A vote took place at the Oct. 10 Central Bucks School District board meeting to advance Policy 123.3, which keeps biological males from playing in girls’ sports and out of girls’ locker rooms. The result of that vote clearly delineates the two sides in this upcoming election.

It seems like a pretty simple and straightforward position, but now, the fundamental duty of schools to protect the safety and well-being of all students (specifically female students in this case) has political implications for far-left school board directors and candidates in the Central Bucks School District.

There are multiple examples of biological males severely injuring girls while participating in their sports. Additionally, I do not believe any girl should have a boy fully undressing or using the showers in front of her, and when she needs to do the same, boys should not be in the locker room — period.

I firmly believe most parents and residents in the CBSD community agree with this.

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When the vote took place, six board members affirmed that biological males should not play girls’ sports or use girls’ locker rooms. Three minority board members would not affirm the notion that Title IX is the most transformative piece of legislation protecting girls’ and women’s sports in over 50 years. One, Dr. Mariam Mahmud, a pediatrician who knows the undeniable biological differences between males and females, voted “no.” Tabitha Dell’Angelo abstained from voting. Karen Smith, Region 1 incumbent and candidate for the upcoming election, did not show up for the meeting or even call in for the vote.

In addition, all three of them were no-shows at the last committee meeting, where vital work on the policy took place.

Anyone who prioritizes protecting girls’ sports and safe spaces would not vote “no” or miss or abstain from voting on advancing this important policy. In the interest of transparency and fairness, the Protect Bucks PAC contacted Ms. Smith via her campaign Facebook page and asked her to clarify her position on the vote that she missed. She explicitly stated that she is against Policy 123.3, which protects girls’ sports.

For students who want to play sports on a team that is different from their biological sex, the district needs to protect Title IX by including students and parents in the decision-making process to create policies that strike a balance between safety, fairness, inclusion, and privacy. Policy 123.3 provides a roadmap for the Central Bucks School District to make this happen.

My opponent in Region 3, Dana Foley, is a running mate of Neighbors United candidates Karen Smith, Heather Reynolds, Rick Haring, and Susan Gibson. The Neighbors United platform does not prioritize the safety of female athletes in sports and locker rooms.

It is time that we take a stand to protect girls’ sports and the safety and well-being of our girls.

As a result of their radical positions and being beholden to their extremist political donors from outside of Bucks County, if elected to the school board, they will vote to jeopardize girls’ safety and erase the fifty years of equality that girls and women athletes have benefited from under Title IX. The consequences of not having a policy in place to protect our girls are far-reaching and will result in the loss of athletic scholarships and opportunities for our female athletes, as well as the impacts on their emotional and physical safety throughout high school and college.

If the next school board flips, they will overturn the new policy.

It is time that we take a stand to protect girls’ sports and the safety and well-being of our girls. As a board member, I will always protect our girls and their safe spaces and never allow the culture wars to erase the achievements of our female athletes. We must stand up against the extreme outside influences pouring into our school board races to bring their radical policies into our schools, athletic programs, and our beloved community.

Please join us in our mission to protect all students, stop the culture wars, and keep the focus on academics and celebrating the athletic achievements and rich history of girls’ sports in the Central Bucks School District.

Glenn Schloeffel lives in Buckingham Township. He previously served on the CBSD Board and was President, and is currently a candidate for CBSD Board Region 3.