Community Turns out to Demand Safety for LGBTQIA+ Students

Around 50 people lined the entryway to the Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) library on December 9 prior to the Regional School Committee (RSC) meeting to protest the reinstatement of guidance counselor Delinda Dykes and to demand action on the part of the district to ensure the safety of gay and trans students.

Dykes had been fired in 2023 following charges that she had discriminated against LGBTQIA+ students. That dismissal was part of a tumultuous year at the middle school, where charges of extensive bullying of LGBTQIA+ students by both students and staff  (see also here and here) were confirmed by subsequent 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. Dykes and colleagues Hector Santos and Tania Cabrera were accused of purposefully misgendering students, failing to support students who were being bullied, refusing to counsel non-binary students, disparaging gay and transgender students, and holding prayer meetings with students on school grounds in which students were encouraged to abandon their gay/trans identities.

However, an arbitrator determined in July 2023 that the district had violated Mass. General Laws c. 71 §42, governing dismissal of public school employees by not providing Dykes with required due process, including sufficient warnings and opportunities to correct her behavior. The arbitrator ordered that Dykes be reinstated to her previous position with full back pay. The district appealed that decision and a Superior Court judge denied the appeal on October 31, 2025. Dykes resumed work at the middle school in late November as the eighth-grade guidance counselor. 

The decision to reinstate her was met then by both a protest standout prior to the meeting of the RSC on July 23, 2025 and comprehensive testimony at that meeting, attesting to the ways that Dykes and others had harmed students in 2023, and expressing concern over the danger to student safety that her return posed.

The December 9 Action
On December 9, parents, community members, and allies gathered in the ARHS cafeteria prior to the RSC meeting to make signs and paint their nails in rainbow colors. Organizer Ali Wicks-Lim explained that according to the Title IX investigation, there was an incident in 2021–2022 where Dykes objected to nail polish on a male employee, made statements about the “gay agenda” and gender confusion among students, and removed the nail polish from the employee’s hands. 

As an act of solidarity, the LGBTQIA+ caucus of Amherst invited people of all genders to consider wearing colorful nail polish to any Amherst Regional Public School (ARPS) on the 9th and beyond. And as Wicks-Lim spoke, the cafeteria was redolent with the scent of nail polish as many of the assembled had their nails painted in rainbow colors.

Many of those gathered also made signs endorsing “the gay agenda” with slogans such as: “Gay Agenda: Safe Kids, Nail Polish for All”;  “Gay Agenda: Accountability, Transparency, Equity; and  “I’m not gay but my agenda is.”

Wicks-Lim explained that complaining about the gay agenda was a popular dog whistle for the religious right in the early 1990s and that the caucus’ suggested messaging reflected an effort to reappropriate the term in support of justice.

Joining the action were three current members of the RSC— Bridget Hynes, William Sherr, and Jennifer Shiao — and School Committee member-elect Laura Jane Hunter. Hunter briefly addressed the assembled group before the action, telling them that there haven’t been staff evaluations in the district for years, including during the administrative turmoil of 2023, and that Dykes was never formally evaluated during the time in which she was accused of harming students. She said that that will change with a newly adopted School Committee policy on evaluations.

Also joining the standout was Town Councilor-elect Amber Cano-Martin (District 2), who attended with her two children, who are both enrolled in the Amherst public schools.

Wicks-Lim followed up by reminding the assembled that Dykes is back because of the failure of adults — because the previous administration “screwed up and did not afford her the due process to which she was entitled, even though independent investigations determined that she had harmed kids.” They added that the community called for then, and is calling for now, three things: 

1. Establishing protective policies  

2. Accountability to the  protective policies, including employee reviews, BRIM reports (the district’s bullying reporting system), and the expectation that adult bystanders who witness homophobia, transphobia or bullying of any kind must take action and report

3. Acts of solidarity – things like wearing nail polish to school to signal support. Or drawing boundaries around your interactions or your child’s interactions with a person who harms queer and trans people makes a real difference in setting the culture of a school and what it feels like for LGBTQIA+ people to be there.

Wicks-Lim told the assembled that their presence would send the message to the LGBTQIA+ children of the district that there are adults who have their back, and will stand up for them and with them. And they reminded them that in spite of Dykes’ reinstatement against the wishes of many parents, that parents are not powerless — they showed up to make their feelings known; they have filed no contact requests (no contact template) that the district has said it will honor and which will prevent Dykes from having any contact with their children; and they have informed the community that when harm happens, a report must be filed with the schools and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the schools have promised to act on those reports. 

They concluded, “We are demonstrating with our presence that there are adults who have queer kids’ backs and we want the staff to feel obliged to respond when they see or hear a queer kid being harassed.”

