A recent article within the Santa Fe New Mexican brought to light an DOE investigation into our district’s handling of gender support plans. While no policy/practice can completely address an issue as complicated as gender identity, I believe that SFPS is doing the best job possible to both keep students safe and ensure parents are involved in any gender support plans.

Part of what complicates student safety issues is that, sometimes, parents are the cause of unsafe conditions. While it would be great to live in a community in which all parents loved and supported their children, no community can say that completely. Some parents abuse their kids. Some parents abuse each other. It may be hard to believe, but not all households are safe.

Another complication is that sometimes, believe it or not, people within our community complain without offering solutions. It’s sad. But appears that in defending their own rights, some people violate others’ rights (or try to, anyway). This is simply not ok. We have to learn as a community to honor BOTH our own rights AND those of other people. Parents, clearly, have the right to their children’s records, both via federal law and through formal policies (the SFPS Data Privacy Policy explicitly states this).

Parental involvement predicts good educational outcomes. And, really, the overwhelming majority of parents try their best to be a positive presence in their children’s lives. But doing so does not ever give anyone the right to tell anybody else what’s best for their children. In my experience, though, most have their hands too full with their own lives to be peaking into anyone else’s life. Not always though.

When issues such as this arise, I am willing to listen to people express their frustrations. However, when those frustrations became hateful rhetoric, the conversation ends. I have my own opinions about these issues. Really though, my opinions aren’t germane to how laws/policies are enacted and enforced. What I do know is that SFPS does its best to serve our community in the healthiest and legal way possible. Good things are happening within the District, but those good things are overshadowed by these side notes.

It’s a shame that we can’t come together as a community and solve our problems. Rather, some people feel the need to involve a federal agency that really has never cared about Santa Fe OR New Mexico. Had anyone offered a rational solution, I would’ve pursued it. Yet here we are, responding to an issue that is more than already addressed. It’s sad. Maybe hate has become too rooted in our community, but i hope we can come togther in the future to find common ground.

It’s just really sad if we don’t.