Westborough resident seeks nonbinding vote to remove LGBTQ+ iconography from schools; Select Board members call claims false

Boyd Conklin, the proponent of Article 34, told the joint Select Board and Advisory Finance Committee meeting that he wants a nonbinding town meeting petition asking Westborough to restrict "LGBTQ plus iconography" in school buildings, including banners, flags and stickers. He described examples he said he documented in hallways and asserted rising percentages of students identifying as LGBTQ+ as evidence the materials influence youth.

"Room 39 at Gibbons Middle School is an outlandish example of the horrific indoctrination slash grooming occurring in Westborough Schools," Conklin said in his three‑minute presentation. He also referenced photographs he said are posted online and cited percentages of students that he said identify as LGBTQ+.

Select Board member Marshall pushed back during the question period, saying the petition's factual statements were incorrect. "The statement made in the article information is completely false," she said, noting that the board has no policy authorizing the placement of political or organizational iconography in town‑owned buildings beyond the flag policy. A different attendee described Conklin's language as "disgusting" and related personal experience of family loss to emphasize why they found the petition harmful.

Other residents urged that if proponents have evidence of specific problematic materials or practices they should bring that documentation to school administrators or the appropriate forum. Julie Squires and others encouraged use of established channels including school tours, trustee meetings and the district's public forums to raise factual concerns and request corrective actions.

The petition is nonbinding. Board members noted that policies for curriculum and school displays rest with the school committee and school administration; they advised proponents to raise any verified concerns with those bodies and to bring documentary evidence to public forums. The committees did not take a formal vote on the petition at the meeting; proponents were informed the item will appear on the town meeting warrant for voters to consider in person.