Invitation to Families to Join LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group
William Scherr announced a school district effort to revitalize an LGBTQIA+ families affinity group that has been dormant in the last year. Families can sign up to join the group using the QR code below.

Prior to the standout, Wicks-Lim invited the group to offer public comment at the School Committee meeting and to remind the committee of the work that needs to be done to ensure the safety of queer kids. And they cautioned those who were preparing to speak that the RSC policy against publicly identifying the names of   personnel would be read at the beginning of the meeting. 

Public Comment
Eight people offered comments concerning Dykes’ return. Five of those comments are reproduced below with the permission of their authors.

In the name of transparency, there IS a gay agenda here, and it is to make sure queer and trans kids get to become adults. Lives are at stake and we will organize as many actions as it takes to prevent losing even one of them.
– Ali Wicks-Lim

Statement of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus of Amherst (read by Ali Wicks-Lim)

I’m Ali Wicks-Lim and this is a statement from the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, of Amherst. 

We are grateful to the school committee and administration for your efforts in developing and implementing protective policies and to the superintendent for recognizing the vulnerability of queer and trans students and working with the caucus to address the challenges they are facing. The caucus believes the students and staff who reported that Delinda Dykes harmed them and we believe the results of the Title IX investigation that confirmed it. So this is a difficult time for queer and trans students, and it is going to take all of us to protect them.

Language is important. Tonight we are reclaiming some of the language Dykes weaponized. According to the Title IX report, Dykes used the term “gay agenda” in response to a male staff member wearing nail polish.  For those who don’t know, the term “gay agenda” is a dog whistle, designed by the religious right to negatively portray queer people and to undermine our efforts to achieve equality. Delinda Dykes brought that language into our schools.

Language has consequences. The Title IX report established that Dykes referred to trans and nonbinary students as “confused.”  We want to be clear that gender fluidity and gender expression are not gender-confusion. And more importantly, gender confusion is not wrong or bad, it’s something many people of all ages explore. Middle schoolers are allowed to be confused without being condemned.

Dykes’ language and actions were choices she made and they were harmful and inexcusable, but what we must not forget is  how long the system tolerated the harm. The systemic failures that lead to her return cannot be ignored or they will be repeated.

We ask that from now on when you hear “ARPS” you think of the following words: Accountability and Reporting Protects Students. Historically Amherst schools have failed in the areas of both accountability and reporting and this must change in order to protect queer and trans students.

We need accountability for bullies whether they are students or employees. 

We need adult witnesses and bystanders to intervene and report every incident for investigation. No homophobic or transphobic comment or threat should go unaddressed.

We need accountability and oversight for the reporting policies that protect vulnerable students, and documentation and discipline for non-compliance. 

We need acts of solidarity in order to change the culture that landed us here. Parents, students and staff have a right to notify the administration that they want no contact with a staff member who has caused harm to queer and trans people, and doing so is important modeling and ally-ship.

Documenting and reporting any homophobic or transphobic act, whether it impacts you directly or not, is an act of solidarity. Establishing safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ students is an act of solidarity. The queer and trans community is creative about how we signal safety to one another. Dykes once removed nail polish from a male employee citing the gay agenda. We encourage anyone, of any gender who wants to signal solidarity to the queer and trans community to wear nail polish to school.

In the name of transparency, there IS a gay agenda here, and it is to make sure queer and trans kids get to become adults. Lives are at stake and we will organize as many actions as it takes to prevent losing even one of them.

Public Comment of Amy Cronin DiCaprio
I’m Amy Cronin DiCaprio. I’m on the Steering Committee of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, of Amherst and I’m also a parent of two kids in Amherst school district: a 6th grader at Crocker Farm, and a 10th grader at Summit Academy.  I’m also a public health professional with a background in youth sexual health, harm reduction, and relationship violence prevention.

Queer youth are living through a preventable public health emergency: almost 40% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in 2024, and 46% of trans and nonbinary youth. One in 12 attempted suicide. Nearly half of LGBTQ youth reported bullying last year, and those that did reported three times higher rates of attempting suicide than those who weren’t bullied. 
– Amy Cronin DiCaprio

I first sat in this chair over two and a half years ago, showing up regularly to ask the then-school committee and superintendent to see the pending Title IX investigation as a warning and a window into the larger, systemic dangers for queer youth in the Amherst middle school. 

Someone said earlier that our gay agenda is to make sure queer and trans kids get to become adults. That’s not hyperbole. Queer youth are living through a preventable public health emergency: almost 40% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in 2024, and 46% of trans and nonbinary youth. One in 12 attempted suicide. Nearly half of LGBTQ youth reported bullying last year, and those that did reported three times higher rates of attempting suicide than those who weren’t bullied. 

