Community Protests Reinstatement of Delinda Dykes at Amherst Middle School

More than fifty people rallied outside of Amherst Regional High School (ARHS), prior to the Regional School Committee meeting on July 23, to protest the arbitrator-ordered reinstatement of former adjustment counselor and prior interim middle school principal Delinda Dykes, who was dismissed in 2023 amid accusations that she and fellow adjustment counselors Hector Santos and Tania Cabrera had harassed gay and trans students (see here, here and here).

Speakers Ali Wicks Lim, William Sherr, Martha Toro, Amber Cano-Martin and Laura Jane Hunter all expressed outrage at the prospect that someone who had willfully harmed students would be returned to a position in the Amherst schools. They noted that Dykes’ disregard for the well-being of queer and trans students had been well documented in numerous student and caregiver complaints and in comprehensive Title IX and non-Title IX investigations that faulted the district for failing to protect students from harm and for protecting perpetrators of that harm. 

Several speakers acknowledged that the order for reinstatement was a result of the failure of the previous school administration to adhere to required disciplinary procedures, but expressed outrage that this was allowed to happen. They decried the mismanagement of the 2023 crisis by then-School Superintendent Mike Morris and subsequently by interim superintendent Doug Slaughter in which students’ and caregivers’ reports of harm and harassment were dismissed or minimized. 

Speakers repeatedly asked how the debacle of Dykes’ prospective return was allowed to happen and demanded that policies be put in place to ensure that such harmful behavior and mismanagement never happens again.

Ali Wicks-Lim’s Remarks
Local organizer Ali Wicks-Lim kicked off the rally by leading the assembled in a chant  and then interspersed her remarks with other chants supporting LGBTQ students and demanding change in our schools.  Her abridged remarks follow.

She said:

We are here today to show queer and trans students that they are not alone.” 

We are also here today to show the administration of the Amherst Regional Public Schools that queer and trans students are not alone. They have a community behind them and we will not stand by while any person or system harms them! 

It is impossible for school to be a safe place for students when a person known to have caused them harm is allowed to work there.  So we, as a community, have a problem to solve.

It is impossible for school to be a safe place for students when a person known to have caused them harm is allowed to work there.  So we, as a community, have a problem to solve.

According to the investigative report released by the district, Dykes repeatedly misgendered and deadnamed students and held prayer circles in a school building where she said, “in the name of Jesus we pray that the LGBTQ gay demon that wants to attach and confuse these kids to leave this school now.”  And yet in the Determination of Responsibility following the report, the prior administration claimed that Dykes’ actions did not deny any student access to the district’s educational programs or activities, and this document was signed by the current high school principal. We need administrators to understand that homophobic and transphobic harassment impact a students’ entire school experience and can have life-threatening consequences.  

I want us all to be clear that this moment is years in the making. Many of the people you will see in tonight’s meeting were not in their positions when Delinda Dykes was working here, and they did not make the decision to reinstate her. That was done in arbitration and unfortunately they do not have the power to reverse the decision on their own. But they ARE the people holding the power to fix this, and we need to call upon them to use everything they’ve got to do that because this decision is unacceptable. 

Students! If someone, anyone, is not honoring your pronouns or your name, walk away and tell an adult you trust. You are attending a public school and there is no place for religious indoctrination here. If someone is telling you what or how to believe you can walk away from that as well, and report it. But here is the problem. Students have done those things. They’ve reported and repeated and relived the harm and the system has reinstated one of the people who caused them harm, so the system has failed them. 

As we move through a difficult time ahead, We must recognize that transphobia and homophobia are bad for ALL students. The work ahead will require ALL of us, not just the parents of trans and queer students. 

William Sherr’s Remarks 
William Sherr, a queer member of the Regional School Committee representing Pelham spoke next, emphasizing the life threatening risks that bullying poses to queer youth.  He said:

As a member of this school committee and as a queer person, I know what it’s like to grow up feeling different.  I want to speak directly to the importance of affirming our transgender and nonbinary students.This is not about politics. This is about safety, well-being, and basic human dignity.

