Bellbrook students protests outside Board of Education office over LGBTQ+ policy change

BELLBROOK — Students in Bellbrook held a protest outside the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Board of Education office on Tuesday.

>>PHOTOS: Bellbrook students hold protest at Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Board of Education

The demonstration came days after the board voted in favor of taking the words “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” out of its anti-harassment and non-discrimination policies.

News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis was there Tuesday afternoon and saw students, teachers, and community members holding signs and waving flags.

Last week, the board said it wanted to coincide its policies with the current legal landscape.

They said there are no federal or state anti-discrimination statutes that cover sexual orientation and identity.

The board did say it intended to change another one of its policies to be more inclusive.

>>ORIGINAL STORY: Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Schools vote to remove verbiage that protects LGBTQ+ students, staff

The students Lewis spoke to said there is no word yet on when that will happen. In the meantime, they are going to continue to make their voices here.

“I care about the safety of me and my fellow peers,” said Elliot Merrill, a sophomore at Bellbrook High School. “Personally, I don’t want to get ‘hate-crimed’ in the hallways to try to go to class.”

“I think we’re all just trying to spread positivity today (Tuesday), just to show that we’re people too,” said Ella Grover, a junior at Bellbrook High School. “We want everybody else to care about as much as we do and we’re not going away.”

Lewis says Ella started an online petition the day after the board’s vote last week. Since then, it has gotten more than 1,200 signatures. She said she plans to bring the petition to the next board meeting.

>>Local law professor talks legal implication of Bellbrook-Sugarcreek school policy change

Lewis reached out to the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Board of Education Tuesday afternoon. They issued this statement.

“The district recognizes the right of the students to protest and make their feelings and voices heard.

“We recognize this is an emotional issue and we support the first amendment rights of our students.

“We are encouraged that district leadership is scheduled to meet with some students in the coming days to continue the conversation about board policy. This continues to be a very high priority for the board.”

0 of 14