FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Tensions were high at Tuesday night’s Flagler County School Board meeting as gender identity and transgender issues were discussed.

  • Transgender protections hot topic at Flagler School Board Meeting
  • Issue sparked with transgender student Elliot Bertrand
  • Elliot Bertrand said a teacher refused to use his new name, pronouns

Dozens showed up Tuesday night to show their support for, and for some, their opposition to protecting transgender students.

The controversy sparked with 15-year-old Elliot Bertrand. He is a transgender male student at Flagler Palm Coast High School and started going by his new name last year.

“That made me realize like, ‘Oh yeah, this feels right,’" Bertrand said. "Like it just felt so much better than what I had been called for my whole life essentially.”

With the support of his parents, Bertrand changed schools earlier this year, as he says one teacher at Matanzas High School refused to use his new name and pronouns.

That’s why for the last several months, the Bertrands started coming to every Flagler County School Board meeting with their supporters to talk about changing the discrimination policy. They want to add the verbiage "gender identity" instead of just gender.

“So right now, Flagler County has nothing in pen and ink right now, whether it is policy, procedure or guidelines that addresses LGBTQ youth," said Randall Bertrand, Elliott Bertrand's father.

At the same time, Evidence Ministries showed up to these board meetings, sending a different message. Reverend Charlene Cothran believes no changes should be made to school policy.

“It is damaging to Elliot’s classmates because they now have to get in line with the fact that she is a boy and call her “him” or he. It is damaging to Christian teachers,” Cothran claimed.

So far, the school board is not budging on their current polices. ​

“Our board believes that our policy protects all students," said Jason Wheeler, Community Information Specialist for Flagler County Schools. "It doesn’t matter what their race, what their religion, what their sexual orientation is. It protects all students, we don't just single out LGBTQ students. We don’t just single out African American students. It’s for all students. “

Wheeler also pointed out the following in an email:

"We have School Board Policy 511.1 which directly mirrors the Florida Department of Education's policy regarding discrimination. We also have School Board Policy 217, which was amended in 2015 in response to the ACLU with regards to an LGBTQ student here at Flagler Schools."

However, Elliot Bertrand plans to continue to push forward for change.

“It's not just a Flagler County thing … this is the place we can make an impact because we live here," Bertrand said.

According to the school district, staff members at the schools have been sent to LGBTQ training seminars for the last six years.

The Bertram family says they will continue to speak at future board meetings until these issues are addressed.