Plainfield Schools removes protections from gender identity discrimination PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Hendricks County Pride leaders say the Plainfield Community School Board should reverse their recent removal of “gender identity” from the list of groups protected by the corporation’s no ndiscrimination policy. The corporation’s current nondiscrimination policy states the word “gender” three times in just the first page, saying it is a protected class. Now, those words will soon be wiped from the policy. “Do the right thing. Claw it back. Put the protections back in place,” Hendricks County Pride Executive Director Shannon Walsh said. Walsh is also a therapist in the area and believes the change is not in line with the community’s values. “Kindness, compassion, empathy, acceptance, belonging,” Walsh said should be the board’s priorities. “The Plainfield School Board asked for community input, they received over 50 letters,” Angela Egler, a Hendricks County Pride board member, said. Egler said more than 40 of those letters urged the board not to cut the protections. “The Plainfield School Board had the opportunity to stand on the right side of history, and instead they made the decision in a vote that was three to two to remove gender identity as a protected group of students,” Egler said. News 8 reached out to the school corporation to find out why they made the decision. Officials referred News 8 to a statement they made ahead of the vote, saying the changes are in response to executive orders from the state and federal level. “The policy changes under consideration by Plainfield Community School Corporation are in response to executive orders that have been passed down at the federal and state levels,” the statement said. “These proposed changes aim to preserve the funding that supports all students by aligning with government requirements. Plainfield Schools remains steadfastly committed to protecting and ensuring a safe educational environment for every student in our schools.” Egler said, “When you have a blanket statement saying we protect all students, it really means, in a lot of ways, you protect no students, and it means you don’t protect the most vulnerable.” Advocates against the policy say the loss of protection could increase bullying. “The gender expansive community, specifically children, have been centered as a political talking point as political rhetoric that is harmful,” Walsh said. Walsh and Egler are also worried the move will prompt other schools in the area to follow suit. Aside from Plainfield, all school districts in Hendricks County currently list gender or sexual orientation as a protected class in their nondiscrimination policies. ...read more read less