A Swampscott, Massachusetts elementary school principal has taken a leave of absence for security reasons after announcing her transition from male to female in a February 6 letter to parents. The Stanley Elementary School also brought in a “low-key” police presence earlier this week.
According to a news report from Boston’s iHeart Radio 94.5:
With all the attention the school has been getting since Principal Shannon Daniels came out as transgender–and general anxiety surrounding schools these days—school and police officials opting for what they called in a letter to parents “an abundance of caution.”
It hasn’t been made clear exactly how Daniels’ leave of absence is connected, or when they’ll be back.
One father dropping his child off at the school told WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Kendall Buhl said he understands Daniels is taking time off for security reasons.
“What we heard was that there were some threats possibly, that perhaps safety was a concern and that may have been the reason,” he said. “I don’t believe they clearly stated that, but that was implied.”
A letter from School Superintendent Pamela Angelakis informed parents about plans for the police presence at the school.
A single officer, as well as Angelakis, were outside the school Tuesday morning, but Angelakis would not comment.
As for Daniels’ gender identity change, one father told Buhl he sees a teaching opportunity.
“It was a bit of a concern, but I’m okay with the decision,” he said. “I mean, we’re trying to teach our kids to accept people for who they are, and I just want to make sure I set a good example for my kids.”
Update: According to Newsweek, Daniels is now set to return to work. The report states that Superintendent Pamela R. H. Angelakis said in a letter to parents, “I had several conversations with Principal Daniels last week in which she reported receiving messages that she considers hurtful relative to her recent announcement and the media attention it received. … We mutually agreed that Principal Daniels would take at least a few days off when school reopened and we would meet this week.”
