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Committee updates bullying definition across district policies; member raises privacy and athletics concerns
Summary
The policy committee voted to update the district's bullying definition across three policies to align with a state statute effective July 1; one member voiced concerns about privacy, locker rooms and impacts on female athletes, and one member abstained on one vote.
The Stamford Board of Education policy committee approved updates to the district's bullying definition across three policies, voting to place the changes on the full board's consent agenda after brief debate.
District staff member Chris told the committee the three amendments "are just to update the definition of bullying to the definition that the state has put in place that will be effective on July 1." The changes apply to policy 5,002 (transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming youth), policy 5,005 (students' bullying behavior), and policy 51 31 (suspension and expulsion / due process).
Doctor Hammond said the proposed adoption raised privacy and athletics concerns and urged clearer communication to parents. "This policy' ... this would allow boys to be in girls' bathrooms or girls, you know, depending upon their transition," Doctor Hammond said, adding that parents and female athletes should be made aware and that the agenda language could be clearer about the bullying-definition update.
The chair and staff responded that the red-line document and the resolution background explicitly cite the state statute and that the committee was voting on updated language tied to that statutory definition. Michael Barbino said he was confused at first, saying he had understood the change to be "a definition change with respect to bullying" and asked for confirmation; staff and the chair reiterated the statutory basis shown in the materials.
The committee voted to approve policy 5,002 with four members in favor and one abstention (Michael Barbino). The subsequent votes to update policy 5,005 and policy 51 31 passed unanimously. The chair said the items will be placed on the consent agenda for the full board.
