After sitting through the Supreme Court hearing on 4/27/2023, where the Manchester School District Attorney argued against parental rights for families who send their children to the Manchester public schools; you got the feeling that school officials have no intention of problem-solving this legal dispute.
Instead, they want to slam the door in the faces of parents who want to parent their own children. I think even the Union Leader reporter might have been stunned by this admission in court:
Whatever happened to finding ways to solve problems? Administrators say they want students to learn problem-solving strategies, but shouldn’t they set the example too?
The Manchester JBAB policy states that: School personnel should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others unless legally required to do so or unless the student has authorized such disclosure.
There is nothing in the policy about due process. This attack on parents applies to loving and caring parents who simply want to be a part of their child’s life. In this case, that’s exactly what they had, parents who are loving and caring; not the abusive monsters that all parents are now portrayed to be by those who advocate for lying to parents.
Teachers are afforded due process. Why not parents? Shouldn’t a policy like this only apply to a parent that has been shown to be a danger their child? Why are loving and caring parents treated like they are abusive monsters? That’s what this policy says to all parents in Manchester, even if you are loving and caring, you will be treated as if you are an abusive monster.
If you don’t like it, parents, go somewhere else.
How does this policy respect the diversity of the families in Manchester? How is this inclusive language? Why is no one looking to problem solve, and come up with a policy that serves all families in Manchester?
We know that The New Hampshire School Boards Association withdrew JBAB from their recommended list of polices.
JBAB Manual 2022-3-1
We know that this policy applies to all families without due process. We know that many schools in New Hampshire do NOT have this policy in their school district.
Teachers do not want to be put in the position of lying to parents. Several teachers spoke up at the parental rights hearing (SB272) and testified before the legislators that they don’t like being put in a position where they have to lie to parents. I suppose you can find some teachers who are a bit more radicalized in their worldview, and have no problem coming between a parent and child–but many teachers do not want to work in a district where they are instructed to lie to parents.
So where are the problem solvers? How much money is being spent on attorneys to fight against parental rights in Manchester?
What is wrong with the people running the Manchester school district? Namely the school board and administrators who go along with this? Are they that determined to drive good families out of the public schools? That’s exactly what we heard during the hearings on SB272. Parents warned that if public school policies required staff to lie to parents, they were going to remove their children from the public schools.
It’s as if the Manchester administrators and board members are so stubborn on this issue that they are going to drive more families out of the school district. None of these people know how to compromise to find a solution that works for all parents? Then they need to stop complaining when families utilize the school choice options that are available to them.
One thing’s for sure, school choice proponents will be sitting back and watching this unfold. Manchester attorneys, administrators, and board members are priming these families to remove their children from the district. This is a great way to get new supporters of school choice initiatives in New Hampshire.
