Report on Policy Revisions in Montezuma-Cortez School District and Their Conflict with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

The Montezuma-Cortez school district board has unanimously approved policy revisions that remove non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals. This action, coupled with a proposed ban on transgender student-athletes, directly contravenes the principles of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically those concerning quality education, gender equality, and reduced inequalities. This report analyzes these policy changes through the framework of the SDGs.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The district’s decision represents a direct challenge to SDG 10, which calls for reducing inequality by ensuring equal opportunity and ending discriminatory laws and policies. The board’s action explicitly increases inequality for a protected group.

• Policy Change: The board unanimously approved removing references to “sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression” from its non-discrimination policy.
• Rationale Provided: Board member Mike Lynch stated the change was influenced by potential federal funding threats and argued that if state law makes discrimination unlawful, the policy implicitly covers it without specific mention.
• Impact on Protected Characteristics:
  1. The number of protected characteristics cited in the harassment policy was reduced from 13 to 10.
  2. Characteristics removed: sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression.
  3. Characteristics remaining: disability, race, creed, color, sex, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services.
• Community Response: A parent, Emily Christenson, argued that removing the terms “clearly states that you condone harassment inflicted upon these groups of our community.”

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all. A safe and non-discriminatory learning environment is a prerequisite for achieving this goal. The removal of protections undermines the creation of such an environment.

• Erosion of Inclusivity: Legal experts note that while Colorado state law supersedes district policy, the local effort to remove LGBTQ protections sends a harmful message about which students are valued and deserving of protection.
• Contradiction of District Mission: Community member Cayce Hamerschlag highlighted the conflict between the new policies and the district’s slogan, suggesting it be changed from “Every Student. Every Day.” to “Certain Students. Some Days.” This reflects a perceived failure to provide an equitable educational setting for all students.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

The district’s actions related to student athletics raise significant concerns regarding SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality. The policy specifically targets transgender students, creating a direct conflict with the goal of inclusivity for all genders.

• Proposed Ban on Transgender Athletes: The board introduced a policy to ban transgender students from participating in school sports that align with their gender identity.
• Justification: Sherri Wright, a State Board of Education representative, argued against the inclusion of transgender girls in girls’ sports, citing the potential for injury to cisgender girls.
• Lack of Data: It is noted that no nationwide data exists to substantiate claims of widespread injuries resulting from transgender girls competing on girls’ sports teams.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

SDG 16 focuses on building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. The school board’s actions and the subsequent legal challenges test the strength and inclusivity of educational and legal institutions.

• Institutional Action: The Montezuma-Cortez school board, as a local governing institution, has chosen to align with a political push to eliminate protections, despite conflicting state laws.
• Legal Challenge to State Protections: The district is seeking to join a broader legal action against state-level policies that protect transgender athletes.
  1. The lawsuit was initiated by District 49 in the Colorado Springs area.
  2. It targets the state of Colorado and the Colorado High School Activities Association.
  3. Other entities seeking to join as plaintiffs include:
     • Academy 20 District
     • Colorado Springs 11 District
     • Monument Academy
     • The Classical Academy
     • James Irwin Charter Schools
     • Education ReEnvisioned BOCES

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education – The article is centered on a school district’s policies, which directly impact the learning environment and the principle of inclusive education for all students.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality – The debate specifically involves policies related to “gender identity, and gender expression,” and the proposed ban on transgender students in sports directly relates to achieving gender equality and ending discrimination.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The core issue is the removal of protections for a specific minority group (LGBTQ people), which increases their vulnerability to discrimination and inequality within the educational system.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The article discusses the creation and removal of policies, legal challenges, and the conflict between local, state, and federal stances on non-discrimination, which pertains to the effectiveness and fairness of institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.a: “Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.” The actions of the Montezuma-Cortez school board directly challenge the provision of an “inclusive” and “safe” learning environment for LGBTQ students. A community member’s comment that removing protections “clearly states that you condone harassment” highlights the concern that the environment will become less safe and inclusive.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.1: “End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.” The article details a proposed policy “that would ban transgender students from joining school sports that match their gender identity.” This is a specific form of discrimination targeting individuals based on their gender identity.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.3: “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices…” The school board’s decision to remove “sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression” from its non-discrimination policy is an act of creating, rather than eliminating, a discriminatory policy. It reduces equal opportunity for protection against harassment for a specific group of students.

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.b: “Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.” The Montezuma-Cortez district is actively weakening its non-discriminatory policies. The article states that the board “unanimously approved changes removing references to ‘sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression’ from the policy,” which is in direct opposition to this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For SDG 4 (Target 4.a):

   • Indicator: The content of school non-discrimination policies. The article provides a direct measure by stating the policy was changed to remove protections for “sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.” Progress could be measured by the number of districts that include or remove such protections.

2. For SDG 5 (Target 5.1):

   • Indicator: The number of policies that restrict participation in activities based on gender identity. The article points to this indicator by mentioning the introduction of a policy “that would ban transgender students from joining school sports that match their gender identity.” Tracking the adoption or repeal of such policies would measure progress.

3. For SDG 10 (Target 10.3):

   • Indicator: The number of protected classes listed in anti-discrimination policies. The article provides a quantifiable indicator by noting, “The policy adopted Tuesday now cites 10 instead of 13 protected characteristics in a section prohibiting harassment.” This change is a direct measure of reduced policy-level equality.

4. For SDG 16 (Target 16.b):

   • Indicator: The number of administrative units or districts taking legal or policy action against non-discrimination principles. The article implies this indicator by stating that “Montezuma-Cortez, along with two other Colorado districts, three charter schools, and a Board of Cooperative Educational Services are now seeking to join a lawsuit” against protections for transgender athletes.

4. Summary of Findings

Source: chalkbeat.org