We know from well-established research that trans and nonbinary youth face significantly higher rates of depression and suicide. But here’s the critical part: when their names and pronouns are respected, when they are affirmed, those risks drop dramatically. Using a student’s correct name and pronouns in school, at home, and in the community can cut suicide risk by nearly 30%. Just one supportive adult in a young person’s life can reduce the chance of a suicide attempt by a third.

On the flip side, misgendering is not just disrespectful—it’s dangerous. Studies show that over 70% of transgender youth who are consistently misgendered have attempted suicide. That is staggering. So when someone refuses to use a student’s correct pronouns, what they’re really saying is: “I’m okay with contributing to a reality where that child might not live.”

Misgendering and the refusal to use correct pronouns is harassment. Obviously Our current policies don’t draw that connection clearly enough, and that must change. We need to explicitly define misgendering as a form of discriminatory harassment—because that’s what it is. Not calling someone by their name or pronoun isn’t just a slip-up—it’s a repeated, harmful act that can have deadly consequences.

Affirming students’ identities doesn’t cost anything, but it can literally save lives. And as adults—especially those entrusted with shaping school environments—we have a moral responsibility to lead with empathy, evidence, and equity.

Affirming students’ identities doesn’t cost anything, but it can literally save lives. And as adults—especially those entrusted with shaping school environments—we have a moral responsibility to lead with empathy, evidence, and equity.

Every student deserves to be seen, heard, and safe. That starts with something as simple, and as powerful, as getting their name and pronouns right—and making sure our policies leave no room for harm to be excused.

Sherr also shared a portion of those remarks during the school committee meeting that followed.

Teachers and Parents Speak Out
Martha Toro, a retired Amherst Regional Public Schools (ARPS) teacher and administrator said that unfortunately, she had personally witnessed some of the things that had harmed ARMS students in the 2023 crisis. She condemned the misgendering, deadnaming, gender shaming, and praying to eliminate “the demons of homosexuality” that were alleged to characterize Dykes’ interactions with queer and trans students.  She spoke to the trauma that resulted from Dykes’ harassments, calling them a “betrayal of trust from a person in power”.  She concluded: “As educators, we should aim to support the development of students, not impose our beliefs.  If the law requires that this person be rehired, then we must make sure that their position involves no contact with students whatsoever!”

Amber Cano-Martin and Laura Jane Hunter, both parents with children in the Amherst schools concluded the speaking, noting that they had been around to defend students and hold the schools accountable during the crisis of 2023. 

Cano-Martin said, “I am in a state of anger and shock and fear for our children after hearing that Delina Dykes may be returning to our schools.”  She recounted some of the history of the crisis of 2023 and noted how at that time, teachers had stepped up in defense of children.  She thanked the teachers for their support then and for being here today.  She concluded: “We were part of an effort to ensure that this kind of harm would never happen again.  Dykes and colleagues were fired and we thought we would be able to move on.  And yet here we are.”
She encouraged parents and teachers to get involved.

Hunter pointed out that both her children were in the middle school and that her husband was a teacher there in 2023.  She said,“We must come together as a community to face the possibility of Delinda Dykes’ return. Our priority is to protect children. If her return is mandated – then we call on the administration to ensure that she has no contact with students. There are vulnerable students in every school, so don’t try to hide her in another school – she should not have any contact with students anywhere in the system.”   Hunter concluded by encouraging parents to get involved.

Town Officials in Attendance
School superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman (Dr. Xi) was present at the rally and joined the crowd in their chants and in appreciation of the speakers. School Committee members Jennifer Shiao (Amherst) and Deb Leonard (Amherst) were also present at the rally as was Town Councilor Hala Lord (District 3).

The rally concluded just prior to the start of the Regional School Committee meeting and most of the crowd filed into the school library to attend.  Twenty-one people offered testimony during the public comment portion of the meeting in opposition to Dykes’ reinstatement.