O'FALLON, Mo. — Teachers and staff in the Francis Howell School District are now banned from speaking with students about issues involving gender identity unless they have permission from the parents or guardians.
The decision came during a heated Board of Education meeting Thursday night.
School leaders were also set to vote on another controversial topic: Banning students who are transgender or nonbinary from using bathrooms of the gender they identify with. The proposal would allow students to use a separate, single-stall restroom.
Proponents said it's about safety and privacy. Opponents said it was a targeted attack.
"If they go into a female bathroom, they're going right into a stall. They're closing the door. They're going and doing their peeing in private. Their business is in private,” said Becky Hormuth, a teacher who has a trans son in the district.
At the start of the meeting, school leaders decided to postpone a vote on the bathroom ban. No word on when school leaders will take the matter up for a vote.
Those in favor of the ban on teachers talking with students about gender made their voices heard during the public comment portion of the meeting.
"Recently, I read online a post from a Francis Howell preschool teacher who admitted she was discussing sexual preferences with a 4-year-old. How on earth does this make sense?"
"This should not be allowed in our schools,” one speaker said. "Encouraging children to change genders is unethical on multiple levels and without this policy implemented, Francis Howell is continuously exposed to significant litigation risks.”
“Any kid can go to a teacher, a counselor or trusted staff member and have a conversation about anything else that might be troubling them except this. This is the only issue,” said Nancy Slusarski who disagrees with the ban. She’s part of the group Trans Parent USA, offering support to families. "If you have a family that’s not supportive of their gender-fluid child, we could make matters worse."
That ban passed 5-2.
Teachers and parent groups packed the meeting, some of them holding signs that read, "Not backward. FH forward."
5 On Your Side will continue to follow the transgender bathroom proposal.