Students in a high-school journalism class in Amherst, Massachusetts, did a deep dive into an alleged culture of transphobia they found at a nearby middle school, and their report in the school newspaper has led to serious investigations, according to the Boston Globe:
Their account of a transphobic and homophobic culture at [Amherst Regional Middle School] is one of several that have come to light through the work of student journalists at the nearby Amherst Regional High School and their journalism teacher and newspaper adviser, Sara Barber-Just. In May, they published a nearly 5,000-word exposé in the online student newspaper, The Graphic, citing sources — some using pseudonyms — who said transphobia and anti-LGBTQ language and behavior were allowed to fester at the middle school over the course of two years, despite students, parents, and staff repeatedly voicing concerns to school and district leadership.
The article detailed allegations that adjustment counselor Hector Santos and eighth-grade guidance counselor Delinda Dykes misgendered trans students and staff on a routine basis, brought religion into conversations at school, and failed to support students facing gender-based bullying. A source identified as a secretary told The Graphic that Dykes led a prayer circle before school in Santos’ office with the invocation, “In the name of Jesus, we bind that LGBTQ gay demon that wants to confuse our children.”
Seventh-grade guidance counselor Tania Cabrera, who is reportedly Santos’ daughter, also faces accusations of failing to protect trans students. She told a trans male student who’d gone to her for help that she sympathized with his parents, who had “lost their daughter,” according to the article.
All three counselors denied the claims in statements to The Graphic, and their attorney, Ryan P. McLane, told the Globe in an e-mail that the allegations are unfounded: “My clients did not engage in ‘conversion therapy’ or any Title IX violation,” he wrote. “They are Christians, but that does not mean that they are somehow not entitled to a fair investigation. While the law prohibits discrimination based on sex, it also prohibits discrimination based on religious beliefs.”
The students’ article posted on May 9 and within hours attracted thousands of page views and media attention. Within days came a dizzying series of announcements: that an external Title IX investigation was already underway; three unnamed staffers had been placed on paid administrative leave; Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools Superintendent Michael Morris was taking an immediate leave for health reasons; and the education union was calling on Doreen Cunningham, the assistant superintendent for diversity, equity, and human resources, to resign. She has since been placed on administrative leave.
Read the complete Boston Globe article here.
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