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When Batavia Public School District 101 posted a Women's History Month tribute to U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride on Facebook last week, it didn't stay local for long.
The post — which highlighted McBride's election as the first openly transgender person elected to Congress — quickly drew the attention of national outlets like The Daily Caller and state groups like Awake Illinois. The district deleted the post thereafter.
Here's what to know:
The post and its deletion: BPS101 shared the McBride tribute as part of a series of Women's History Month posts. The post contained a factual error, identifying McBride as a U.S. senator rather than a congresswoman. According to Batavia Substack writer Joe Erbentraut, a wave of negative comments followed (many from outside the community).
Board meeting community response: Twelve of the 13 public comment speakers supported the original post and expressed concern about its removal. Several referenced research on LGBTQ youth mental health, noting that affirming school environments are associated with significantly lower rates of depression and suicide attempts among transgender students.
The other side: One speaker disagreed, arguing that the post was inappropriate and calling for the resignation of board members and the district's communications director.
Other requests: One speaker called on BPS101 to develop a clear protocol for handling similar situations in the future, such as how to mute or disable comments or how to avoid a situation where the response to hate speech is to erase the original post.
Several board members spoke during closing comments in support of the district's LGBTQ students. One closed with: "Trans women are women and all children belong in BPS101."
The meeting ran nearly four hours and covered a full agenda — including a significant discussion about the district's aging facilities and a potential $11.3 million health and life safety bond.
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