Rochester School District Does Not Renew Contact of Councilor Who Spoke Against Transgender Policy

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Rochester School District (RPS) has issued a statement regarding the decision to not renew the contract of a councilor who spoke out against the district’s guidelines regarding transgender students. 

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Christina Barton made statewide news when she spoke out against the district’s transgender student guidelines earlier this year. The board voted Tuesday night to not renew her contact. 

RPS says the guidelines are, “based largely upon guidelines developed by the Minnesota School Boards Association.” They’re available by clicking here. 

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On Wednesday  RPS issued a statement that says state privacy laws prevent the district from giving reasons why an employee was not chosen for contract renewal. 

The district says they can publicly deny what the statement calls “certain information that has been reported inaccurately in media coverage.” 

RPS says a report stating Barton’s non-renewal was due to her public opposition to the guidelines is not accurate. Read RPS’s full statement below:

Because the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act imposes restrictions on information Rochester Public Schools may release regarding a current or former employee, the District is unable to share details regarding the reasons for the non-renewal of Christina Barton.

 

Rochester Public Schools may, however, deny certain information that has been reported inaccurately in media coverage. Specifically, a media report stating that Ms. Barton was non-renewed “for speaking out against the district’s transgender guidelines” is inaccurate and was not attributed to a specific source. Neither the District’s administration nor the School Board made such a statement. Rochester Public Schools is unable to comment further on the reasons for non-renewal due to Minnesota law protecting the privacy rights of public employees.

 

As to the Rochester Education Association’s actions with respect to Ms. Barton, the union is a separate entity from Rochester Public Schools and does not speak or act on behalf of the District. The District has no control over the actions of the union, and any statements by the union or its representatives regarding Ms. Barton should not be conflated with the actions or views of Rochester Public Schools.

-Rochester Public Schools

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