(Video cameras from KVUE set up outside a school board room that
was packed with people an hour before the meeting began.)
As posted previously, the Republican presidential candidates have tended to name education as "the civil rights issue of our era." I disagree with that. Education is a means to an end. Civil rights are what that end could be. It may lead to an equality of opportunity, but a well-educated person can still face a civil rights disparity. Nowhere does that seem more apparent than the issues of gender identity and sexuality.
Last Thursday, a school board in Sunny Pflugerville (God's Country), Texas was faced with such an issue. There had been deeper discussions over the years, resulting in expanded language in the official non-discrimination policy (including “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression"). That was contested and discussed before passage. The issue was a topic in 2010 because the result would be something like what happened this month.
PfISD is now the only district in the state to offer health benefits to domestic partners. That's right. Over 1,000 districts in this state...now with one offering medical insurance to people who face discrimination on a regular basis.
That status got picked up by the Pflugerville Pflag (that's right...spelled with a "P"), which is owned by the Austin American Statesman. Suddenly, it hit the local news in Austin, think tanks and the local conservative crowd mobilized. So did the move's supporters.
What's important to me is how a school board--non-partisan by design--chose to follow the values it had set two years ago and listen to the staff committee appointed to create this healthcare plan. Politically, the board runs the gamut. They do the work most people think just gets done. By doing so, they faced a miserable night.
My job required my presence in Orlando that night. Others took up the cause quite bravely. What follows is the email I sent to this board. I requested bravery from those who testified. Everyone should know what I had to say, as well.
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The first time I heard anyone in PISD address domestic partners was almost seven years ago. A second-year teacher addressed the board--fighting her every instinct--in a situation that demanded her to be brave and professional at the same time. This week, I approached that same woman about domestic partner health benefits. I was told she thought nothing had happened, that it was a wasted effort.
Thank God it wasn’t wasted.
By trusting your staff, your work came to fruition through a minor policy change with a major message. Unexpectedly, you find yourselves at the forefront. You are poised to be the first school district in the state to make this move. Perhaps this is an opportunity to take note of the fact that you are making history, and that your sphere of influence will humanize millions over the coming years.
I don’t know how people think these things happen, but I do know they tend to think the process is easier than it is. This was done without splashy publicity. That shows how this board and this staff sets values first and then moves from those values to policy. This is real change, and real change takes time. It also takes systemic, sustained effort.
The board has created conditions for positive things to happen over the course of decades. One step at a time, PISD learned to trust itself. There have been roadblocks, regression, and recovery. On late afternoons, teachers and staff labored over this healthcare plan for hours. Late at night, emails demanded attention. Administrators have faced scrutiny, and they have risen to meet that scrutiny. People think things like this “just happen.” They don’t. This change represents a combination of hard work, trust, consistency, and a quiet resolve that some don’t understand. I commend you for these attributes; I wish we could replicate them in other areas of government.
Recently, Austin media attention has gotten disengaged people to pay attention.
- Many are unaware that 71% of Texas school districts face sanctions.
- Many weren’t around when PISD was facing a $20 million shortfall.
- Many didn’t argue the change in discrimination policy language.
Like the woman who testified and thought nothing had happened, they are generally unaware of the diligent efforts required in the process of making things work. Many will see this as a “vote” of some sort. They will think it has been much easier than it was. In doing so, they make the process more difficult. Overall, it can be hard.
The “hard” is what makes it beautiful. Many beautiful things are taken for granted, but I hope you do not take this one for granted. Your work tonight will impact people who haven’t been born yet. I know members of your staff who are watching from afar, afraid to face potential hate they know too well. Other districts are watching, looking for leadership. This is a watershed moment, in terms of how we treat our family and how they should treat theirs. You should be proud of yourselves. I know I’m proud to have you as my local school board.
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In the end, "no action" was taken. Whatever repercussions follow will be handled when they arise. What I do know is that one, small, suburban board of unpaid volunteer "politicians" has risen to meet the real civil rights issue of this generation.
And they're doing it through the world of education, a means to a beautiful end.
Silent “P” forever.
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