Watertown Unified School District approves controversial guidelines for transgender students

 

WATERTOWN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Watertown Unified School District approved a controversial measure at Monday night's board meeting. Plan C will require trans students to use restrooms and locker rooms and participate in sports according to their sex assigned at birth.

Consideration to change the district's guidelines for transgender students brought a packed crowd of 500 to Monday's meeting, one resident telling the board, "Boys are boys, girls are girls, that's the end," to which a number of people in the audience cheered loudly.

"Why is this board even considering passing a policy designed to cause harm to the students it is directly impacting?" said Michelle Stewart, Watertown parent.

The present policy's been in place for nearly a decade. It allowed trans students like Oli Holz to come up with a school plan without parental consent.

"And that personally was really helpful for me because at the time, my parents didn't really understand, and that just helped me get to know myself better," said Holz, Endeavor Charter School junior.

"The students need to be protected, even if it goes against the parents," said Annie Van Der Linden, Endeavor Charger School junior.

Those in favor of a change held signs that said, "Yes, C!" encouraging the board to approve plan C, requiring parents' notification and inclusion in preparing gender support plans.

"My thought is that we need to get back to Godliness and protect our children and our grandchildren from the woke ideology," said Vickie Gertz, Oconomowoc.

"We're not dangerous. We're not gonna hurt anyone. We just want to be who we are," said Isaac Van Burne, Endeavor Charter School junior.

"It's wonderful. Watertown has done a good job of people to support the protection of children and going back to reading, writing and arithmetic. We don't need to sexualize children," said Gertz.

Plan C does allow for students to use the pronouns and alternate names agreed to by their gender support plan. Student records, though, will fall under their biological sex and birth name.