Mountain View Whisman’s school board passed a resolution this week affirming the district’s commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ students and ensuring their rights are protected.
The board members voted unanimously at a Thursday, March 20, meeting to pass the resolution, which states that the district “remains committed to supporting our schools in creating and sustaining inclusive spaces that promote a sense of belonging for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
“Mountain View Whisman School District remains a steadfast advocate for equity, justice, and the right of all individuals to thrive as their most authentic selves, rejecting any efforts to erase or undermine the existence of LGBTQ+ identities,” the resolution goes on to say.
The school board’s vote comes at a time when President Donald Trump’s administration has taken various actions aimed at curtailing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, with a particular focus on transgender people.
Trump has signed executive orders seeking to ban transgender students from competing on girls’ sports teams, pull federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to young people, and ban openly transgender people from serving in the military. Many of these orders are being challenged in court.
School board member Devon Conley noted that the LGBTQ+ community is experiencing a lot of fear right now and said that she felt it was important for Mountain View Whisman’s board to publicly support this resolution.
“It is a very challenging time,” Conley said. “I think we need to be very clear in our commitment to everyone in our community, but especially those who are gender nonconforming – who are being targeted explicitly.”
Other school boards throughout Santa Clara County are taking up similar resolutions, Conley said. The Santa Clara County Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution last month affirming its support for protections for LGBTQ+ students at school.
Interim Superintendent Jeff Baier told the board that the resolution was meant to make clear to families, district staff and the broader community that Mountain View Whisman is interested in supporting all students. Baier noted that the district has also passed resolutions in the past in support of various other groups.
“At MVWSD, we stand with our LGBTQIA+ students, families, and staff — now and always,” Baier wrote in an email to families earlier this month. “Recent federal efforts to roll back LGBTQIA+ rights do not change our values or our commitment.”
When Trump signed an executive order in February targeting transgender students’ participation in sports, Mountain View Whisman said it would stick with its current rules allowing students to play on teams that align with their gender identities, while also awaiting further guidance
At Thursday’s meeting, Conley requested to have the full text of the Mountain View Whisman’s resolution read aloud, but President Bill Lambert opted to just read the beginning and end, citing time constraints.
This story originally appeared in the Mountain View Voice. Zoe Morgan joined the Mountain View Voice in 2021, with a focus on covering local schools, youth and families. Emily Margaretten contributed to the story.
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