I-TEAM INVESTIGATOR DAVE ROBERTS
IS LIVE AT OBS HEADQUARTERS WITH
THIS EXCLUSIVE.
DAVE: THE E-MAILS DATE BACK TO
THE FALL OF 2014.
THEY WENT PUBLIC IN MARCH OF
2015.
WHEN LOCAL POLITICAL BLOGGER
CHRIS SCOTT MADE AN OPEN RECORDS
REQUEST ON AN UNRELATED ISSUE.
TONIGHT, WE'VE VERIFIED THE
E-MAILS.
AND WE ARE ASKING SOME
QUESTIONS.
THE INTITIAL E-MAIL, FROM
MILLARD SUPERINTENDENT JAMES
SUTFIN, ASKED OMAHA PUBLIC
SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT MARK
EVANS FOR INFORMATION ABOUT
TRANSGENDER STUDENTS.
REGARDING BATHROOMS, LOCKER
ROOMS, AND DISTRICT POLICY
ON OCTOBER 14, 2014, EVANS
RESPONDED, CC-ING A MEMBER OF
THE DISTRICT'S LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
ANOTHER E-MAIL FOLLOWED.
ANSWERING ALL OF THE QUESTIONS
POSED.
YES, THEY CAN USE THE RESTROOM
THEY IDENTIFY WITH.
THEY WOULD USE THE LOCKER ROOM
THEY IDENTIFY WITH.
WE HAVE NOT MADE ANY LOCKER ROOM
MODIFICATIONS.
AND THE DISTRICT DOES NOT HAVE A
POLICY IN PLACE.
WE ASKED MARKS EVANS TO EXPLAIN
HIS OWN E-MAILS.
IS THIS A SET OF GUIDELINES?
IS THIS A POLICY, WHEN YOU WERE
ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS?
SUP. EVANS: I DON'T THINK
THERE'S ANY POLICY, SPECIFIC TO
BATHROOMS.
IT'S JUST, IN GENERAL, THAT IF
NO MATTER WHERE A STUDENT IS
THAT, THEY SHOULD BE TREATED
WITH SAFETY, DIGNITY, NO
BULLYING ALLOWED, RESPECTFUL.
BUT IT WASN'T SPECIFIC TO A
LOCATION.
DAVE: WE ALSO CAUGHT UP WITH A
FEW BOARD MEMBERS.
TO SEE IF THEY KNEW ABOUT THE
E-MAILS.
DO THESE E-MAILS MEAN ANYTHING
TO YOU?
PRES. GODING: I WILL HAVE TO
FOLLOW UP WITH THE
SUPERINTENDENT.
DAVE: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE
E-MAILS, DO THEY INDICATE THAT
THERE MAY BE SOME GUIDELINES OUT
THERE THAT THE PUBLIC'S NOT
FULLY AWARE OF, OR AT LEAST SOME
OF THE PUBLIC?
MR. WAYNE: I DON'T KNOW.
I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A
CONVERSATION WITH MR. EVANS
ABOUT THE E-MAILS THAT YOU HAVE.
AND FIND OUT EXACTLY IF THERE
WAS GUIDELINES, OR IF THERE
WAS NOT.
I WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY
GUIDELINES, GOING INTO THE
MEETING THE OTHER DAY.
DAVE: LAST NIGHT, THE BOARD
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO UPDATE
ITS ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
IN REGARD TO GENDER IDENTITY AND
GENDER EXPRESSION.
