LINCOLN, Neb. — Irving Middle School was thrust into the international spotlight this fall simply for following orders.
Internal documents show the Lincoln Public School District encouraged school administrators at Irving to train school staff in gender sensitivity, which caused the dustup.
During routine summer training, Lincoln Public Schools administrators participated in a breakout session on gender identity, and each school’s equity liaison was given handouts “from national speakers with recognized expertise in this area,” according to school system documents obtained under the open records law.
The equity liaisons were encouraged to observe the Gay-Straight Alliance’s National Day of Silence (to protest LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment); advised not to let their personal or religious beliefs overshadow professional behavior and given the controversial “genderbread person” document last year, according to school system documents.
The handout, written by “social justice comedian” Sam Killermann, said gender isn’t binary, it isn’t either/or and encourages kids to define their gender based on how much they align with “what you understand to be the options for gender” such as “two-spirit” and “gender/queer.” The school system has since said it’s looking for a better alternative to the “genderbread” handout.
School administrators were told students should be allowed to determine their gender identity and preferred pronoun — he or she — and were warned that “gender-based discrimination” is illegal.
They were told to “effectively implement gender inclusive practices that help build the foundation for a safe school for all students” and urged to evaluate all “gender-based” policies, rules and practices that might marginalize, stigmatize and exclude students.
As for whether transgender students can use the restrooms and locker rooms they identify with, administrators were told to review each case individually.
After the summer training, Lincoln Public Schools multicultural school community administrator Thomas Christie emailed LGBT documents to middle school principals Aug. 5, encouraging them to train teachers.
Four days later, Irving Principal Susette Taylor asked several teachers to integrate LGBT sensitivity into staff training, according to internal emails. She emailed Lincoln Public Schools “transgender resources” to Irving’s multicultural liaison and cultural proficiency team leader, Spanish teacher Nancy Stanley, and asked her to incorporate the training into the schools’ first professional development meeting.
