The Garfield Re-2 School Board made a decision on the highly discussed student name change policy brought forth first in January, finalizing the language after their third reading during their regular meeting on Wednesday evening. 

As passed, the policy requires the Garfield Re-2 School District to notify the superintendent as well as parents whenever a student informs their school they’d like to be called by a name other than their given name, unless “informing student’s parents of the designation could subject the student to abuse or neglect, in which case the Superintendent shall cause a report to be made to Garfield County Human Services,” the policy states.

The meeting began with the policy reading, before the consent agenda. Re-2 School Board President Britton Fletchall limited comment time to 30 minutes total, with each speaker getting their usual allotted three minutes. 

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Most speakers supported not changing the policy wording from “may” to “will” inform the parents of a change of name from a student who informs their school they’d like to be called by a different name other than their given name by their parents. 

Ashley Stahl, executive director of PFLAG Roaring Fork Valley, spoke once more at the meeting on Wednesday, supporting the students whose lives might be directly affected by this policy. 

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“The harm it (the policy) could cause is immeasurable; many of the people speaking against this policy tonight will be personally affected by it, or the people in their lives will be personally affected by it…because this is not some abstract debate for them, this is their lives, their safety and their future,” Stahl said. “Yet, Britton, instead of respecting this public interest, you’ve taken steps to limit public comment. At the last board meeting, more than 10 speakers were allowed to share their voices. Since changing the policy to limit speakers, the board has never once silenced any community member, until now.”

Stahl went on to say that she has reason to believe that Fletchall doesn’t want to compromise on this issue and asked, if a child were to be forced to leave their home, is hurt or takes their own life, if Fletchall would be willing to take them in, to sit and help them pick up the pieces or attend their funeral. Stahl assured him that she would be there. 

Jamie LaRue, executive director of the Garfield County Libraries, also spoke in support of not changing the wording of the policy, drawing on his experience as learning about how to conduct oneself in a professional setting. 

“I learned that employers under Title Seven, from the 1964 Civil Rights Act, are legally required to provide a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. There are various protected classes, among them, race, color, and national origin, but also included is sex and under sex, we were advised that affecting the work environment to people who may not conform to various sexual stereotypes is illegal,” LaRue said. “It isn’t my job as an employer of Re-2 students to enforce stereotypes…similarly, isn’t it the school district’s job to educate students rather than police and report them for any gender nonconformity…children too, have rights.”

Most speakers who supported the change in language were urging the board to prioritize the safety of the child. 

The only major change made Wednesday by the school board to the policy was language ensuring the superintendent is informed and given decision making power in the process:

“The Superintendent shall be informed of all designations of a chosen or preferred name for use at school and during extracurricular activities, and the only exception to parental notification requirement shall be if the Superintendent reasonably determines that informing student’s parents of the designation could subject the student to abuse or neglect, in which case the Superintendent shall cause a report to be made to Garfield County Human Services.”

Board member Scott Bolitho recommended there be additional wording on how to make a report to Garfield County Human Services.

“Because if the human services department is notified, in nearly every single case, they’re going to then investigate and contact the parents and say they’re under investigation for neglect or abuse or whatever and that’s going to make them mad,” Bolitho said. “Otherwise the district team can work with the student to make a plan on notifying the parents.”

Bolitho wants to make it clear that they’re not trying to keep anything from the parents, saying that 99% of the time, the parents can be there and be helpful. 

“I think we still need to have that end around that keeps the child and their well-being, their health, their mental, their physical well-being safe and that would mean that we work with the student to figure out a way to bring the parents into this choice,” Bolitho said. “We go ahead and honor the name and we honor their fear and we work with them to get the parent notified, but we don’t have to notify DHS.”

Fletchall was concerned with how long it might take students to tell their parents, asking Bolitho what his time frame was and Bolitho replied each student is different and has their own timeframe. 

Fletchall’s next question was who is qualified inside the district to help with the child and concerns the child has over possible gender identity and telling their parents. 

“I would say it is not our responsibility to diagnose any child at any time,” said Superintendent Heather Grumley. “But I think when you utilize those people that have become trusted with that student and work closely with that student, then they bring forward at least trust and expertise as far as that relationship goes with that student.”

Chance Jenkins spoke and said that most students are better when the parents are involved and that schools are there to help steer students to a career, their interests and more. 

A crowd member stated that most students are straight. 

“One of the things…we wanted to reiterate…we don’t want to leave that pressure on a teacher, a seventh grade math teacher or a counselor, we need to elevate that, to get the right people involved, because it is a serious thing…the death of a student,” Fletchall said. “I’m just as afraid of the death of a student, because we hid it from the parent, and now the parent found out later on that we’ve been doing this for four months.”

Fletchall was interrupted by the crowd multiple times, but he pushed on:

“I’m not their parent – the best way to stay out of it, is if a student wants to make that change, we slow the process down,” he said.

Another interruption from many crowd members said that it wasn’t the school’s business if a child wants to make that change. 

“You’re right,” Fletchall said. “It’s not. It’s not our business, it’s not the school’s business, it’s not, it’s 100% not. That’s why we want to provide those resources, the resources we have in our community, we know those people, that’s the people we want to get involved.”

With the superintendent amendment to the policy with language recommended by the district’s legal team, where a child’s safety would be prioritized if deemed necessary by the Superintendent, with “will” as written to inform the parents, it was put to a vote. 

Bolitho voted against while Fletchall, Jenkins, Fathom Jensen and Cassie Haskell voted in favor of the policy.

When the motion passed, most people in the crowd picked up their chairs and faced away from the board, in silent protest.