To the Parents and Residents of Moultonborough, The Moultonborough School District is keeping parents and taxpayers in the dark as a result of their student transgender policy JBAB.
We want to thank Gary Torressen for this Op-Ed. Please submit yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
This was adopted in May of 2021, with no board discussion on how it would be implemented, as well as no parent or community input. No policy committee meeting minutes were kept, violating RSA91A:2. The School Board Unanimously passed it though. Whether they knew what it said or not, we’ll never know. All we have is a bad policy.
The Transgender and gender non-conforming student policy states in its purpose section that it’s a District requirement of the policy “for all schools and all personnel to promote acceptance and respect” of transgenderism. The problem is not with respecting someone’s gender or identity, as everyone must be respected and treated equally. The problem with this policy is the required promotion and acceptance of transgenderism. Imagine if a school policy required the promotion and acceptance of a specific religion or ideology. Acceptance is not the same as respect. It’s wrong for public schools to promote acceptance of any group, community, or viewpoint over others, but that is what’s happening with this policy.
Our schools are required to maintain viewpoint neutrality in education. Its job is to teach students how to think and not what to think. However, as a direct result of this policy being in effect, Superintendent Patrick Andrews in March contracted with a political-social organization Seacoast Outright, that will train all staff regarding LGBTQ+ terms and concepts and how to implement this social agenda.
This training had no School Board approval or oversight and is being paid for by taxpayers with no transparency.
Why are parents and taxpayers not being informed? Full transparency and accountability are critical for public trust to be maintained, yet sadly we’re all being kept in the dark! It’s time to demand our teachers to be trained for success in teaching, with a focus on academic excellence, since we have been failing in math and science proficiency. Tell the School Board to cancel the Seacoast Outright social agenda training and replace it with solid academic training. We all want nothing but success for students and staff in the pursuit of academic excellence! The next School Board meeting is August 8th, 7:00 PM.
Email: gtorressen@roadrunner.com if you have questions or want to help. This is your School District paid for with your hard-earned tax dollars. Time is long overdue for parents and taxpayers to get involved.
As I mentioned at the May School Board meeting, Moultonborough approved a $17 million budget, spending $34,000 per student, and the district is ranked 97th in the State of NH. Sunapee a same-size school district in spending and enrollment, is 21’st. See www.schooldigger.com.
We are #1 in per-pupil spending, and we appear to be accepting mediocrity with failing academic proficiency scores for the last 6 years. This is a big problem that needs to be fixed now!
Link to Seacoast Outright. Coming to Moultonborough for Staff Professional Development Training scheduled for August 28th https://www.seacoastoutright.org/ ( Is this what the Parents and Taxpayers of Moultonborough are expected to promote and pay for?)
June School Board Meeting Video Link: https://townhallstreams.com/stream.php?location_id=51&id=53446
May School Board meeting Video Link: https://townhallstreams.com/stream.php?location_id=51&id=52861
Gary Torressen
Former NH State Representative and Moultonborough School Board Member
Editor’s note: Also read the District’s JBAB-R, which delivers the obnoxious “payload” of specifically telling staff to lie to parents (get that – the School Board is forcing their staff to lie to parents!) about the transgender status of their child in school:
“…school personnel should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others, including parents and other school personnel, unless legally required to do so or unless the student has authorized such disclosure…
Instead of using the child’s “transgender name”. This also turns the traditional parent-child relationship upside down by putting the minor child in charge of the parents in this matter.
This policy has the same Free Speech annulling clause in it and an arbitrary and capricious penalty with no due process given to the accused:
“A student has the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that corresponds to the student’s gender identity. A court-ordered name or gender change is not required, and the student need not change his or her official records. The intentional or persistent refusal to respect a student’s gender identity is a violation of this policy.
Last time I looked, “misgendering” (which is what is described here), is yet another made-up word by the Alphabet Mafia; it is not a legal term – it is only meant to silence someone, in this case, by a Government speech decree.
Ask yourself: where did this mere subdivision of the State (the school board) gain the Power to grant a new Right to a minor child that subverts the Free Speech of others? This is outright thought coercion and censorship. Remember, the NHSBA, from whence these policies came, PULLED JBAB from their portfolio. -Skip
