FLAGLER

Flagler School Board faces decisions on transgender policies

Aaron London
alondon@news-jrnl.com
Students, teachers and parents stand and turn their backs on a speaker who’s challenging the need for policies and procedures to protect transgender and LGBTQ students during the public comment portion of Tuesday night’s Flagler County School Board meeting. [News-Journal/Aaron London]

BUNNELL — A transgender student in Flagler County is finding life a little easier after transferring from Matanzas High School to Flagler Palm Coast High School over the holiday break

The student, Elliot Berstand, faced difficulties being accepted by teachers at Matanzas and an unwillingness by some to recognize his preferred pronouns and name.

He had previously attended school as a girl, but in 2018 began requesting that he be referred to by a male name and pronouns. His experience first came to light publicly during a Flagler County School Board meeting in November when his father raised the issue during the public comment period.

At Tuesday’s School Board meeting, Bertrand’s mother, Jennifer, spoke about the impact of the recent transfer.

“Our main purpose for coming up here is to give you an update,” she told board members. “The new term has started and Elliot has transferred schools.”

Jennifer Bertrand said FPC Principal Tom Russell provided Elliot with a guided tour of the campus over the holiday break to get him ready for the new term.

One of the issues the Bertrands raised during Elliot’s time at Matanzas High was the refusal of at least one teacher to recognize their son’s preferred name and pronouns. That has changed with the transfer to FPC, Jennifer Bertrand said.

“All of his teachers are aware of his situation,” she said. “I don’t believe a single one of them has gotten his name wrong.”

Jennifer Bertrand said while Elliot’s situation has improved and the family has received a lot of support from the community, they are hoping the School Board will take action to protect other transgender and LGBTQ students.

“Despite everything, our ultimate goal is for the county, the board, the district to adopt procedures” and policies for the treatment of transgender and LGBTQ students for teachers and staff, she said.

School Board member Colleen Conklin said Wednesday the district’s policies are “inclusive of all students” and added that Superintendent James Tager is reviewing procedures from other districts on the issue.

“It’s really about providing training so teachers know how to handle these situations,” Conklin said. “There are also programs where if teachers are comfortable having those kinds of conversations with students who are in need of support they can be designated a safe place for students, someone trusted who has been specifically trained.”

Conklin said the basis of any procedures has to begin with the students.

“At the end of the day, it is not about what you or anyone personally believes,” she said. “It is about ensuring the safety of all students.”

Several students, teachers and other parents also spoke in support of Elliot. Mindi Scala, a 16-year educator, said a teacher’s first responsibility is to students.

“I do believe that we, as educators, that we don’t go in for the money at all. Our job is to help grow our kids,” she said. “If we take away their dream, we’re not really doing that job. We have to protect everyone regardless.”

Belle Terre Elementary School teacher Abbey Cooke said she is always proud to tell people she is a Flagler Schools teacher when she is at conferences.

“But now we have to prove how amazing we are,” she said. “I think it is time we take the needs of students and become the innovators and the trailblazers in protecting all our students.”

Not all speakers offered support for a district policy that would protect LGBTQ students. The Rev. Charlene Cothran of The Evidence Ministries Inc., affiliated with Zion Baptist Church of Palm Coast,, said she has no hatred for homosexuals but asked board members, “Is this what you want in our district?”

Cothran, who is black, said there is little popular support federally or across the state for LGBTQ protections. She argued that LGBTQ people do not face the same prejudices as people of color.

According to research from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute, an increasing number of Americans are growing more supportive of transgender rights, and a majority of Americans support laws that protect LGBTQ communities from discrimination.

“Being gay is not the same as being black,” she said. “Homosexuals have no immutable condition. They do not suffer the same condition as a black person.”

While Cothran spoke, many of the students and others in the audience stood up and turned their backs to the speaker’s podium. Undaunted, Cothran argued further that any attempt to link the status of LGBTQ people to the 1964 Civil Rights Act is a “sham.”

Later in the meeting, during a second public comment period, Cothran reiterated her concerns and urged parents in the district to make their feelings known.

“Wake up and come down here and speak to this fine board and let them know these ideologies will not be added to our school board policies,” she said.

School Board members also heard from Elliot Bertrand during the public comment period. The soft-spoken student said while he was attending Matanzas High School, there was one teacher he felt he could talk to about issues he faced. At FPC, he said there are several people he can turn to.

“They have explicitly shown me they support me,” he said. “My English teacher double-checked what my pronouns were. All my teachers have accepted me and that speaks volumes.”