1. In ensuring a safe learning environment for LGBTQ+ students, what resources have  you used so far to inform your policy? What organizations would you ask for help?  Who are the experts you will call on to help in emergency situations relating to  LGBTQ+ students, staff, teachers, and parents? What District 65's policies address  LGBTQ+ youth, staff/employees, and educational topics? Do you have suggestions  for board policy to alter, enhance, or amend current policies? 

One of the parts of  being an aspiring Board member is recognizing that there is much to learn to support  such a diverse community of students, families, and staff through good governance  and a connection to the community. I don’t have as much direct experience (yet)  upon which to establish an exhaustive understanding of all needs across the district, but I would want to learn more from groups like Evanston Pride, PFLAG Evanston,  and Gender Affirming Evanston on how well we’re supporting LGBTQ+ students and  staff today, as well as some areas we see growth opportunities. Feedback is a gift, and  if there are areas recent Boards/Superintendents have not sufficiently addressed  concerns, this new board is a fresh opportunity to do so. While we have extensive  Gender Support policies and received an affirming email (2/7/25) from Dr. Turner  around protections for our LGBTQIA+ community, I fully realize that having policies or making broad vision statements is just part of the equation. We need a responsive  District - from leadership team to classroom – and we will need to reexamine how we  structure District goals as Superintendent goals in a clearer, more quantifiable way (i.e., an objective/outcome over a specified period). 

a. One type of area we may want to seek to amend are any areas that reference  protections that have been jeopardized by actions of the new administration  this year. This would be something explored with legal counsel, but with a lot  of unknowns around the flurry of Executive Orders, we should be vigilant to  ensure the protections we have built into Policy are not undermined through  changes at the Federal level. 

2. How familiar are you with the district’s policy around LGBTQ+ youth? What questions  or further learning do you have? How familiar are you with the district’s policy around  LGBTQ+ staff members and employees? What questions or further learning do you  have?

In terms of familiarity, I have read our Student, Personnel, and Curricular policies as they relate to inclusivity and LGBTQ+ youth/staff and can tell a lot of  thought has been put into our related Policies. I would like to get a better  understanding of how our confidentiality aspect of our Gender Support Plans factor  into building staff awareness and ability to act in an affirming way. These are all  unique and sensitive situations, and we must apply confidentiality as such, but ideally  staff interfacing with LGBTQ+ students/staff are sufficiently trained at regular intervals  and able to foster the inclusive environment that aligns to our District philosophy and  values. 

3. LGBTQ+ identities and the concept of inclusion have been under attack in public  discourse. How will you remain committed to supporting these students and families  and not just in a statement or standalone policy? What are three specific actions you  will take as a board member to support LGBTQ+ identities and principles of inclusion?

It is important to align the expectations on a matter like this with designated roles. A  board member’s actual power to act lies primarily in establishing those policies,  making sufficient analysis/inquisitions, and voting at meetings to move policies and  procedures forward. Other than that, it is more indirect, by monitoring performance,  which in this case is the Superintendent’s ability lead the administration in  unwavering support for marginalized communities, particularly when they are under  greater risk and stress. That being said, the actions I would take are 1) be a responsive  leader to community outreach to ensure we’re addressing deficiencies in our policies  and philosophies, 2) monitor and anticipate amplified vulnerabilities to providing this  support, with contingencies in mind, and 3) revise Superintendent goals and 

indicators to ensure there’s a clearer definition of expectations to ensure tighter accountability. 

4. How will you respond to the problem that the schools do not have sufficient gender neutral bathrooms to serve the gender non-conforming and trans student  population? Currently, teachers actively tell their gnc and trans students to use  bathrooms which do not align with their gender, even though we know this directly  exacerbates body dysphoria and leads to increased suicidal thoughts in the student  body. Where will inclusive facilities be placed in an infrastructure priority list by you as  an incoming board member? What is more important to address? What can wait?

Inclusive facilities are something most of us take for granted because we have the  privilege to do so. One of the realities of a district full of older buildings combined  with a lack of social progress or awareness of this until recent years is that we have left  some GNC and trans kids in a position where something as basic as going to the  bathroom makes them feel othered. While much has been made of the deferred  capital maintenance across the district, this next board absolutely must tackle it with  some kind of urgency. Adding or modifying buildings that lack sufficient bathrooms to  deliver the inclusive schools we aspire to absolutely should be part of the  conversation. However, we also need to balance the timeline of that work -- already  long overdue for many reasons – with the reality of today. I think for many reasons  we need to elevate our flexibility around permissive transfers as we establish the  future of our district buildings and the programs and students within them. If there are  specific schools with adequate facilities to better serve GNC/trans students while we  phase in these updates, we should be accommodating this population in the  meantime wherever possible to ensure our facilities are not undercutting the inclusion  every student deserves. Though it was not part of the question, that should extend to  GNC/trans staff as well. 

5. The use of pronouns has been co-opted and politicized of late. What can you, and  D65, do to educate our community in the importance of pronoun respect and introductions? What can you do to educate the community on the reality that  

pronouns are a part of speech and despite being politicized and weaponized, are not  political?

