Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part one, with part two to appear in Monday’s online edition.
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A committee to review a 2015 Cascade Schools policy on gender identity and sexual orientation met Feb. 1 to take public comments on whether to repeal, update or leave the policy in place.
The committee was formed by the Cascade School Board of Trustees in a special meeting Jan. 26 after dozens of people contacted the school district criticizing the policy and asking for it to be revoked.
Most comments against the policy focused on perceived dangers posed by transgender students because the policy says that students can use the bathroom and locker room that align with their gender identity.
About 60 people attended the meeting, at which 11 people spoke in favor of repealing the policy entirely and one person spoke in favor of keeping it.
The committee met again Monday and will meet twice more before making a recommendation on whether to rescind, modify or keep the policy in place as written.
The committee’s findings are a recommendation only. The school board makes all final decision on district policy.
The rules were written by the Idaho School Boards Association and adopted by the school without comment in 2015. Many policies adopted by Cascade and other schools across the state were written by the ISBA.
The McCall-Donnelly School District does not have the same policy.
The policy had been used since being adopted, but “the specific areas in the policy that are causing the most concerns have not been accessed by a student at Cascade School District,” said Cascade Schools Superintendent Joni Stevenson.
“Cascade has had students that have identified as transgender in the past decade,” Stevenson said. “There is not a particular situation that provides relevance to how this policy came to the spotlight.”
Under the policy, transgender students could use the bathroom or locker room that aligns with “the gender identity they consistently assert at school.”
On overnight trips, students would also be assigned to sleeping rooms with other students of the gender with which they consistently identify, according to the rules.
Transgender or LGBTQ students could not be required to use a separate bathroom or hotel room unless they chose to do so and they could not be excluded from school activities because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, according to the policy.
The policy also required staff to use students’ chosen pronouns and names in person if different from their legal name and to not disclose their status as transgender or LGBTQ.
The committee took public comments at the Feb. 1 meeting but asked for testimony only from people who live within the school district.
“I feel that endorsing and keeping this policy will open up opportunities for mental, physical and sexual abuse amongst our children in the school environment,” said Willy Christy. “For me and my family, we believe that there are only two genders — a male and a female as the Bible states — this policy goes against our religion and belief.”
Larry Morton, who described himself as a “proud Christian conservative,” was also in opposition.
“I really think that if we crack the door open here, it’s only gonna get worse from there and history shows that Rome and Babylon and Sodom and Gomorrah and those places that trended this way ended up in total disaster and destruction and I really hate to see that in a little community like this,” Morton said.
Patricia Hillsnapp-Rankin was the lone voice in favor of the policy, arguing that transgender and LGBTQ students were unjustly labeled as dangerous.
“Growing up here, we had several children that got raped and were abused in our school and it was all the straight, white, Christian men and boys that did it. … It wasn’t these transgender, gay or lesbian kids,” Hillsnapp- Rankin said. “I think that we need to protect our children so that they feel safe here, regardless of what they identify as. We deserve to be safe in school, school is a safe space for all students.”
— Max Silverson, The Star-News, McCall
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Democrats need to ‘plug in and do the hard work’
GRANGEVILLE — Democrats have challenges ahead, as well as opportunities in sight for success in the long term.
This message from the head of the Idaho Democratic Party (IDP) came in person at a gathering Feb. 4 focused on the picture of what as a state they’ve done and what those at the local level have to do moving forward.
“The Idaho Democratic Party is Idaho’s last, best shot to turn Idaho around and build a future for us all,” said Jared DeLoof, IDP executive director, speaking to 26 people at the Soltman Center in Grangeville, along with others watching via videoconferencing.
“There is no calvary coming to save us,” he continued. “There is no moderate Republican element that will eventually swoop in and correct everything that’s been going on. ... We go into everything we do with that understanding.”
The hour-plus meeting had DeLoof providing what he called as a “sober, clear assessment of the challenges we’ve (had), and what that looks like, and the opportunities we’ve had and the strides we’ve made, especially in the last two years.”
DeLoof laid out the challenge faced from a far-right Republican party in Idaho — bolstered by population growth that has attracted a right-wing migration — that is being used nationally as a laboratory for “the most hateful and dangerous legislation,” where, if successful here, it can be applied nationally.
Idaho Democrats face the “doom cycle” of areas where they face no chance of success, of putting up candidates and being defeated that fosters a defeatist outlook, according to DeLoof. State Democrat registration continues to decline, which currently is 13.6% of registered voters.
However, going for Democrats, for starters, is “young voters are overwhelmingly with us,” he said, noting the IDP is winning this group three to one, and that majority is coming eventually. In another block, Hispanic voters, the IDP has opportunities of support from the more than 50,000 eligible to register to vote.
Idaho is the second-fastest growing state in the nation, and job growth — referencing Micron’s plan to bring 10,000 jobs to Boise in the next couple of years — will see the demographic of young, college-educated people who will be Democrat voters, he said.
In discussing strategy, DeLoof noted one goal is breaking the Republican supermajority in the state by putting resources in place to play the long-game — after three election cycles — and support Democrat candidates to success. In line with state growth, Idaho is likely to see a third congressional district added when redistricting comes around in 2030. With this being possibly to be drawn out of Boise and adjacent counties more supportive of blue candidates, efforts now could see a Democrat set to Washington, D.C., in 2032, he said.
DeLoof detailed out IDP efforts statewide at improving party outreach, effectiveness, messaging and growth. Such work helped in the last election in retaining four state senate seats, despite the disadvantages of new districts — some now including new red areas — and new candidates. The party worked on recruiting and training volunteers, on public town hall meetings to deliver its message, and overall keeping in communication with each other to disseminate information.
“We have such an opportunity this year,” DeLoof said, in nonpartisan elections for city council, school and other elected boards. He encouraged people to be thinking of who would make for good candidates for these positions, and in turn “build a bench” that leads these individuals onto the state level.
“We need to make sure our values are reflected on these governing boards that have the most daily impact on people’s lives,” he said.
— David Rauzi, Idaho County Free Press, Grangeville
