(John McCann, Headline USA) After severe backlash, the administration of Harpeth Hall has “paused” their decision to allow transgendered males to enroll into the 155-year-old Nashville institution.
Situated in the wealthy suburb of Belle Meade, the historically all girls’ school ignited a firestorm of controversy when they announced that the school would be changing its gender policy.
In their original statement, the school claimed that “our school uplifts the female voice,” and explained their decision by arguing, “as the world evolves, so do our students. The concept of gender has expanded and deepened over time,” reported Breitbart News.
The statement went on to declare that, “any student who identifies as a girl may apply to our school. Students who join and remain at Harpeth Hall do so because our mission as a school for girls resonates with them.”
Despite these stridently progressive declarations and policy changes, the Harpeth Hall administration has applied the brakes to their new gender philosophy.
In a new letter reported by Breitbart, the school stated, “we recognize that this philosophy elicited strong reactions of support and opposition beyond our expectations…we care deeply about your feedback, and we have heard you.”
The letter explained that “based on the response of the school community, Harpeth Hall is choosing to pause the adoption of the philosophy in order to engage a wider audience in continued discussion.”
School Head Jess Hill took to local media to defend the school’s reversal and decision. In her column she stated, “for more than 155 years, Harpeth Hall has been an all girls school. This will not change.”
Parent pushback in particular has been credited in forcing the school to change course. If the new policies had been enacted, biological girls would have been forced to share locker rooms and bathrooms with biological boys. An understandable concern for parents wanting to keep their daughters safe while at school.
