A mandatory update to a Northern Michigan school district’s policies surrounding Title IX is putting parents at odds with the school board.
Houghton Lake Community Schools was recently required to update its Title IX policies, expanding the definition of sex to include gender identity. The update was required for school policy to be in line with recent changes at the federal and state level.
Lucas Vick has a sister in the Houghton Lake Community School District. He said he and others in the community are not happy with required changes made by the school board Monday night.
Vick worries the change opens the door for co-ed restrooms, co-ed lockers rooms-and boys playing on girls sports teams.
“They’ve got seventh graders up with 12th graders in that school. So that’s, you know, 12, 13-year-old girls and female, maybe 17, 18-year-old boys that can be in the same intimate space together,” said Vick.
The superintendent, Ben Williams, said that’s not true.
“School hasn’t changed this week, it’s not going to be any different next week. We don’t have coed bathrooms, we don’t have coed locker rooms. We don’t have boys playing on girls teams,” said Williams.
Williams said the district has ways to implement the new changes without having co-ed spaces.
“Social workers, counselors, we have single use restrooms in our health clinic and our guidance office throughout the building, [that] students who are uncomfortable using a general bathroom...can use, and that is the bathrooms that they have been using,” said Williams.
Williams said there are state guidelines the district has to follow.
“The MHSAA does not allow boys to play on girls sports teams. That’s statewide. The district has no ability to navigate or change that rule,” said Williams.
“Interestingly though,” he added, “girls can play on boys teams. So for example, we have a fabulous female athlete playing football.”
Still, Vick said he hopes the school board reconsiders the changes. He said concerned parents are planning to send a message to the school board and there’s a petition circulating online to recall the school board.
“A lot of family members are planning to pull their children out of class on the October count day, where the school counts all the students, and that helps decide how much funding to get from the federal government,” said Vick.
The superintendent said he understands parents have concerns, but emphasized any claims of the school moving towards co-ed spaces simply aren’t true.
“I do understand but I do believe it’s based in fear. And it is not justified because, we have zero cases of a trans student assaulting a female not only in a bathroom, but anywhere, ever. I respect a parent’s mama bear, papa bear protectiveness. That is normal 100%. but I do believe in this case, that possibly the motivation for the concern was misplaced,” said Williams.