San Dieguito Union students demand action after 'transphobic' Facebook post in parent group

For transgender teen Luna Berardi, a freshman at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas, gender affirming schools provide more than a safe space for expression. They’re a lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth, lowering the threat of suicide for which they’re at higher risk than their peers.But Berardi and other students are questioning whether the San Dieguito Union High School District is committed to providing a safe space after parents and a district trustee commented in a private Facebook group chat characterized as “transphobic” by the district’s student-led Gender Sexuality Alliance.“I hope he gets taken out of school. … I don’t believe that he deserves this big of a title,” Berardi said of the trustee.Now, several of the GSA students and their allies are demanding that the district take steps to protect students by adopting LGBTQ+-affirming policies, providing cultural awareness training for school communities and improving mental health services for students. The student group will formally present their resolution to the board on Thursday.Some students and parents have also called on Trustee Michael Allman to resign from office after his participation in the chat, which unfolded in a private Facebook group he created while running for school board in 2020. After he was…
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