Posted on 05/15/2023 4:41:52 AM PDT by MtnClimber
The enthusiasm of gender-ideology activists for their cause cannot be doubted, but their regard for the truth can. That’s the lesson to be drawn from a Philadelphia-area law firm’s investigation into accusations that the Central Bucks School District’s conservative school board fosters unchecked harassment of transgender students.
The investigation by Duane Morris LLP, which consisted of 45 interviews and more than 120,000 documents, focused heavily on Anthony Burgess, a former Lenape Middle School teacher suspended in May 2022. Burgess, a confidante of students experiencing gender dysphoria, and his defenders claimed that the conservatives running the school district punished him merely for advising a student to file a civil rights complaint over rampant bullying. Those claims prompted a national controversy, as media held up the district as an example of conservative aggression against trans rights. As Duane Morris’s report makes clear, however, the narrative was built on fabrications.
Michael Rinaldi, a lawyer with the firm, explained in a presentation at a packed April school board meeting last month that Burgess had used his position to hide bullying allegations, thus manufacturing the appearance of apathy by administrators. “The evidence and circumstances suggest that Mr. Burgess believed that if he brought to light supposed widespread unaddressed bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students and convinced a federal agency to investigate such matters, the school board would cave to the inevitable criticism and bad press,” Rinaldi said.
Documents obtained from Burgess’s school computer show that he created a dossier detailing incidents of harassment that children brought to him, many of which he kept under wraps despite administrators’ attempts to help. For example, a week after the dossier was completed, on March 10, 2022, Lenape principal Geanine Saullo emailed several teachers and staff, including Burgess, about one student in the dossier, referred to in the report as “Student 1.”
“Please encourage Student 1 to bring things to our attention,” Saullo said. “I would hate to see suffering in silence.”
But Burgess, who is now suing the district on claims that it illegally retaliated against him, worked to ensure that silence prevailed. He later admitted to investigators in an interview that he not only withheld information but also discouraged the student and the student’s mother from going to school leaders, instead giving the student a civil rights complaint form. “But you told them that you had concerns and the District wouldn’t do anything about it, right?” an investigator asked Burgess in an interview. “I did,” Burgess responded.
According to district policy, teachers must report any bullying incidents to administrators. On these grounds, Burgess was suspended, pending further investigation. That subsequent investigation highlighted instances of administrators effectively addressing misconduct by a small group of students toward transgender peers, as well as examples of Burgess commending administrators for their responsiveness. “The investigation demonstrated what we know to be true, which is that while our school environments are not immune to problems, they are filled with caring, compassionate adults who stand ready to intervene and address them,” Abram Lucabaugh, the district superintendent, told me.
Before the investigation was completed, however, the district wasn’t commenting on Burgess’s suspension. All anyone knew was the tale of retaliation against Burgess reported in local and national media. A week-long “walk-out” protest followed at Lenape, which culminated on May 12, 2022, when several adults drove over barricades near the school cafeteria, and enticed students to join their protest by offering pizza. The police were called, and when Principal Saullo, emotional after a week of chaos at her school, went outside, she argued with students over returning to class. Four students refused and sat on the curb, according to the investigation.
The ACLU, deciding to worry about getting the facts right later, accused Saullo of barring students from re-entering the building because of their sexuality. Figures like Wired magazine writer Steve Silberman accused Saullo of “terrorizing kids who stood up for a teacher.” Keith Olbermann called for Saullo to be fired. The media circus influenced students. A high school student emailed Saullo, saying, “high schoolers are now organizing to come show support to the children affected by your bigoted legislation. . . . Keep calling the cops on us and we will continue to show up. ACLU will cover our story.”
This is a new twist on the fabricated hate crime.
Republicans/conservatives have NOTHING that can match the Lawfare of the Left. In fact, they don’t even try.
ABOLISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!!! Problem solved
Do you personally trust these men with your lives? Do you want weak effeminate men to protect you from evil strong men? Have you seen the MEN coming across the border? How long do we have? pic.twitter.com/u6AvOQGMpP— PeasantZero (@PeasantZero1) May 14, 2023
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.