On Thursday, March 13th, 2025, the Shenandoah County Scool Board had their monthly meeting. Based on the agenda there were no planned votes on anything related to the LGBT community. However, the proposed revision to policy INB on teaching about controversial issues was on the “informational agenda”. This seems to consist of the Superintendent reading back to them what they had already proposed. There wasn’t any discussion on that – though more on that later.

During the public comments part of the meeting, I spoke about supporting this change but asked them to add teachers to the mix of staff allowed to talk to students since, I’m told most of the listed staff don’t have much, if any, contact with students. I also urged them to remove the text they added in January that prohibits teaching anything about gender.

One older woman spoke in support of the ban and seemed to think that it was a fad for students to change their gender in a massive misunderstanding of the subject. My intent here isn’t to mock her. She believes this nonsense because it’s what she is being told. Somehow we need to get real information in front of people like her about things like this.

School board member Gloria Carlineo, the author of the ban, seemed to think she would be able to present her particular brand of disinformation at the during the informational agenda section but was told this was out of order. She pretty well pitched a fit until the parliamentarian told her she was wrong. She did get the board to postpone the vote on this change to May so she would be able to do her presentation. It’s not clear whether her presentation will be at the April board meeting or at one of their working meetings between now and May.

School board chairman Barlow seemed exasperated with her and explained they were doing exactly what she had agreed to just two weeks before. Carlineo insisted this was not true. It makes one wonder how someone who can’t even understand what she is agreeing to in a formal meeting can be trusted to present on a policy about a group of people so misunderstood by so many.

At this point, my understanding is that this change will be on the informational agenda again in April and that they intend to vote in May. Unless there is new information between now and May, that will be the next update on this subject.

If you are a member of the LGBTQ community and you would like to share something, a coming out story, an incident of discrimination, an incident of acceptance or help educate us about some aspect of the LGBTQ experience, contact me at spectrumpodcasthost@gmail.com. One of my goals for this podcast is to humanize the subject to show that these are issues affecting real people. 

Until next time, take care.