The sheriff of Wake County, N.C. is reconsidering the dedicated assignment of his police officers to protect school children and teachers, as a result of a standoff with school administrators, who he accuses of not adequately defining the district’s policy on transgender children.
I’m thinking about pulling my school resource officers out of those schools. If we can’t have a better relationship, if they can’t work with us, I don’t know how we can work with them.
--Sheriff Donnie Harrison
Digging into Harrison's threat, reporter Paul Blest discovered the following:
In his response, Harrison said the same thing he told us Monday, that his decision has "nothing to do with HB 2 or any other bill." But he later goes on to imply that the policy regarding infectious diseases, such as head lice, should be used with regards to transgender students.
The concern I have is the parents of 'ALL' the students and SRO's should know the policies of the school and school board. Then the parent has a say whether they want their child in the dress out room or not with a transgender student. … The school sends out messages if a child has head lice so parents can make their own decisions as to what to do with the child, so why not allow them to make the decision on whether their child should be in the dress out room or [sic] as well.
--Harrison
According to the publication, Indyweek, Harrison is upset that whatever policy does exist is not consistent across the Wake County school system. WRAL reports the sheriff was outraged that one principal allowed a transgender girl to use the girls’ bathroom, although his soundbite makes it clear he doesn’t understand what it means to be a transgender girl, since he misgendered the student in question. “She had allowed this person, male that is transgender, going to be a female, to go in there as long as he did not take off his underwear.