Knox County School Board pauses harassment language change critics worry could lead to harassment of LGBTQ+ students

Knox County School Board members voted to hold off implementing a proposed change to school harassment language some fear would remove protections for LGBTQ+ students and faculty.That change would have replaced “actual or perceived gender” and “sexual orientation” in district harassment policy with “sex.”Knox County Deputy Law Director Gary Dupler told board members the recommended language change was for legal purposes only and not with the intention of making a sociopolitical statement, but opponents urged board members at last week’s meeting to keep the language as it is.Knox County Tennessee Equality Project Chair Aly Chapman told members of the board the proposed change is an invitation for harassment.“It also is an invitation to students and educators to harass, exclude, and bully LGBTQ people. This includes students, staff, anyone in the building,” said Chapman.The board also heard from University of Tennessee Knoxville psychologist Leticia Flores who said bullying is creating high numbers of mental health issues for LGBTQ+ youth. Flores said the proposed change is concerning.“This is easily one of the most vulnerable youth populations in our city, in our state, and in our country. And you are seriously considering still explicitly removing protections for one of the most vulnerable populations,” said Flores. “These children are not potential lawsuits. They are flesh and blood, and they will feel the effects of the stroke of your pen in taunts and fights and worse.”That opposition and personal experience helped convince board members to take the proposed change back for more review and discussion.Board member Jennifer Owens said she initially would have voted in favor of the proposal but changed her mind after seeing how deeply the issue runs. Owens also said was contacted by someone who felt empowered to say disparaging language towards LGBTQ+ students due to the proposed change.“It’s become very clear to me that this issue isn’t just divisive, it’s a lot worse than that. Regardless of our intent, there are a lot of people in our community who see this change as this board adopting a philosophy that we’ve never even talked about. And that’s concerning because we are not going to be able to convince them otherwise,” said Owens. “Even though we feel like this language is legally appropriate and provides the appropriate legal protection, if this language change makes people feel empowered to treat our kids that way, that’s something that there’s no way I can support.”This is not the first time the Knox County School Board has considered changing the school harassment policy protecting LGBTQ+ youth. In 2017, a proposal to remove the protective language altogether failed.