines the integrity of this district" and increases the potential for confusion and liability if left unaddressed.
The superintendent, introduced in the meeting as Superintendent Wright, did not announce policy changes at the meeting. In his superintendent's report earlier in the agenda, Wright thanked staff for their professionalism and said staff had received threats in recent weeks, praising employees for continuing to serve students amid the heightened attention. He did not offer a legal analysis of the policy complaint during the public-comment response.
The board did not take immediate action on Grenier's request; she said she had formally asked the policy subcommittee to review and revise district policy. The policy subcommittee is listed in the board's committee schedule on the meeting agenda; the board approved a slate of first-reading policies later in the meeting (see separate article).
