WILLINGTON
BOARD OF EDUCATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2021
The Willington Board of Education disavows
completely the comments made by an individual board member, Elena Testa, at the
Board meeting held on September 14, 2021 concerning the Gay Straight Alliance
Club at Hall Memorial School. The Willington Board of Education
recognizes the legal right of gay, lesbian, transgender and gender fluid
students in its schools to all rights, responsibilities and privileges granted
to all students, and to participate in the educational process, including
afterschool activities, free of discrimination based upon their gender
identities. These rights and privilege include the right to form school
clubs to the same extent and subject to the same rules as all students.
The views expressed by Ms. Testa at the September 14th meeting
are hers alone, and in no way reflect the official position of the Willington
Board of Education.
Additionally, the Willington Board of Education
affirms that the religious views of one or more Board members do not and cannot
provide a basis for decisions regarding the practices, policies, goals or
operations of the Willington Public Schools. While any board member is
free to both hold and espouse his or her religious beliefs, such beliefs have
no role to play in the Board’s decisions about clubs or any other matter.