I would need a better understanding of how this is currently being carried  out, beyond having simply information accessible via Board Policy or D65 website.  Community education is the responsibility of D65 staff, which is not to say the Board  should not be acutely aware and conscious of issues like the politicization of pronoun  usage. It is just a clarification that the core function of the Board (and its power) lies  primarily in collectively in governance vs. management. So in this scenario, the board’s role would be to identify if there are shortcomings around how the  Superintendent and administration are addressing feedback (i.e., insufficient  education of the community regarding pronoun usage), or in policies themselves. 

6. D65 students encounter many adults throughout their day in addition to their  teachers. How can you as a board member ensure queer students feel safe and  supported in their identity throughout these interactions? How will you ensure that  school staff abides by LGBTQ+ inclusive policies?

One point of emphasis under the recently approved SDRP Phase II reductions was a shift back to a “school-based  model” vs. a “top-down,” central office driven one. I am hopeful that part of this  dynamic shift will be a stronger connection between central office admin and all the  schools, but that may also require more of a push from the Board for the  Superintendent and team to level-up their presence at the schools. There should be a frequent cadence between the designated School Coordinator on the Gender  Support Team and the Gender Support Team to identify any gaps to adherence and  establish recourse accordingly. This is still largely under the direct purview of the  Superintendent, but there should be data/information regularly shared with the Board  to understand findings and push back if they are not being sufficiently addressed. 

7. Will you commit to creating a board policy to demand inclusivity training for staffers  and volunteers beyond teachers? What accountability measures will you use if your  administration does not meet your inclusivity training goals?

I would have to get  confirmation on this, but my understanding is that inclusivity training is not restricted  to teachers but is given to district employees at reasonable intervals (Board Policy  7:10-AP1). For volunteers, I will be candid in saying that I think that might be a  nuanced conversation. It depends on the specific volunteer role, frequency, etc. It is already extremely difficult to get volunteers in many instances, so adding a barrier  could dissuade some valuable (and free) help. It could also have unintentionally adverse equity impact, given varied bandwidth for would-be volunteers to dedicate  the time for both the training and the volunteer role. In terms of accountability  measures, the Superintendent is responsible for providing sufficient data to show  progress towards goals and adherence to district priorities and policies. Completion of  training should be part of that data provided to the Board and should be mandated if  not.  

8. Do you agree with the district decision to eliminate focused equity weeks? In the past,  the district devoted a week to LGBTQ+ visibility. A wonderful curriculum still exists.  Would you encourage the administration to bring back that week of instruction and

celebration? Do you feel the current plan of integrating lessons into the whole year  has been done with fidelity across grade levels and schools? Do you feel that the  current curriculum is inclusive and represents people in this community?

I would want  to hear more from the students, staff, and families this impacts the most directly, as  well as from key affinity/advocacy groups like Evanston Pride, PFLAG Evanston, and Gender Affirming Evanston. Conceptually, incorporating the curriculum more broadly  across the school year seems like a way to normalize it on a more continuous,  evergreen level, and it also avoids previous concerns around a specific dedicated  week being a target for more “opting out.” However, I also recognize that there’s room  to do both (integrate broadly and leverage focused curriculum over a dedicated time  to elevate the visibility.  

9. Given the current financial situation, how will you make sure that training on this topic  is still a priority for the district? How would you instruct the superintendent to ensure  all schools are equally supporting LGBTQ+ kids, staff, and families? What sort of  trainings would you recommend?

I do not think that our financial situation erases our core values and philosophies on the quality education and inclusive school experience  we want for all of our children across their wide-ranging needs. I do not think it is a matter of equal support, but necessary support, across our schools. Isn’t that what true  equity is meant to look like? For instance, if a specific school happens to have a higher  concentration of LGBTQIA+, or more people with a defined Gender Support Plan, we  might need to resource that school differently than another one with different levels  of need. It is still within Board Policy to provide sufficient staff training at regular  intervals to uphold our guiding principles and policies. I would want to hear more from  our leads on our Gender Support team and other stakeholders about the existing  trainings to understand potential gaps or considered alternatives. 

10. This comment/question was submitted in the community wide call for questions for  this forum- 

“In what ways is this topic important in the education of my children? I believe  parents at home should take care of that topic not in schools.” 

When addressed by a community member who wants to keep LGBTQ+ topics out of  the classroom, what would the first three sentences of your reply email be? 

With the caveat that I would check with our legal counsel before sending a response on sensitive issues that might pertain to policy, and I would probably consult Board  colleagues on previous experience with such inquiries, here is how I might go about  my response:

Hi _________, 

Our incorporation of LGBTQ+ content is both in accordance with IL Inclusive  Curriculum Law (effective 7/1/2020) and aligned to our core educational philosophy  and objectives (Board Policy 6:10): Instruction shall be offered through a multicultural  curriculum which fosters an understanding and respect for the inherent worth of all cultures and groups by clarifying, through objective scholarship, the historical forces, conditions and values of ethnic/cultural groups. This instruction supports our goal to  provide an inclusive school system where all our students feel safe and develop a sense of belonging.