The Rochester School Committee began its September 24 meeting facing public comments from a room packed with residents still concerned about the recent complaint that a transgender student entered a girl’s bathroom stall at Rochester Memorial School.
In May, a biologically male transgender student was accused of invading the privacy of a 9-year-old girl when opening a girls’ room stall at the school. Her father, Luis Rivera, filed a complaint under the federal Title IX statute against the Old Rochester Regional School District, claiming the incident disturbed her daughter and was sexual harassment. In August, the school department announced an investigation found the school did not violate a student’s federal Title IX rights in connection with the incident.
Residents crowded into the RMS meeting room on September 24 to say the school department should do more to make sure the incident doesn’t happen again and work on some solution.
The first to speak was resident Donald Spirlet, who began by asking who was to blame.
“Is it the students?” he said, then dismissed that idea. “Kids will be kids. The teachers? Wrong again. It is difficult to be a teacher today.”
He put the blame on the administration for not finding a better way to resolve the issue and the school committee for being too incompetent to ensure a better resolution.
One of the next speakers was Luis Rivera himself. He called the response the administration gave to the investigation results, that the school acted in compliance with state law, “cowardly.”
“My daughter was traumatized. The community deserves to know more,” he said. “I’m calling for a thorough investigation. I will not stop.”
Resident James Ramsey also referred to the letter that announced the investigation’s decision.
“That letter that was released and the person who signed it was not truthful,” he said. “The facts were not in that letter. And this is not a closed matter.”
The next to speak on the topic noted he had been a counselor to trans youth and that state law gives rights to individuals who experience a different identity. He emphasized that the school committee does not have the power to change that law. Don’t beat up on the school officials, he said. Put a ballot question to change the law.
But Manny Silva, who said he is a Fall River pastor as well as a parent interested in children’s safety, commented, “When a child enters a bathroom marked for girls, she has a reasonable expectation of privacy and safety,” he said. “It is not hatred; it is common sense. Compassion for one student should not come at the expense of many others’ privacy.”
The committee did not respond to the public comments, as is its policy when the topic is not on its agenda. Instead, its members proceeded to other business.
The committee reorganized, filling the following top positions: Chair, Kate Duggan; Vice Chair, Josh Trombly; committee secretary and recording secretary, Marcia Wilcox; ORR District School Committee representative, Robin Rounseville; and SMEC representative, Josh Trombly.
The committee approved a long list of school supply donations from the Rochester Senior Center and the Rochester Democratic Committee, as well as books from the Plumb Library. It also accepted donations to the Band Program: one clarinet from Deb Moniz and a trombone from parent Michelle Ganno-Sherwood.
The committee announced that the Small Rural School Achievement Program granted the school an award of $60,701 this year.
The committee announced new hires, including Joshua Vanderquist as the new RMS assistant principal.
The committee announced that the next Joint School Committee meeting will be October 1.
The next Rochester School Committee meeting will be November 9 at 6:00 pm at Rochester Memorial School, 16 Pine Street.
Rochester School Committee
By Michael J. DeCicco