Some Hilliard City School Board members decry 'false claims' in lawsuit over LGBTQ+ issues

Some members of the Hilliard City Schools Board of Education spoke out for the first time Monday about the federal lawsuit filed by eight parents against the district over teachers' handling of LGBTQ+ issues, saying the district would "aggressively" fight the claims.

More than 100 residents and parents packed Monday's board meeting in the gym at Avery Elementary School, with some residents speaking in defense of the district against the lawsuit, and others saying the board needed more clarity about its adherence to its policies and what was being taught in classrooms.

After the public comment portion of the meeting, Kara Crowley, who became a board member in 2022, directly addressed the lawsuit in her personal capacity, saying she would help to "aggressively fight these false claims."

"The misinformation and mischaracterizations they are spreading are not only misleading, but harmful," Crowley said of the plaintiffs. "Our schools are wonderful. Our teachers are incredible — and I stand with all of our students without exception."

In comments last month, Superintendent David Stewart denounced the lawsuit, saying it was filled with "misstatements of fact and mischaracterizations.”. On Monday, Board President Beth Murdoch said the entire board stood behind the superintendent's statement.

"We live in challenging times, with a lot of complicated issues for students, parents, teachers and school administrators," Murdoch said. "And I assure you we are all united in together to prepare students so that they're ready for tomorrow."

Federal lawsuit seeks prohibition of discussion of sexual matters

One married couple and six other parents filed a lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Columbus seeking an order prohibiting discussions of sexual matter with students and to prohibit Hilliard teachers from wearing badges that show their support for LGBTQ+ students.

Hilliard attorney Joshua J. Brown filed the complaint on behalf of the parent plaintiffs, who want school staff to notify parents when their child opts at school for a different name or pronouns or has symptoms of gender dysphoria (distress a person has because they feel their gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth).

The complaint also alleges that Hilliard teachers did not inform a family that their teenage child, who was assigned female at birth, was choosing to identify as a boy and go by a different name at school. The parents found out in October when they were called into the school because a friend reported their child discussed self-harm. The parents of that student were not among those who filed the suit.

Parents offer opinions on lawsuit, policies

Sarah Kamento, one of the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit, spoke at Monday's meeting, saying the First Amendment does not allow books with sexually explicit material to be in the library, which she said is a violation of school policy.

"It's now your time, it's your job to advocate with parents who elected you and to help us protect our children," Kamento said.

Jon Osmundson, 46, said he was the parent of a transgender middle school student and he did not want the school board to "give in to fearmongering."

"I just hope we can work together to give us a place to seek understanding, rather than looking in a place of fear and fearmongering," Osmundson said.

Sumaya Hamadmad, 45, said that while she does not "support every book in the libraries or every idea shared by the teachers," the school district should focus on the values that the community determined it shares.

"I don't think that the job of the district is to ban books and silence ideas," Hamadmad said. "What I would like the district to do is create critical thinkers who can stand up for their beliefs, who can self-advocate for themselves."

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