A transgender teacher in Maryland settled a harassment and discrimination lawsuit with officials from Prince George County schools this week. Going forward, the school system will enforce new “inclusive and affirming” policies surrounding restrooms, preferred pronouns, among other things for transgender students and staff.
The teacher at the center of the lawsuit, Jennifer Eller, 45, who is transgender, reportedly left the Prince George County school system in 2017. In December 2018, Eller filed a federal lawsuit In Maryland alleging that the school system violated constitutional protections by discriminating against Eller on the basis of sex for many years, The Washington Post reported.
According to the lawsuit, Eller came out to the principal at Kenmoor Middle School 2011 and began to live more openly as a woman. Allegedly, Eller “immediately became the target of rampant harassment by staff and students alike.” Some students allegedly called Eller a “pedophile” and a school administrator advised Eller to avoid skirts or dresses because it would make other people uncomfortable. Eller claimed that a human resources staffer called a note from Eller’s therapist about transitioning “garbage.”
Eller transferred to teach at new schools twice. As a high school English teacher, Eller was “regularly targeted for her gender identity,” The Post noted, adding that students intentionally used male pronouns to address Eller as well as “asking about her genitals.” After filing several complaints, school officials allegedly retaliated against Eller.
Under the settlement, Eller received financial compensation and the school system will move forward with enforcing new policies surrounding transgender students.
Now, Prince George County’s 130,000 public school students will be permitted to use restrooms, locker rooms and participate in phys ed classes and sports teams that correspond to their “gender identity” rather than their biological sex. Students are also encouraged to dress in accordance with their gender identity and expression as long as it follows the school dress code.
In addition, the students will be allowed to go by name and pronouns that match their gender identity, even if the student has not undergone a legal name change.
“The Board of Education encourages students and staff to normalize pronouns so that the usage is not limited to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, however, the decision of students and staff to use pronouns that correspond with their gender identity is a personal choice,” the policy states.
Under the “Privacy” section of the new policies, school staff are forbidden from disclosing information that reveals a student’s LGBTQIA+ status, including to their parents, unless required by law to do so.
Eller currently lives in Northern Virginia and told The Post that these types of policies will “save lives” and “keep people safe.”
On the other hand, school districts in Virginia will now follow model guidance put forward by its Department of Education that directs school districts to require transgender students to use locker rooms, restrooms and play on sports teams that align with their biological sex. And, parents are required to be involved in conversations about their child’s gender identity.
Shortly before the guidance was published, Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke out against school districts that were carrying out student gender transitions behind parents’ backs. Specifically, it was revealed that teachers in Fairfax County were requiring teachers to complete training ahead of the 2022-2023 school year that said that parental consent was not required for students who want to “socially” transition, which includes going by a preferred name and pronouns.
"They [school officials] think that parents have no right to know what your child is discussing with their teacher or their counselor, particularly when some of the most important topics, most important topics that a child may want to discuss are being determined," Youngkin said at a rally this month, according to Fox News Digital.
"What's their name? What pronoun will they use? How are they going to express their gender? This is a decision that bureaucrats in Fairfax County believe that they should be able to make without telling parents,” he added.
Last year, in the Virginia gubernatorial debate, Youngkin said that he believed parents should be in charge of their children’s education. His opponent, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), said “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Youngkin defeated McAuliffe in the election.
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