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Winthrop School Board weighs new transgender-related policy amid questions over legal exposure
Summary
The Winthrop School Board discussed drafting an "ACDC" policy to replace existing transgender guidance while public commenters and board members pressed for fiscal-impact analysis and legal documentation; Superintendent Dr. Foley said existing insurance provides a $250,000 pool (about $30,000 spent) and that a single lawsuit could exceed $50,000.
The Winthrop School Board spent substantial time discussing a directive to develop a new policy described by Superintendent Dr. Foley as ACDC (Accommodation of privacy based on biological [sex]) and answering detailed questions from residents about legal risk and fiscal impact.
"I really have no idea of what that will cost, but it would not surprise me if a lawsuit would exceed, you know, $50,000," Dr. Foley said while outlining the district's current legal-fees posture. She told the board the district's insurance will cover an initial $250,000 pool for districts being sued and that about $30,000 of that pool has been spent, leaving roughly $230,000 available to the group of districts currently involved.
Public commenters asked why the board is creating a new policy rather than reverting to pre‑August 2024 policies and demanded documentation of legal advice and a fiscal-impact analysis. "Why is the board creating new policies rather than simply returning to the policies that were in place prior to August 2024 when those expansions were adopted?" resident Whitney Khan asked, requesting evidence that the change would not exclude students from interscholastic activities and asking when the required fiscal-impact analysis would be published.
Board members asked clarifying procedural and fiscal questions about the insurance pool and potential exposure. Dr. Foley said the district currently has $35,000 budgeted for legal fees this year and has proposed $50,000 in the next year’s budget; she also noted the district could move funds from a capital-improvement reserve only with board and town-council approval. The policy committee told the board it will continue policy work and that the May 19 meeting will be rescheduled and communicated to the public.
