Parent tells board policy deletion leaves transgender students without supports

Christine Barnett, a Westboro neighborhood taxpayer and parent of a former district student, told the Topeka Public Schools Board of Education she is alarmed that the board voted on May 21 to eliminate the district’s guidance for transgender students.

"The complete elimination of our policy is the only option is absurd," Barnett said. She told the board the deletion left students and staff with fewer protections and weakened the district’s position in legal negotiations. "The policy is gone. The damage is done. Transgender students are seemingly eliminated," she said, and urged the board to provide support services such as counseling and social workers ahead of the upcoming school year.

Barnett said she heard board members emphasize compliance in prior discussions but argued that how the district complies matters. She urged board members to read source documents and district policy closely and cautioned against accepting false dichotomies that lead to poor decisions.

The board thanked Barnett for speaking; no board action or formal reply to her specific requests occurred during public comment. Board policy 2050 was invoked by the chair in introducing the comment period to emphasize privacy protections and the district process for handling employee complaints.

Next steps: Barnett’s remarks were recorded during the public comment period; the board did not announce immediate policy changes in response at the meeting.