These statistics are not inevitable; they are driven by isolation, discrimination, and lack of protection (protection which young people are legally granted in Massachusetts public schools, through the state’s anti-bullying law and the Massachusetts Student Anti-Discrimination Act). But as we’ve seen, these protections aren’t worth very much without accountability in place. When individuals cause harm, especially when adults cause harm to youth, the systems that fail to hold those individuals accountable are just as much to blame. 

We all know that this is how we got here. We watched it play out on a national media stage. I’m a writer and a storyteller, and I believe that as much as people love a scandal, they love a come-back story even more. But these stories don’t happen by accident: they happen when people come together, when people choose courage over complacency, and when a whole community sees that everyone is worth fighting for. This comeback story shouldn’t be about just survival; it should be about success: the same success we want for every kid in the Amherst school district. Every single queer and trans student should know that their story matters, and that this entire community is fighting for their future.

Public Comment of Emily Pfeiffer
I would like to share with the School Committee, this open letter to Delinda Dykes.

My name is Emily Pfeiffer. I’m the parent of a former Amherst Schools student, and a member of the local community. I’m here to appeal to you, Ms. Dykes, to please resign, for the good of the students in this district.

In the Statement of Facts of the Title IX report, you are quoted saying “I considered that I injured a child.” I was glad to see that the reality that you’d injured children wasn’t lost on you. There is room for personal growth. Thank you for being able to see that.

The students told you who they are – their parents told you – and you said it was hard, that you needed time, and grace. Then, when questioned about whether you’d noticed a student wearing a huge pin on their hat with their pronouns, THEY/THEM, so you’d finally get it right, you responded “Sure did. A big old pin on her hat.”  

That student and others were hurt by you – injured, as you said. 

I could quote the compelling, definitive, scientifically proven facts that misgendering directly harms children. But I did that back in August and you still chose to step back into a role in which you’re meant to support these kids, knowing your being here would harm them.

What I will tell you is that these children are not broken. They’re not wrong. They’re not being tested. They are who they are and they are exactly right, just as they are. Your only job is to support them.

I think you can see that you’ve caused harm and injured students. You’re only able to return now on a legal technicality. But the results of the Title IX investigation found that you have done wrong.

The injuries you’ve caused are not erased. Knowing you’re back will further injure these kids, because the damage is done. The students who were harmed by you, the ones who first broke the story themselves as they fought to protect themselves, and each other – they will have to wonder if their younger peers and siblings will face their abuser around every corner. The students in the middle school know what you’ve done. Many have no contact orders. How can they focus on learning when they have to fear seeing you?

If you’ve realized the damage you’ve caused, good on you. If in your role as a counselor, you want to avoid harming children, there is only one thing for you to do. Resign.Find work somewhere else. Let these kids begin to heal and get through these challenging years of their lives without adding to the injury.

To the school committee:

Failing Ms. Dykes resignation, I am asking this committee and the administration to watch diligently, to document clearly, and to pave the way toward removing her legally, and permanently. I can’t imagine she’s reformed, or she wouldn’t be subjecting these students to her presence now. Please watch for her inevitable repeat offenses.

Sadly, if you do have the evidence to support termination, it means you’re documenting further harm to children. Please offer them support now as they face this mistreatment or the presence of the person who abused their peers. Please do what you can to minimize her impact on these kids.

Public Comment of Amanda Strout
“I am here tonight as an Amherst resident and parent.  Both of my kids will be in the middle and high school next year.  I want to ensure that my kids and their friends are in places where they feel treasured.  Queer and trans kids deserve to feel safe and connected when in school.  Anything less than that is not ok.”

Public Comment of Elle Van Dermark
My name is Elle Van Dermark and I am from Granby, Mass. I was here this summer after I learned of the issue with Delinda Dyke because I was deeply troubled by what happened.

I grew up in a very small town in Alaska. I was the only gay person – well,  I’m the only gay person I was aware of because people didn’t come out in the early 1980s in a town of less than 2000 people. So, I know the impact and the value of having allies or rather the impact and value of being silenced and not knowing if you have allies.

Also, I work at Connecticut State Community College where we have more than 7000 employees in 9 different bargaining units. Managing people in a highly bargained environment is very challenging. It means I have policies that guide when I and how I put someone on an improvement plan. It means the practices assure me of the steps I need to take to correct and document behavior.

I understand the arbitration decision. I am here asking you to take the time to work with your HR managers and counsel who are experts in your contracts  to develop the tools needed in accordance with your contracts. If they don’t know your contracts well – the practices and policies you create are not going to be worth the paper they’re written on, well the e-mail they’re written in.

Please take the time to develop them. Develop the practices and the policies so when Delinda Dykes, or anyone else, harms our children they can be held accountable and that decision is not reversed by an arbitration.