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Newport commenters urge protection for LGBTQ+ students, oppose book bans at school committee meeting
Summary
About 15 public commenters urged the Newport School Committee not to weaken policies protecting transgender and gender-expansive students and warned against schoolbook bans; other speakers pressed concerns about girls’ sports and curriculum choices. The committee took no policy vote during public comment.
Public comment at the Newport School Committee meeting focused on two flashpoints: defending district protections for transgender and gender-expansive students, and opposing local book bans.
Quinton Foster, director of transgender whole-healthcare at East Bay Community Action Program, urged the committee “not to make any changes to your policies at this time” and said Newport’s rules align with Rhode Island best-practice guidance and federal civil-rights protections. Foster cited state survey data and national youth-mental-health research to argue that policy rollbacks harm students’ well-being.
Several speakers framed the debate as a freedom-of-speech issue and warned against censorship. William Kims, who said he is a Newport parent, described book bans as “a small step backward for humanity” and urged preserving students’ access to diverse perspectives. Kimberly Bean, president of the Newport Public Ed Foundation, cited the familiar “mirrors and windows” rationale for school libraries and cautioned that banning books can “undermine democracy.”
Speakers from opposing perspectives also addressed the committee. A commenter who identified themself in the record as Robert Gerardo argued the district’s transgender policy “discriminates against 99% of this District’s students” and warned of litigation if the policy is not changed; another speaker who said she represents a local chapter of Moms for Liberty said her group curates materials rather than bans them and raised concerns about fairness and girls’ sports.
Audience reactions at times included applause and interruptions when comment time limits were exceeded. Committee members reiterated the three-minute public-comment rule and did not take any formal policy action during the period. Several speakers noted they expect the newly appointed policy subcommittee—appointed earlier in the meeting—to review related policies going forward.
The committee proceeded after public comment to a scheduled district presentation on the newly finalized “Portrait of a Graduate.” No committee vote to change transgender-related policies or adopt book restrictions occurred during this meeting; those issues, speakers said, will be discussed further in subcommittee or at later agenda items.
